Author: Staff Writer
Telkom Mobile today launched eSIM support for its customers. eSIM is a digital Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) that allows customers to activate a tariff plan from Telkom without having to use a physical SIM. It is an integrated SIM that is built into devices and cannot be removed, unlike a traditional SIM. “Historically, most of our customers have used traditional card Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs). These enable Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to identify a user and then to authenticate that the user is serviced by that MNO,” explained Andrew Dawson, Executive: Product Portfolio Management. “Going forward, Telkom will support eSIM…
As the prevalence of digital fraud attempts on businesses and consumers continues to rise, TransUnion’s newest quarterly analysis found that fraudsters in South Africa are re-focusing their efforts from financial services to gambling, travel and leisure and communities industries. Across all industries, the rate of suspected digital fraud attempts rose 16.5% globally when comparing Q2 2021 to Q2 2020. Gaming and travel and leisure were the two most impacted industries globally for the suspected digital fraud attempt rate, rising 393.0% and 155.9% respectively when comparing the two periods. For transactions coming from South Africa, the overall percentage of digital fraud…
Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit is going public via a merger with a special purpose acquisitions company (SPAC), the company announced on Monday. The company will be valued at $3.2 billion or R48.5 billion. The deal provides Virgin Orbit with $483 million or R7.3 billion in cash at close to help ramp up “rocket manufacturing to meet customer demand, and to fund growth in its space solutions business and Virgin Orbit’s ongoing product development initiatives. Virgin Orbit has developed proprietary air-launch technology, coupled with world-class manufacturing infrastructure and a proven team to transform space access for a diverse and global customer…
South African innovation catalyst and investment platform, Innovation Edge, has launched a call for bold solutions to increase positive involvement by South African fathers and father figures in the early years of their children’s lives. Selected applicants will be supported to pitch their solutions to the Innovation Edge Investment Committee. Successful ventures will receive up to R1.3 million each in grant funding, strategic coaching, customised operational support and connections to social capital. The deadline for submissions is 30 September 2021. Research[1] shows that when a child has an active and positive father or father figure in their lives, they benefit in…
Telkom’s ongoing innovation focus has seen the organisation training and hiring dozens of data scientists across its operations, applying the power of data to solve organisational and societal problems – revolutionising efficiencies at the telco, and boosting the services it can offer clients. Women data scientists are at the vanguard of this drive, bringing their skills to bear on the diversified company’s innovative, digital-first focus. The data science revolution has also been an opportunity to drive Telkom’s Female Leadership Development Programme (FLDP), creating opportunities for dozens of women across the organisation with wide experience across adjacent sectors. Ops specialist: data…
The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has suspended the exchange licence of ZAR X effective from 16:00 on Friday, 20 August 2021. “We don’t take this regulatory action lightly, given its impact. Our view however, is that this is a necessary step to safeguard market integrity and the interest of issuers and the broader investing public,” FSCA Commissioner, Unathi Kamlana says. “This is the cornerstone of our mandate as the FSCA” ZAR X is allowed to operate as an exchange to give effect to transactions in progress or otherwise not finalised at the date of suspension, but may not allow…
MTN Group today announced the appointment of Burak Akinci as CEO of Simfy (Ayoba), reporting to MTN Group Chief Digital and Fintech Officer Serigne Dioum and responsible for the super app Ayoba. Effective 1 September 2021, Burak joins Africa’s leading mobile operator from Turkcell, where he was CEO of BiP, an instant messaging platform with millions of users across 192 countries. “We are thrilled that an executive of Burak’s calibre is joining us. His appointment accelerates our work to build the largest and most valuable platforms as we target greater digital and financial inclusion across the continent,” said Dioum. Burak,…
Shoprite is the first South African retailer to launch an instant electronic funds transfer (EFT) service. The EFT service enables customers to instantly send vouchers to another person in just three simple steps. Senders only need to enter the recipient’s mobile number and the amount they wish to pay. There is no need to download an app in order to transfer funds. Shoprite, in partnership with Ozow, developed this new service in record time in response to the unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng – a safe and reliable way for customers to instantly send vouchers to others. To access…
South African rapper, songwriter and actor Big Zulu is set to release 10 tracks from his forthcoming album exclusively on the newly-launched streaming music app, Telkom Music powered by JOOX. This new body of work entitled ‘Ichwane Lenyoka’ by the isiZulu-speaking lyricist is expected to drop on Friday, 27 August 2021 and for some time, will only be available for download or streaming on the all-new, exciting music app hailed for data-saving. Big Zulu, whose real name is Siyabonga Nene, explained: “I’m thrilled! For me the synergy is clear: I want to make simple but good music that people can relate…
Enrolments for the 2021-2022 academic year are now open worldwide, including South Africa, for University of the People – the first non-profit, tuition-free, American-accredited online university. Open to all qualified applicants, the university offers affordable, accessible, quality higher education opportunities, helping the ‘missing middle student demographic’ overcome financial, geographic, political and personal constraints keeping them from tertiary education studies and, ultimately, from better employment opportunities. In South Africa, approximately 1.4 million individuals have completed secondary education but have been unable to enrol in a bachelor’s degree programme due to limited seats or financial constraints. These missing middle students are those…
With the high mortality rate of owls and, as one of the most common wildlife casualties brought into veterinary practices, MTN is launching a conservation partnership with the Owl Rescue Centre to provide safe homes for owls nesting in MTN towers. Today’s launch of the #OwlNetwork project is aimed at securing urban homes for Barn Owls and will see 100 boxes installed in network towers. MTN Barn Owl boxes are being made from recycled materials and the little houses will be installed in high-density areas across Johannesburg North and West, with the other provinces to follow. “MTN has a responsibility…
South Africa recently witnessed civil unrest that led to the destruction of infrastructure, looting, and violence that severely impacted many small and medium businesses and informal traders in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Telkom has heeded the call to help clean up, rebuild, and grow SA by launching the SME Relief Project. The Telkom SME Relief fund, currently valued at R10 million, is aimed at providing aid to small business owners to rebuild their businesses and to urge South Africans and the private sector to rally behind SMEs. Small enterprises are crucial to SA’s economic growth and employ between 50%…
More than 100 women entrepreneurs have attended the first segment of Huawei South Africa’s Women4Tech digital skills training programme. By the end of the programme, Huawei aims to help women headed SMMEs advance their skills and help them use new technologies to grow, improve, and digitise their businesses. The cloud segment of the training kicked off with an introduction to cloud computing by Michael Langeveld, vice president Huawei Cloud Southern Africa. “Cloud computing is simply a big company taking care of servers in one location and providing capacity as people need them,” he said. He also explained the different types…
Imagine this: The sound of people working is constantly punctuated by the screech-and-scratch of dot matrix printers and the beeping of fax machines. Mobile phones are only just becoming popular and are not yet smart. In fact, professionals are more likely to engage in a quick game of Snake than manage a full productivity suite via their AI-enabled smartphones. Conference calls involve groups huddled around a speaker in a boardroom, instead of teams having discussions in full high-definition via their company-issued laptops. Sound far-fetched? This was the office of the early 2000s, a mere twenty years ago, when the world…
SMEs around the world have been severely affected by the COVID-19-induced economic downturn. Maintaining working capital, a key challenge faced by SMEs has become an even more urgent concern amidst economic uncertainty. Delayed payments, emergency expenditures and incorrect forecasts can easily derail the fine balance between incoming and outgoing funds that small businesses must constantly maintain. As small businesses may not yet have established trust relationships with their suppliers, they’re often obliged to pay for supplies up-front in full, further complicating cash-flow conundrums. Traditional bank-backed lending models, with their sluggish turnaround times, have added to the difficulties faced by SMEs,…
New York-based FinTech player Wahed, the parent company of the halal financial investment platform Wahed Invest, has received a new regulatory license from the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), the regulator of the South African financial markets. Launched in 2017, Wahed runs an online investment management platform in the United States which ensures its portfolio does not include investments in companies in restricted sectors such as gambling, firearms and alcohol. Acquiring a new license has been a huge achievement for the FinTech company as it ramps up efforts to deliver investment services in the country. With this regulatory approval, Wahed…
Orderin, South Africa’s pioneering food delivery app, has relaunched as a B2B delivery-as-a-service platform, giving retailers across various industries the power to move online and deliver goods in minutes, without the cost of building and owning all the infrastructure needed to do so. Founded in 2012, Orderin built South Africa’s first food delivery app, paving the way for a robust and competitive sector. Their new model focuses on delivery-as-a-service, as well as providing all the software (SaaS) organisations of varying sizes need to power their on-demand experience – from customer facing technology to delivery fulfilment. With plans of a phased…
Paxful, a global peer-to-peer FinTech platform, announced Transfer to Bank. The service will debut first in South Africa via a partnership with OVEX, the South African-based cryptocurrency exchange platform specializing in over-the-counter (OTC) trading. Utilizing OVEX’s instant cashout mechanism, all Paxful users in South Africa will now be able to convert their Bitcoin directly into local currency (ZAR). This new, completely automated feature will work alongside all banks in South Africa. Paxful plans to open up the service to a handful of other countries in the coming months. Additionally, the company expects to add Ethereum (ETH) and Tether (USDT) to…
Teraco, Africa’s largest vendor-neutral data centre and interconnection services provider, has completed the JB3 data centre facility, located within the Isando Campus in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, South Africa. This multi-billion-rand facility represents a strategic addition to Platform Teraco, offering enterprises a scalable platform for IT infrastructure deployment while sustaining performance, reliability, security, and the widest network choice. JB3 comprises 45000sqm of building structure, 12000sqm of data hall space, and 29MW of critical power load. When combined with the existing Isando Campus facilities, the critical power load totals 40MW across the campus data centre footprint with room for further growth.…
The Shoprite Group has launched its new ground-breaking digital business hub, ShopriteX which is piloting Checkers Rush, an automated, cashless “no queues, no checkout, no waiting” concept store, where employees can grab products and walk out. Incubated over the past year, ShopriteX is combining data science and technology create more personalised shopping experiences for customers. ShopriteX already delivered two industry-leading innnovations – Xtra Savings, South Africa’s fastest-growing rewards programme with 20 million members to date, and Checkers Sixty60 the first on-demand 60-minute supermarket grocery delivery service in South Africa. “We are serious about being Africa’s most customer-centric retailer, and the launch of ShopriteX represents our investment in fit-for-the-future precision retail, which is increasingly digital and data-led,” said Pieter Engelbrecht, Shoprite Group CEO. The launch is part of Shoprite’s…
South Africa has to date administered 9 557 542 jabs with 158 103 of those being administered on Monday. The total number of Pfizer administered in the last 24 hours was 122 056 and a total of 36 047 Johnson and Johnson were administered. Meanwhile, South Africa recorded 7 983 new COVID-19 cases bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 613 569. This increase represents a 21.1% positivity rate. “As per the National Department of Health, a further 299 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 77 440 to date,” the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said. The majority…
Shoprite is once again stepping up to enable entrepreneurs to grow their businesses with the 2021 Shoprite Hustle competition. The annual competition boosts small business development and will celebrate established and promising small business owners who stand to win a share of more than R1 million in prizes. The 20 winners will each receive R50 000 in cash, a laptop, digital and social media support and access to Startup Circles’ Ignition programme. Shoprite recognises the critical role the more than 2 million SMME’s (Small Medium and Micro Enterprises) in South Africa, many of which are in the informal sector, play in growing the country’s economic future. Established small business owners, aged 18 or over and a citizen or permanent resident of South Africa, are eligible to apply. Entries must be submitted online by 19 September 2021, and winners will be announced between 27 September and 31…
Affordable residential and student housing specialist, Quorum Holdings, is the first in South Africa to accept rental deposits in cryptocurrency, and to allow tenants to potentially benefit from an increase in value. While rental deposits are standard practice in South Africa, tenants do not usually benefit from the money being held by their landlords. And deposits can be held for several years, depending on the lease. With a growing portfolio expected to reach around 3,000 residential units in Johannesburg over the medium term and another 5,000 beds in student accommodation through a subsidiary Urban Circle, the business owns and manages…
Africa’s largest content platform as a service (CPaaS) provider, SMSPortal, has seen the COVID-19 pandemic intensify the demand for Content-as-a-Service, with some 1.3 million businesses using app-to-peer (A2P) SMS in 2020, according to their data. “The CaaS market is growing massively, both globally and here in SA,” says James Pearce, co-founder of SMSPortal. “Today, the total number of businesses now using this channel, globally, is just under eight million, which is an increase of 20% on the number using A2P SMS prior to the pandemic.” Given the impact of the pandemic and of course, the dispersed working environment most find…
TymeBank, one of South Africa’s leading digital banks, will export its business concept and experience to its international sister company Tyme’s newly established banking operations, GOtyme, in the Philippines. GOtyme, which has had its digital banking licence application approved by the Philippines Central Bank, will benefit from TymeBank’s high-touch high-tech banking model, world-class technology, unique kiosks and digital banking expertise to bring banking simplicity and financial empowerment to the lives of Filipino consumers. The approval of the licence application, which is the first of a three-step Philippines Central Bank application process, comes shortly after TymeBank secured international investors in February…