Author: Staff Writer
Etion headline earnings a share swell by 1171% to 9.32 cents a share for the year to end-March 2021, giving the JSE-listed tech group investors something to cheer as the turnaround effort shows progress. Headline EPS is South Africa’s main profit gauge. The group also reported that revenue jumped 20% to R692.1 million, and profit after tax soared by 245% to R52.4 million. Etion attributed strong growth in profit after tax of R52.6 million to a combination of revenue growth and cost realignment. The company’s subsidiaries Digitise and Connect underwent a significant restructure to align the cost base with their…
Vodacom has unveiled its much-anticipated VodaPay super app in South Africa, designed in collaboration with FinTech services platform Alipay. Developed by Vodacom Financial Services in partnership with leading global digital lifestyle services platform Alipay, VodaPay is an all-encompassing mobile payments solution that has been customised to meet the specific lifestyle and payment needs of consumers, businesses and tech developers. Vodacom Financial Services is inviting developers and businesses of all sizes to join the VodaPay ecosystem by building their very own Mini Programs. This allows them to leverage off world-class technology to accelerate digital engagement and increase access to the market.…
Africa’s telecom tower firm Eastcastle Infrastructure has secured $130 million (R1.8 billion) to pursue new build-to-suit telecom tower and related infrastructure opportunities initially in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Ivory Coast for their core existing MNO relationships. The company was established in 2020 by Peter Lewis, the former Group CFO and Pankaj Kulshrestha, the former Group COO of Eaton Towers. The funding has been made available by the African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), one of Africa’s largest infrastructure-focused private equity fund managers, Adenia Partners (Adenia), a private equity firm investing in Africa, and IFC, a member of the…
In just eight months, contactless payment and loyalty solution Zapper has reduced time to exit for parking users by 43% at Cape Town’s busiest mall, Canal Walk. The parking solution has also shown a marked decrease in payment friction as well as reducing the centre’s cash requirements and associated costs. The Zapper system was launched at Canal Walk in partnership with Servest in August 2020. The QR code-based mobile payment solution now accounts for 6.3% of payments with credit card payments accounting for 14% and the remainder coming from cash. The solution has also shown faster time to exit data as…
Mining has played a crucial role in South Africa’s economy for the best part of two centuries. And while it may not play as big a role as it once did, it still contributed R400-billion to GDP in 2020 and employed more than 450 000 people. But if the sector is to remain competitive at a global level, it has to evolve particularly when it comes to embracing digital transformation. While South Africa’s unique circumstances should be taken into account, especially when it comes to factors such as the orebody depth and labour intensity of the country’s mining operations, that…
AirPop is bringing its expertise in creating high-performance air wearable products to South Africa, with the launch today of their new line of consumer face masks. Three AirPop mask models are available for purchase — the Light SE, the Pocket, and the AirPop mask for kids. These masks are part of a bigger category of air wearable products that AirPop pioneered to create better fit and more comfortable breathing for millions of mask consumers worldwide. Air quality has been a problem for decades, in fact, the World Health Organization estimates that 4.6 million people die each year from causes directly…
The perennial South African favourite and long a source of local pride, the BMW 3 Series is the latest model from the Munich-based firm to be festooned in special Mzansi Edition flavours. In keeping with the Mzansi Edition mandate, this version of the BMW 3 Series looks even sportier from the outside, while a more luxurious and state-of-the-art setting has been created in the cabin. All BMW 3 Series Mzansi Edition cars are fitted as standard with the popular M Sport package with M High-gloss Shadow Line detailing for the kidney grille frame and grille. M carbon mirror caps and…
Buying a car is a high-ticket item. As many South Africans feel the economic pinch, you may be wondering whether the substantial extra monthly expense of insuring your car is worthwhile. Travys Wilkins, chief executive guru at insurance comparison website CompareGuru, unpacks what you should know and provides some insider tips to help you choose the right cover to match your budget and needs. Beware: no insurance According to the AA, between 60% and 70% of the cars on SA’s roads are not insured. If you do have car insurance, it means that the other involved drivers in an accident…
The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with tech giant Huawei that will see African countries and organizations build capacity for ICT transformation. Under the agreement, Huawei will provide training on skills development, including reskilling and upskilling for ATU members. The MoU will also see the two organizations collaborate to support local innovation, share information on the latest trends, challenges and solutions in Africa and globally, and expand the digital economy as well as rural connectivity, in the continent, through furthering research. A 2019 report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development…
The new cutting-edge FinTech platform Realsmart makes micro-investment in global brick and mortar real estate possible using blockchain technology sold out pre-launch tokens in one night; The first real estate opportunity launched on the 27th of April, 2021. Realsmart has launched the world’s first global online platform enabling investors to buy security tokenized shares in world-class real estate on the blockchain. It makes safe, fast, and frictionless real estate ownership possible with crypto or fiat currencies from as little as $1. By removing the barriers to entry into this asset class, the company plans to enable the next billion real…
US-based FM:Systems, a dominant provider of digital workplace solutions globally, announced today that it has acquired WizzPass, a rapidly growing leader in the visitor management system and workplace management market. Used and trusted by leading companies across multiple continents, the WizzPass system is efficient, easy to use and can be configured to suit any facility or organization. “We are excited to build on our strategy of providing comprehensive digital workplace solutions with the addition of WizzPass’ leading visitor management technologies,” said Kurt von Koch, CEO of FM:Systems. “This acquisition deepens our offerings in visitor management, which is an important aspect…
+OneX, a new-age solutions and systems integrator that forms part of Reunert, has acquired Triple H Cloud Services to add a strong managed private cloud capability to its suite of business transformation solutions and services. Triple H Cloud Services offers a wide portfolio of infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) offerings including hosting, backup-as-a-service and disaster recovery-as-a-service. The acquisition complements +OneX’s existing cloud capabilities and services, which include consulting and professional services for the major hyperscale providers’ Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. Through the acquisition of Triple H Cloud Services, +OneX can now also offer its clients an affordable managed private…
EOH, one of the largest technology services companies in Africa, announced that Ziaad Suleman will join the EOH Executive Committee on 1 July 2021 as the Chief Commercial Officer for iOCO – EOH’s Systems Integrator and largest business, reporting into EOH’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Stephen van Coller. Ziaad will spearhead iOCO’s sales strategy to provide the market with best-in-class solutions for both the private and public sectors. “I am extremely excited to have someone of Ziaad’s calibre with his extensive experience in the ICT industry across sub-Saharan Africa, joining our business. His appointment complements our already strong executive team,”…
RocketNet, one of South Africa’s internet service providers, announced that, as of 1 July 2021, all customers running on the Vumatel network will receive fibre internet upgrades. “With the global economy spinning out of control in these unprecedented times, it can be hard to find a silver lining. So we are pleased to announce we have created a silver lining for a time such as this for customers on our Vumatel network,” said Simon Swanepoel, CEO of RocketNet. Recently, RocketNet decided to sponsor six underprivileged schools in the Western Cape with free fibre internet. The packages received by the schools were…
TelkomONE – Telkom’s video-streaming platform, today announced the addition of a free Catch Up functionality across its SABC and other free-to-air channels on the platform – a first-of-its-kind value-added offering by a video-on-demand service locally. Catch Up is a system-driven recording of various popular programs across your favourite channels, that is then made available as a single asset, on-demand. This means you can ‘catch up’ on any gems you may have missed during the live channel playout or wish to re-watch and enjoy again. This is the first time in South Africa that the much-loved Catch Up feature is provided…
Eutelsat, an end-to-end integrated ICT and infrastructure provider and telecommunications company, has reached a multi-year distribution agreement to extend high-speed network connectivity to South Africa. As of June, Vox will leverage the unmatched operational flexibility and power of Eutelsat Konnect, the new-generation high throughput satellite, and Eutelsat’s market-leading service to further grow its satellite customer base. “We are delighted to be partnering with Eutelsat to provide solutions that connect South Africans by supporting customers, entrepreneurs, and commerce, whilst guaranteeing service excellence,” Jacques Visser, Head of Wireless at Vox said. “We are confident that Eutelsat’s unparalleled in-orbit assets, together with its…
Prosus, the global consumer internet group and one of the largest technology investors in the world, has appointed Ervin Tu as Group Chief of Investments, Strategy, and M&A (mergers & acquisitions) for Prosus and Naspers. In this newly created position, Tu will be responsible for leading investments, strategy, and M&A across the Prosus and Naspers group, reporting to Bob van Dijk, CEO. Tu will join in August 2021 and will be based in San Francisco. He joins from SoftBank, where he was most recently a Managing Partner for the SoftBank Vision Fund. At the Vision Fund, he helped lead investments…
Huawei has awarded bursaries worth R2.76-million to 17 University of Cape Town (UCT) undergraduate and post-grad students as part of its ICT skills development programme in South Africa. The bursary programme was launched in 2020, and this is the 2nd year that UCT students have benefited. The UCT students, who were awarded the bursaries in a ceremony this week, form part of a wider programme by the technology company which will see it fund 48 students in 2021 from five universities across South Africa – UKZN, UP, Wits, UCT, and UWC – with bursaries worth R7-million. Daniel Jiang, Human Resources…
You might be familiar with Android Auto, the wireless interface that links your Google-powered smartphone to your vehicle’s infotainment system? But did you know the multinational technology giant has also developed something called Android Automotive? The latter is an infotainment operating system (OS) that runs directly on the in-vehicle hardware (rather than on a smartphone or tablet), complete with various built-in Google applications and services. It’s an open-source, highly customisable platform – which is good news for third-party developers – capable of supporting general apps built for Android as well as those already created specifically for Android Auto. This means…
South African design experience company The Immersion Group has concluded a strategic partnership deal with well-known entrepreneur Andile Khumalo. This will see Khumalo become chairman and his investment firm KhumaloCo a shareholder in the company. Starting as a small consultancy, The Immersion Group has entrenched itself as experienced and sought-after design experts who enable effortless customer engagement, retention and new client acquisition through precision-designed experience-led systems and processes for digital interactions. The organisation currently works with leading South African blue chips including Old Mutual, Absa and Standard Bank. “Immersion is a rapidly growing business and for some time we have…
MTN plans to invest $1.5 billion (R21 billion) over the next three years in Nigeria to expand broadband access across the continent’s most populous country. The company said today that this is in line with the federal government’s 2020-2025 National Broadband Plan and in support of MTN Group’s strategy, Ambition 2025: Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress. “Nigeria is one of our most important markets. We have a proud history of partnering with Nigeria and Nigerians to drive faster and more inclusive growth through digital transformation,” said MTN Group CE0 Ralph Mupita after a three-day visit to Abuja and Lagos,…
While the ICT sector might seem daunting for most young and emerging entrepreneurs, Lethabo Mokone has tackled this bull by its horns with his thriving entity Makwa IT. Boasting a staff complement of 40 and now in its 9th year of operation, Makwa IT recently also joined the group of ICT companies to be awarded the Cisco Gold Partnership, making the company the first local black/youth-owned company to achieve this status. With an impressive list of blue-chip and financial services clients in his book, Mokone took his early passion for technology and computers and has managed to turn it into…
South Africa’s IT financing and leasing specialists InnoVent has announced the opening of its third African office in Lagos, Nigeria. The move gives Nigeria’s fast-growing digital-first enterprises an accessible IT expansion model that also allows them to take a concrete step into the circular economy. The opening of the new West African office follows only months after the successful opening of an office in Nairobi, Kenya, to serve the East African market. With a population of over 210 million, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, characterised by a youthful, mainly urban citizenry and a fast-growing digital business environment. According to…
HPE has brought a new multi-cloud Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) data centre solution to the South African market. This powerful multi-cloud data centre model is all about leveraging the cloud to define the customer experience, while underpinned by HPE’s GreenLake platform. This unique multi-cloud offering is the latest culmination of a long-standing partnership between HPE and Datacentrix, and the infrastructure power of Teraco – Africa’s largest data centre ecosystem. “With their expertise and knowledge of cloud hosting, Datacentrix is the ideal systems integrator and partner for multi-cloud collaboration,” says HPE South Africa CEO, President Ntuli. The data centre offering runs on HPE’s…
Huawei South Africa has partnered with the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) to donate 300 pairs of school shoes, 200 school bags, 200 scientific calculators, and 20 laptops to students in need during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid lockdown restrictions. The donation forms part of the DPSA’s contribution to the Back-to-School Campaign, a government initiative to support scholars in impoverished areas. June marks ‘Youth Month’ in South Africa, this year it is celebrated under the theme: “The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke: Growing youth employment for an inclusive and transformed society.” The DPSA has chosen Mkhaliphi High School…