Author: Staff Writer

South Africa will not win the war against corruption if it does not actively and adequately protect whistle-blowers, the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said on 10 November 2021. “Corruption has become embedded in South African society and it robs the country of the ability to provide its citizens with employment, services and social support by damaging economic activity and growth and siphoning off taxes,” says Foundation CEO Piyushi Kotecha. On 1 November South Africa lost an upstanding citizen when Athol Williams fled the country in fear for his life after implicating 39 individuals and companies at the Zondo…

Vodacom announced today that it is buying a controlling stake in Vodafone Egypt, one of Africa’s premier telecom operators. Subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, Vodacom will fund the acquisition of a 55% stake in Vodafone Egypt by issuing 242 million new ordinary shares at R135.75 per share and R8.2 billion ($548 million) in cash. This values the proposed transaction at circa R41 billion or $2.738 billion. “Acquiring a majority stake in Vodafone Egypt would cement Vodacom Group’s position as Africa’s leading techco by advancing our strategic connectivity and financial services ambitions while increasing our total population coverage on the…

Vodacom today announced that it has agreed on terms to acquire a strategic stake in Community Investment Ventures Holdings’ (CIVH) fibre assets that will transform its South African fibre business and accelerate the purpose-led group’s ambition of connecting people for a better future. Subject to regulatory approvals, Vodacom Group will hold a co-controlling 30% equity interest in a newly formed InfraCo entity into which all of the material assets currently owned by Dark Fibre Africa (DFA’ and Vumatel will be transferred in addition to certain Vodacom owned fibre assets. Vodacom has an option to acquire an additional 10% stake in…

Barrows, the provider of hotel investment and advisory services for hotels in the Middle East and Africa is preparing for a new digital revolution in making the hotel industry smarter. Anyone who thinks we are already there with digitization in the hospitality industry could not be further wrong. Service and Hospitality will innovate enormously over the years to come through numerous sleek technological applications and make buildings intelligent. By providing the hotel buildings with intelligent applications aimed at high-quality guest service during the construction phase, the use of smart technology in the workplace becomes a natural result. This concerns, for example,…

Pick n Pay is preparing to release its Black Friday deals this November and says customers can expect massive deals and some of the lowest prices reported this year. Andrew Mills, Group Executive: Marketing at Pick n Pay, expects more customers to be excited for Black Friday deals this year and says they have made extra provisions to bring customers the biggest ever Black Friday deals in stores and to their doorstep. Pick n Pay is planning thousands of deals. The majority of these deals will be Smart Price Black Friday deals meaning customers who swipe their Smart Shopper card…

Its official electronics manufacturer TCL is entering the South African market as of 3 November 2021. It promises affordable quality and smarter than smart televisions for all South Africans.  “South Africa has always been on our radar as a next expansion point, and we’re thrilled to officially be in the market,” says Robin YI, General Manager of TCL South Africa. “We will be utilising South African resources as much as possible on the ground and that includes a local South African assembly partner with plans for expansion in the near future.” As an introductory product, TCL will be launching its…

To support universal and affordable broadband access in Africa, IFC has partnered with Liquid Intelligent Technologies to expand data centre capacity and the rollout of fibre-optic cable on the continent. The partnership with Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africa’s leading independent fiber and digital services provider, aims to increase digital connectivity and inclusion in Africa and to support the region’s growing digital ecosystem. IFC’s equity and debt investments in Liquid Intelligent Technologies, which to date total approximately $250 million or R3.7 billion, will support the company to grow its hyperscale data center capacity in Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa through its…

The pandemic has been described as our “once in a generation… opportunity to reimagine how we work”. While work from home (WFH) is perhaps the most pervasive change, experts believe that a number of other factors will impact work in 2022. Hybrid models will become more ubiquitous The workplace remains a highly contested space. After nearly two years of pandemic-related flexibility around where we work, it’s clear that simply going back to the office in the traditional nine-to-five sense is not an option in 2022. As such, hybrid work models offer the ideal “middle ground” between working from home and…

Cisco in partnership with Fourth Industrial Revolution Incubation (4IRI), today at a hybrid event launched an EDGE Centre in the Western Cape. EDGE stands for Experience, Design, GTM (Go to Market) and Earn. The objective is help develop small and medium businesses in the digital age, speed up their entry to market and, as a result, create new jobs for the local economy. Cisco has a long-standing commitment to South Africa and to supporting the country’s National Development Plan. The establishment of the EDGE Centres is a key pillar of Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program, launched in South Africa…

TymeBank says it has reached a 4 million customer milestone, with the digital bank onboarding 140 000 customers each month versus 100 000 last year. The bank is 100% digital. It uses apps and online platforms to support its customers, rather than traditional physical branches. TymeBank is already making strides and has a real possibility of becoming SA’s biggest digital bank in a few months. The acceleration in customers signing up for TymeBank bank accounts comes at a time when consumers are demanding more value as well as increased transparency in banking fees. “We are pleased to have achieved a…

myFanPark Inc is pleased to announce its most recent partnership with OOOOO, to launch interactive, live online shopping in South Africa in 2022. OOOOO is a technology platform and app that enables brands & retailers to embrace the fast growing live stream economy with its unique interactive video commerce application available for iOS and Android. Created and launched in 2020 by Sam Jones (ex-Wish) and Erich Zhang (ex-Tiktok), OOOOO is part TikTok, part Amazon, allowing users to watch live and recorded videos in which creators discuss items they’ve tried and tested. The products can then be purchased directly from the…

Starting today, Telkom will make it possible for customers to get Prepaid fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) running on the Openserve fibre network. This means that customers who didn’t qualify for fibre previously due to unforeseen financial circumstances, or customers that prefer to be in control of their spend without any long-term commitments, can now buy a prepaid 25Mbps uncapped internet service online. “We are simplifying access because we realise that no two customers, nor their circumstances, are the same. While some customers want the convenience of a contractual agreement and prefer a recurring billing, others merely opt for the flexibility to adjust…

Remote Doctors 4 Africa, a start-up focused on the digital healthcare ecosystem, is launching a new telehealth app to address the lack of healthcare services in rural communities. Through the Remote Doctors 4 Africa app (RD4A), citizens in the remote corners of South Africa, Botswana, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe, will have access to digital telehealth services, and healthcare professionals will have access to critical data. COVID-19, and its subsequential onslaught to communities across the continent, highlighted the dire situation, not only in South Africa but across Africa, where rural communities lack access to education, healthcare, and infrastructure. It is these forgotten…

AURA, South Africa’s leading security and medical response marketplace, has appointed David Myers as its Chief Operations Officer. Previously a General Manager and Regional Operations Lead at Uber for Europe, Middle East & Africa, Myers brings with him decades of experience that will stand him in perfect stead for this position. Co-founder Ryan Green, who is moving into a new role at the company, hands over to Myers. “Start-up platform COOs should be very detailed and have the desire, grit and ability to understand how everything within the business works at all levels in order to effectively guide the broader…

Consumption Information Real Time (CIRT), a successful leading-edge tech start-up, has been selected to join Cohort 5 of GSD Venture Studios. GSD Venture Studios is a leading global tech accelerator that focuses on identifying global technology companies with the potential to compete in global markets. “GSD Venture Studios travels the world looking for companies with the potential to become the next tech giant or unicorn, so it’s an incredible privilege to have been selected as one of only 10 companies globally to participate in their fifth cohort,” says Ajay Lalu, co-founder of CIRT. “When our Q-Hop solution was placed in…

South Africa’s Telkom customers now have access to three networks following the group’s recent addition of MTN as a roaming partner. Telkom operates a network of approximately 6 900 base stations & continues to expand this footprint. It entered into an agreement with Vodacom South Africa for 2G, 3G and 4G services in December 2018. In this latest agreement, effective 1 November 2021, MTN South Africa has been added for the provision of 2G, 3G & 4G services. According to Lunga Siyo, CEO of Telkom Consumer, this innovative approach to network deployment allows Telkom to give customers the best coverage…

Amazon continues to make progress on Project Kuiper, a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation that will provide fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world. “This is a major, long-term initiative, and today we’re excited to share plans to launch and deploy our first satellites.” Introducing KuiperSat-1 and 2 This morning, Amazon filed an experimental license application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch, deploy, and operate two prototype satellites for Project Kuiper. These satellites—KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2—are an important step in the development process. They allow Amazon to test the communications and networking technology that…

Businesses have been through a lot in the last 18 months. As we near the end of 2021, a year that has put many to the test, it is useful to pause and reflect on lessons learned that might be applied in the new year. There are numerous advantages to reflecting on what worked and what did not. What you can bring into the new year as a business and what you should alter. One thing that was undoubtedly learned in 2021 is that resilience and an ability to adapt to change are critical components of long-term corporate success. The…

Sustainalytics – the largest independent provider of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) research and ratings – has ranked Vodacom Group as the world’s number one telecommunications service company based on ESG performance. Indicative of how Vodacom has accelerated its commitment to sustainable development action, the 2021 Sustainalytics report saw the company improve to 1st place from 2nd place in 2020 out of 221 companies in the sector. In terms of risk globally, we have moved from 6th to 4th place out of 12 965 companies, which is no small feat. “We are honoured to receive this first-place ranking, as it reflects our…

Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper loyalty programme continues to grow beyond its 9 million membership base, and increased participation has seen the total of unredeemed points climb to R245 million. This is up from R200-million in unredeemed points the retailer reported a few months ago, and says this is because more customers are swiping their cards more often to get savings. “Increased popularity means we now have more Smart Shoppers than ever before,” says Andrew Mills, Group Executive: Marketing at Pick n Pay. “For 10 years, customers have enjoyed the benefits of our loyalty programme but it is evident that…

Collective Benefits, an insurance and benefits marketplace for independent workers, today announced a $10 million or R154 million investment from Prosus Ventures, the venture investing arm of Prosus, one of the largest technology investors in the world. Collective Benefits offers much-needed insurance and benefits for independent workers across sectors. This includes sick pay, accident and injury insurance, wellness, financial and education support, as well as a perks marketplace. This new funding will allow Collective Benefits to expand its suite of products and services for independent workers, as well as continue to expand its presence as the market leader across Europe…

The countdown to summer is here. As the weather heats up, so does the chance of winning a share of R250 million worth of cash and prizes, plus a share of 1 Billion VodaBucks with the launch of Vodacom’s UnlockSummer campaign! 2021 has been a challenging year for South Africans, filled with difficulties in the wake  of the COVID-19 pandemic. Which is why Vodacom has upped the ante this summer to give back to its loyal customers, who stand a chance of unlocking prizes like one of three Kia Rio cars, one of 50 Honda Ace Scooters, Huawei laptops, grocery…

Facebook announced today that it is shutting down face recognition as part of a company-wide move to limit the use of facial recognition in its products. This change will represent one of the largest shifts in facial recognition usage in the technology’s history. “More than a third of Facebook’s daily active users have opted in to our Face Recognition setting and are able to be recognized, and its removal will result in the deletion of more than a billion people’s individual facial recognition templates,” said Jerome Pesenti, VP of Artificial Intelligence at Facebook. Making this change required careful consideration, because…

Streaming service giant Netflix announced Tuesday that it is taking first steps in launching games on mobile to the world. Starting today, members everywhere can play five mobile games: Stranger Things: 1984 (BonusXP), Stranger Things 3: The Game (BonusXP), Shooting Hoops (Frosty Pop), Card Blast (Amuzo & Rogue Games), and Teeter Up (Frosty Pop).  “Whether you’re craving a casual game you can start from scratch or an immersive experience that lets you dig deeper into your favorite stories, we want to begin to build a library of games that offers something for everyone,” said Mike Verdu, Netflix  VP, Game Development. “We’re in the early days of creating…

The shifting demands of electricity consumption, driven by the need to balance growing consumption with long-term environmental sustainability necessitates a rethink of how and from where we consume electricity. The importance of this rethink was underlined by the speakers at Huawei’s Digital Power summit in Johannesburg, attended by key delegates in the country’s energy sector. “Electricity drives economies, facilitates development and enriches our lives. But, in South Africa we have two issues that we need to solve when it comes to energy. First is the worsening loadshedding situation. And, the second is the rising cost of electricity,” said Huawei Southern…