Author: Staff Writer

Armoured Mobility, a leading name in vehicle armour protection, is making waves with a provocative billboard campaign that’s grabbing the attention of travellers along the N3 Highway in South Africa. This unconventional marketing initiative boldly proclaims, “Fear Fokol,” and it’s making motorists do a double-take. The “Fear Fokol” billboard, strategically placed near the Van Buuren off-ramp, heading towards Gillooly’s interchange and the OR Tambo Airport, is not your typical advertisement. Instead, it serves as a stark and unconventional message meant to shock and stimulate thought among its audience. “Fokol,” an Afrikaans slang term, signifies a sense of nothingness or emptiness.…

Google today announced that Alex Okosi, currently Managing Director for YouTube in EMEA Emerging Markets, will take on the role of Managing Director for Google in Africa. In his new role, Okosi will be responsible for Google’s operations in Africa including programs to help businesses and economies on the continent to grow, as well as expanding access and providing tools to help the next billion users get more from the Web. “Alex is a proven leader with a wealth of experience in the media and technology industries. He has a deep understanding of African countries and a passion for using…

Vodacom Group CEO, Shameel Joosub, was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Management Sciences by the Central University of Technology at its annual Chancellor’s Doctorandi Dinner on Friday night. In its citation at the official ceremony, the Bloemfontein, Free State, University said: “Shameel’s business acumen and astute business administration skills have not only positioned the Vodacom Group ahead of its competitors, but also allowed it to stay clear of economic challenges facing many established enterprises.” The University added that Shameel had been a critical figure in Vodacom’s transformation since 2012 and that he is “committed to driving change…

Dell Technologies announced the global availability of Dell NativeEdge, the edge operations software platform that simplifies how customers deploy, manage and secure their edge infrastructure and applications. Dell is also growing its partner and OEM customer ecosystem to help organizations use Dell NativeEdge to simplify the orchestration and expansion of their edge environments. “Dell NativeEdge brings to life our expertise in creating solutions that simplify processes and fuel real-time decision-making at the edge,” said Gil Shneorson, senior vice president of edge solutions, Dell Technologies. “Our partners are an integral part of customers’ success, and together we can make the edge…

BMW Group South Africa announces the appointment of Carmen Myles as Head of MINI South Africa, effective 1 September 2023. With over 17 years of experience in sales, Carmen has built and maintained strong business relations across BMW Group South Africa and its retailer network. In her current role as BMW Group South Africa Manager: Transaction Pricing and Product Offers, she has been responsible for transaction pricing in the new direct sales model for BMW Group South Africa, MINI and BMW Motorrad for the past three years. Carmen is a resourceful and skilled sales professional, having previously filled roles such…

The Deaf-and-hard-of-hearing community will use September Deaf Awareness Month to continue celebrating the Government’s decision to make SA Sign Language (SASL) the 12th official language. Cebisile Ndebele, Chairperson of the Neema Foundation for the Deaf, says SASL being an official language is a monumental victory for the Deaf community. It will ensure that their rights to equality, dignity and social inclusion are not only recognised but implemented. “As we celebrate, we must realise that the battle for equality, dignity and social inclusion for Deaf people is far from over,” says Ndebele. Ndebele says the struggle for Deaf equality and inclusion…

The management of data quality is a common struggle across companies and industries. Prioritising fraud prevention and having insight into data can have a ripple effect on the economy. Everything is hyper-personalised by tracking people’s engagements, clicks, and movements.  Insights into this invaluable data can enable rapid instant information with various benefits. To explore the value of Data Streaming, we took a deep dive into some of South Africa’s Top Financial Services, Insurance, and Retail companies. Earlier this month, Synthesis hosted Confluent Round Tables in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, moderated by Colin Iles. We invited our clients; Standard Bank,…

Shareholder demand for innovation – often taking companies into high-risk, uncharted waters and even cannibalising existing business models – can do more harm than good. Sometimes real innovation is about exploring how to revolutionise existing processes or simply harnessing data to more fully understand the customer.   “First digital transformation, and now artificial intelligence, is causing seismic shifts in how we do business and sometimes resulting in the disruption of entire value chains. Companies are only just discovering how much data they have and the value of the insights it can deliver. Using new AI tools to deliver these insights can…

MTN Group today announced the promotion of Marina Madale to Group Executive: Sustainability & Shared Value, effective 1 September 2023. Prior to this, Marina served as the General Manager: Sustainability and Shared Value, MTN Group. In her new role, she will be responsible for setting the strategic direction for the management of Sustainability and Shared Value and the work of our foundations across MTN Group markets. Marina has a wealth of experience across multiple sectors globally, including oil & gas, energy, banking, and property development across multiple countries such as Qatar, Mozambique, Botswana, Gabon, South Africa, and Australia. She played…

The Embassy of Ireland in South Africa, in collaboration with Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), and Dogpatch Labs Ireland, is now accepting applications for the Irish Tech Challenge South Africa 2023. This initiative aims to foster mutually advantageous partnerships between local technopreneurs in South Africa and the technological expertise of Ireland, leveraging Ireland’s status as a prominent global high-tech centre. The Irish Tech Challenge 2023 is on the lookout for the most compelling growth-stage tech startups based in South Africa that are in alignment with the United…