Author: Staff Writer
Carry1st, Africa’s leading mobile games publisher, today announced it has partnered with online payments pioneers PayPal and Chipper Cash, a cross-border payments company recently valued at $2B, to enable people across Africa to easily and securely purchase virtual goods and services online. Thanks to the partnerships, consumers across Africa can purchase digital essentials in the newly launched Carry1st Shop — from pre-paid electricity and mobile data, assets in their favorite games (like PUBG, ROBLOX, and SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off — which Carry1st recently launched in Africa), and subscriptions to platforms like Xbox Live, Tinder, and Uber. Consumers can browse products, select…
The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Aerospace Systems Research Group (ASReG) has successfully tested a powerful liquid-propellant rocket engine as the first step towards developing a launch vehicle for placing satellites into Earth orbit. The Ablative Blow-down Liquid Engine (ABLE) was designed by mechanical engineering students in the masters and doctoral programmes at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). ASReG is developing designs for a commercial launch vehicle capable of placing satellites weighing up to 200 kg into orbit for communications, environmental monitoring, agriculture and Earth observation purposes. The successful operation of ABLE will enable the group to begin work on a flight-weight…
South Africa could introduce a new COVID-19 vaccine passport system at the start of 2022 after the discovery of a new variant. Business Day reports that South Africa’s exclusion from international travel brought further urgency to debates about mandatory vaccination. Talks between the government, business and labour on the introduction of a form of Covid-19 vaccine passport system are at an advanced stage. A passport system would restrict access to certain events and would not involve people being forced to take jabs against their will. The word “mandate” implies compulsion, but in the SA context, it is roughly equivalent to…
Standard Bank has partnered with internet service provider Webafrica to expand the provision of high-speed internet and access to financial services for its customers. The partnership, which will come into effect during the first quarter of 2022, will allow Standard Bank to meet a wider array of client needs, deepen customer relationships, and fulfil its purpose of driving Africa’s growth and uplifting its people. The initial focus of the partnership will be on making high-speed internet access available to Standard Bank customers and making the Standard Bank flexible funeral product accessible to the Webafrica customer base. “This partnership forms part…
JSE-listed technology company Altron has appointed Andrew Whittaker as Managing Director of Altron Security with effect from 1 December 2021. Previously Executive: Services and Business Development at Altron Security, where he was responsible for sales, business development, marketing, and services management, Whittaker takes over from Marius Agenbag, who is retiring. Whittaker has been with Altron Security (previously Ubusha) since 2001 and has over 26 years of technical, management and industry experience. This positions him well to drive the long-term growth strategy of Altron Security which recently acquired LAWtrust from Etion. Altron Group Chief Executive Mteto Nyati said, “Security is one…
South Africa’s biggest and best digital bank, as rated in the SITEisfaction 2021 report, is changing the way South Africans do small to medium sized cash-based transactions. Capitec is expanding its digital offering with the launch of Capitec Pay Me, enabling its clients to generate a personalised QR code on the bank’s app to receive payments immediately and securely from other Capitec clients. Making and receiving payments is free, championing affordability for clients. With over 9 million digital banking clients, Capitec’s Francois Viviers, Group Executive of Marketing, explains how the solution will advance South Africa’s digital economy. “Carrying cash is…
Have you ever fancied going on a shopping spree in the company of your favourite celebrity? Now is the time to do just that. Avon will be hosting its first-ever live streaming event where A-list celebrities and media personalities will take customers and Representatives through a virtual tour of the most desirable products at the best pricing without having to leave the comfort of their homes. This event will feature multiple award-winning designer and Avon fragrance collaborator, David Tlale, former Miss South Africa, Radio host and A new Brand Ambassador, Liesel Laurie and YouTube super star, Lasizwe. We also have…
After 21 successful years in the South African PropTech industry, digitalisation specialist e4 is expanding into European markets. Having recently launched a new group in the UK, a long-standing executive director from South Africa, Simon Slater, has relocated to the UK to head up the venture. Slater’s focus will be on building e4’s relationship with various mortgage lenders, conveyancing firms and other partners in the UK. He will be supported by a global team of analysts, developers and staff to help build out the new group. “Having worked on international opportunities remotely now for the past two years, we are…
2021 marks five years in SA since the #DataMustFall campaign which saw the President order the Communications Ministry to bring down the cost of mobile data by 50%. Still, however, the country remains ranked at number 136 for the price of a gigabyte of mobile data*. “Almost a third of South African households own a car while nearly 90% have access to a cellphone** and yet the petrol price per litre is a more familiar topic of conversation than the price per gigabyte of mobile data,” says Anton Potgieter, co-founder of NoPBX™, a locally developed, smartphone-based cloud PBX system. Potgieter…
Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok Tendai Mtawarira aka ‘The Beast’ has been named as the newest addition to the Liquid Intelligent Technologies SA family. Negotiated via Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports. The partnership will see The Beast working with Liquid SA’s internal and external stakeholders. In a partnership that is exclusive to South Africa, Tendai – the Beast has been carefully chosen by Liquid to reflect company values of working with trust, ingenuity, value-centricity, and respect as well as to create a deeper social impact in the country. “Tendai – The Beast is not only a national champion but also someone who embodies…
Africa Data Centres, the largest network of interconnected, carrier- and cloud-neutral data centre facilities on the continent, today officially opened its new 10MW data centre facility in Lagos, Nigeria. The new facility, the company says, will pave the way for Africa Data Centres hyperscale customers to deploy digitisation solutions to West Africa. CEO of Africa Data Centres, Stephane Duproz, describes Nigeria as one of the company’s key markets as there is a rapidly-growing demand for data centres in the region, which is hungry for digitisation, as organisations of every type and size in Africa accelerate their digital transformation journeys. He…
It is well-known that the COVID-pandemic has forced change in many industries and driven digitalisation at a pace faster than anyone could have anticipated, but it has happened at the cost of robust security and digital authentication. The ramifications of this could be felt soon as it becomes increasingly difficult to know whether the person on the other end of a digital transaction is legitimate and authenticated. Juniper Research in its 2020-2025 Digital Identity Market Summary estimates that digital identity apps will exceed 6,2 billion by 2025 from a 2020 base of 1 billion. South Africa, together with most other…
Tonight, global technology giant Huawei launched its new Huawei MateView GT monitor at an event held at The Galleria in Sandton. Here’s what you can expect from the brand new Huawei MateView GT. Speaking of gaming, the cutting-edge technology, reliability, performance and outstanding mastery of the Huawei MateView GT, Huawei’s first desktop monitor, is sure to impress even the most discerning of players. The Huawei MateView GT features a curved, ultra-wide, 21:9, 34-inch display, as well as an innovative integrated SoundBar. Huawei’s first curved monitor, the Huawei MateView GT, is designed for gaming enthusiasts and users who seek the ultimate…
Tonight, global technology giant Huawei launched its new Huawei nova 9 smartphone at an event held at The Galleria in Sandton. This groundbreaking innovation continues a pattern long-held by Huawei: of creating devices that balance both beautiful aesthetics and powerful performance and help you stay connected in every possible scenario. Here’s what you can expect from the brand-new Huawei nova 9 The new nova shines bright The Huawei nova 9 is Huawei’s flagship smartphone for a younger generation. Defined by its innovative features and fashionable design, its powerful camera system and all-new video capabilities ensure it stands out from the…
The Global IP Technology Annual Conference (IPv6+ forum) with the theme, “Accelerating IPv6+ Industry Development to Catalyse New Business” was successfully held at AfricaCom 2021, attracting participants from government, business, operators, industry organisations and device vendors. IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the sixth revision to the Internet Protocol and the successor to IPv4. The conference explored IPv6+ values, policy development, carrier deployment practises, and device vendor solutions. Participants agreed that IPv6+ is a powerful assistant for digital transformation in Africa. It can improve the digital economy, help carriers improve profitability, and open up new business opportunities. After more than 30…
Kalon Venture Partners investee company, Mobiz, a South African start-up integrating hyper-personalization into mobile marketing, has raised a pre-Series A round of $ 4 million from HAVAÍC, Future growth, Launch Africa, Allan Gray E-Squared Ventures, CapaciTech and Endeavor’s Harvest Fund numerous investors. This follows Kalon’s initial seed investment and comes as the start-up is ramping up efforts to expand into the U.S. and double down on marketing, sales and account management. Part of the investment will be used to hire more staff in South Africa and support the commercial expansion to the U.S. Mobiz works as a code-free tool that helps marketers, enterprises…
Work has officially started on a plan to completely redevelop and expand the Bushbuckridge shopping centre in Mpumalanga Province. Last November, Nthoese Development hosted a sod-turning ceremony to mark the commencement of the redevelopment and expansion of Bushbuckridge shopping centre to address social-economic challenges in the area. The shopping centre is located at the corner of R40 and R533 in Bushbuckridge CBD which is portion 8 (a portion of portion 5) of the farm Maviljan 252 measuring 7,4608 hectares. The R40 is the main north-south road through the municipal area. It links Nelspruit through Hazyview to Phalaborwa Limpopo. Bushbuckridge Urban Renewal…
In a Black Friday surprise, MTN has allocated two billion YelloBucks to loyal customers. All customers who have been with MTN SA for six months or longer now have extra YelloBucks to spend until 30 November. “At MTN, we believe in rewarding our customers simply for being with us, and so our MTN YelloBucks loyalty programme was introduced to drive value across our entire customer base – no matter the product a customer subscribes to,” says Mapula Bodibe MTN SA’s Chief Consumer Officer. “Everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life and all of our customers deserve the benefits…
Clickatell, a leader in mobile communications and chat commerce, has been selected by leading African retailer Pick n Pay, to manage their WhatsApp customer communication channel. Customers can easily access Pick n Pay services by sending “Hi” to +27 60 070 3037. The easy to navigate menu then allows shoppers to choose which action they want to perform. The Pick n Pay WhatsApp channel currently hosts catalogues, COVID-19 FAQs, store locator, Smart Shopper card services and other customer services options. This partnership between Pick n Pay and Clickatell enables customers to manage their Smart Shopper status and details via WhatsApp. This…
After falling from 50 to 43 in the third quarter, the RMB/BER Business Confidence Index (BCI) remained unchanged in the fourth quarter of 2021. The outcome could easily have been better were it not for a variety of special factors that kept sentiment subdued. Figure 1: RMB/BER Business Confidence Index Source: BER, SARB (Shaded areas represent economic downswings) The fieldwork for the fourth quarter survey took place during the first two weeks of November (27 October to 15 November). It covered 1 300 senior executives in the building, manufacturing, retail as well as wholesale and motor trade sectors. Details The third…
Capitec has launched new simplified credit solutions that go beyond the confines of traditional credit. The bank’s needs-based credit solution gives consumers access to up to R250 000 for education, medical expenses, home improvement or vehicles at some of the country’s top brands with affordable interest rates from prime (7.25%). The industry-leading unsecured interest rates are made possible by linking the credit granted to responsible client needs or goals and paying the funds directly to the retailer or service provider. Initial partners include CTM, MediClinic, WeBuyCars and the higher education providers Henley, University of Stellenbosch, Boston and Stadio which includes Millpark and AFDA. “Clients expressed a need for credit to…
Patrice Motsepe-backed ARC Financial Services Holdings (ARC FSH) and Ethos Mid-Market Fund I buy South Africa’s innovative FinTech player Crossfin Technology. ARC Investments advised shareholders today that it is part of a consortium led by the Ethos Mid-Market Fund I, which has entered into agreements to buy 100% of Crossfin Technology and commits to providing acquisition and growth capital in a R1.5 billion transaction. ARC FSH is 50.1% owned by African Rainbow Capital Proprietary Limited and 49.9% owned by the ARC Fund, which is the vehicle holding the assets within ARC Investments, the listed entity. As part of the deal,…
MTN Group announced on Tuesday it had received approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to sell up to 575 million ordinary shares in MTN Nigeria. The sale of the shares will be done by way of a bookbuild to qualified investors (Institutional Offer) and a fixed price to retail investors (Retail Offer). The Institutional Offer opens on 23 November 2021 and closes at 15.00 SAST on 26 November 2021, after which a fixed price will be determined for the Retail Offer. The Retail Offer is proposed to open after the Institutional Offer, and an announcement will be published in this regard once clearance…
In a first for South Africa, TWK Investments (TWK), which recently listed on the Cape Town Stock Exchange (CTSE), will also list its shares for trade on A2X Markets. The collaboration between these two exchanges means that listed companies, for the first time, will be able to choose how to access both the retail and wholesale markets in South Africa. The business has been approved for secondary listing on A2X Markets and its shares will be available for trade on A2X from 30 November 2021. TWK retains its listing on the CTSE and its issued share capital will be unaffected…
Niantic, the developer of the world’s first and only planet-scale augmented reality platform like Pokémon GO, has bagged $300 million or R4.8 billion to build out its vision for the Real-World Metaverse. Coatue has made a $300 million investment in the company at a valuation of $9 billion. Niantic will also use the funds to invest in current games and new apps and expand the Lightship developer platform. “We’re building a future where the real world is overlaid with digital creations, entertainment and information, making it more magical, fun and informative,” said John Hanke, Niantic’s Founder and CEO. “This will…