Author: Staff Writer
Andries Delport, the current CTO of the company Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH), will take over as CEO of Dark Fibre Africa (DFA). The former Vodacom Group executive will assume his new role from 1 October 2021. Delport will replace Thinus Mulder, who will formally step down as CEO of DFA on 30 September 2021. DFA is a subsidiary of ICT-focused investment-holding company CIVH. CIVH group CEO and DFA chairman, Raymond Ndlovu, thanked Thinus for his immense contribution in overseeing DFA and the CIVH group’s growth during his tenure over the last thirteen years, first as the founding CFO at DFA…
Vodacom Financial Services announces its latest lending product, VodaLend | Business Cash Advance, which provides finance to smaller unregistered businesses in need of quick access to short-term cash advances. Offering finance between R3000 and R350 000 to customers using VodaPay point of sale (POS) devices, Business Cash Advance complements VodaLend’s range of lending products aimed at the SMME sector. Vodacom Financial and Digital Services, Chief Officer Mariam Cassim, says that Business Cash Advance will further underpin the financial security of partner SMMEs. “It often happens that a small business has intra-month cash flow challenges. While the business is liquid over…
Sanlam Private Equity, African Rainbow Capital and a minority shareholder have sold a 25.8% stake in MetroFibre Networx to a consortium of existing shareholders. The consortium includes African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), one of Africa’s largest infrastructure-focused private equity fund managers, along with a consortium comprising South African Housing & Infrastructure Fund (SAHIF), through its Digital Infrastructure Consortium platform and STOA, a foreign investment vehicle-based in France. This transaction follows the R1.5 billion equity funding round concluded in December 2020 by AIIM, SAHIF and STOA in order to support MetroFibre’s R3 billion capital expansion plan over the next three years.…
Israeli precision agriculture hardware-software solution company SupPlant is planning to accelerate its penetration into the South African market after raising $10 million (R137 million). The raise brings SupPlants’s total funding to more than $19 million (R260 million). The round comes amidst global warming impacting South African farmers who are dealing daily with the unpredicted climate that is changing rapidly causing tropical storms, cold spells, heat waves and constant lack of irrigation water. SupPlant is helping farmers cope with climate change by making its technology that changes the basic concepts of irrigation more available in the South African market. “The funds…
Dark Fibre Africa, South Africa’s provider of open-access fibre infrastructure, has secured grant funding from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). The funding will be used to do a feasibility study to support Dark Fibre Africa efforts to expand reliable and affordable internet access and digital services to underserved populations living outside of South Africa’s major urban centres. “USTDA’s feasibility study will help shape how we extend internet access and digital infrastructure to the less-connected,” said Vino Govender, Chief Strategy, M&A and Innovation Officer at Dark Fibre Africa. “We are taking a holistic approach. By aggregating demand for digital…
MultiChoice, Africa’s biggest pay-TV operator, has acquired an additional 20% stake in BetKing, a pan-African sports betting group, for an undisclosed amount. Last October, MultiChoice bought a 20% stake in Blue Lake Ventures, a pan-African sports betting and entertainment business trading as BetKing. The pay-TV operator said through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Mwendo Holdings B.V., is increasing its holding in BetKing to a non-controlling stake of 49%. MultiChoice said this deal is in line with its strategy to expand its entertainment ecosystem and develop meaningful drivers of future value. BetKing is a leading digital and sports entertainment platform focused on the…
Forge Academy, South Africa’s first fully inclusive 4IR lab, will host an SMME Showcase for small and medium-sized tech businesses and tech start-ups. The event will be hosted at The Gantry in Fourways, Gauteng on Wednesday, 30 June 2021. Forge Academy, situated at The Gantry in Gauteng, is offering a unique opportunity for tech SMMEs and tech start-ups to present their businesses to a panel of judges at the showcase event. The top six businesses selected will win a place to exhibit their business and products at the Forge Academy Digital Street Festival, taking place on 18th of November 2021…
Telkom announced on Thursday that it has successfully signed-up 10 000 subscribers to its digital wallet operated on WhatsApp – Telkom Pay. The digital wallet was launched in December 2020 and Telkom says it has big plans to cement its place in the FinTech market. Telkom’s digital wallet made the first-of-its-kind debut in the market by allowing customers to easily make transactions, without the use of cash and the need for face-to-face interaction, all through WhatsApp. The company has since made advancements to its offering and one of the stand-out features include a Telkom Pay Virtual Card. Telkom Pay now…
Huawei today opened its largest Global Cyber Security and Privacy Protection Transparency Center in Dongguan, China. It used the event, which included representatives from GSMA, SUSE, the British Standards Institution, and regulators from the UAE and Indonesia to call for a unified approach to cybersecurity based on facts and verification, rather than suspicion and misconceptions. “While we are deepening digitalisation across the world, cybersecurity is becoming more important than ever before,” says Dr Ken Hu, Rotating Chairman, Huawei. “According to research from Cybersecurity Ventures, damages from cybercrime are set to reach US$6-trillion in 2021.” Pointing to the rise of remote…
Keeping a remote workforce connected in the forever-changed business landscape has been a unique challenge for SMEs and large enterprises alike. To ensure work-from-home teams have the data required to access business-critical applications, Vodacom Business has introduced Business Tickets, a first-to-market innovation offered exclusively to Vodacom Business clients. Business Tickets provide a cost-effective, collaborative way to stay connected and productive. Ring-fenced for exclusive access to select business-critical online applications, these data bundles support everything from email to cloud storage, navigation and social apps. “With Business Tickets, you only pay for the data your organisation needs, for the business-specific apps they…
Transport is one of the major challenges facing South Africa today. The country faces ageing rail infrastructure, which has been targeted by criminal elements. The legacy of apartheid spatial planning also means that many of the country’s poorest people are either underserved or completely underserved by any form of subsidised public transport. As a result, people in these areas are overly reliant on commuter buses and minibus taxis (used by approximately 80% of public transport commuters in the country). If the country is to change that situation, it needs to implement policies and strategies which make intelligent use of technology…
IDU, an independent software vendor providing budgeting, forecasting, performance management and reporting tools, has appointed 4Sight Dynamics Africa as a distributor of its products throughout Africa. Kevin Phillips, managing director at IDU says that the move is part of the company’s strategy to drive growth across the continent. “4Sight Dynamics Africa has developed a unique, specialised channel focused on business applications with hundreds of expert resellers across 51 African countries,” he says. “It, therefore, offers us an unparalleled opportunity to access resellers who are genuinely active understand our unique selling proposition and can take our product to market successfully.” IDU’s…
Telkom has launched Africa’s first Mastercard virtual card for use on WhatsApp, enabling Telkom Pay customers to make e-commerce payments. This move is expected to empower millions of South Africans – even those without a bank account – to access the digital economy and transact online. Launched in 2020, Telkom Pay is a digital payments wallet that enables its users to make and receive payments using WhatsApp on their mobile phone. With the addition of the Mastercard virtual (non-plastic) card to the wallet, users can now make payments to local and global online merchants that accept Mastercard, including Uber and…
Network operators are facing some fierce new challenges with the emergence of IoT and 5G, along with the migration of data, applications and other business elements to the cloud. While these trends are vital to push the envelope in their respective fields, they are challenging service providers to deliver increased bandwidth and application quality of service. Serving increasingly stringent requirements along with mounting scale increases the complexity of networks. Organizations everywhere are looking for solutions to simplify such complexity within their networks — which is where Segment Routing (SR) comes to the rescue. Herotel has implemented a cutting-edge segment routing (SR) network from NEC XON…
CaseWare Africa, part of the Adapt IT, has launched a holistic, cloud-based tax return solution designed especially for trusts. Michael Mncube, Tax Product Manager at CaseWare Africa, says that the new software enables tax practitioners to handle all tax administrative matters relating to trusts in one application, including the preparation, calculation, and submission of IRP6 and ITR12T tax returns directly to SARS. “Administering trusts is complex and the tax authorities are especially rigorous in their oversight of trusts, thus further raising the stakes for administrators. Trust Tax provides practitioners with a single application that makes it possible to keep track…
Nedbank Corporate and Investment Bank (CIB) has invested in a minority equity interest in LifeQ, a disruptive HealthTech innovator and leading provider of biometrics and health information derived from wearable devices. The data collected by LifeQ is used by many of the world’s leading health solutions providers to inform their science-based health data analytics with the ultimate aim of positively impacting the future of health for their members and customers. The investment formed part of a global fundraising campaign by LifeQ, which saw the business secure $47 million from a variety of prominent investors around the world. “Nedbank CIB’s investment…
Nobody could have predicted that the arrival of social media on the business and social scene more than ten years ago could lose people jobs, reputations and careers. But it has. Today, social media law cases number in the thousands, and many of these come as a surprise to employees. According to Nicol Myburgh, Head: CRS Technologies HCM Business Unit, the best way to avoid becoming embroiled in a legal battle or losing your job is to not use WhatsApp with colleagues as a way of venting your frustrations, no matter how private you think your group may be. If…
Mr Price Group is a South African-based retail company founded in 1985 by Stewart B. Cohen and Laurie J. Chiappini. Since the company went public, it has undergone an incredible evolution. The company currently specializes in selling cosmetics, homeware, apparel, and sportswear merchandise across Africa and other parts of the world. Once again, Mr Price is trending after registering a sales boom after 53 weeks, which ended on April 3rd, 2021. During the period, the company doubled the sales of sportswear and core apparel, its main product offering. According to Mark Blair, the company’s CEO, the red cap logo establishment…
Naspers announced a R42 million investment in Cape Town-founded, WhereIsMyTransport through its early-stage tech investment vehicle. The investment is part of a R201 million (US$14.5 million) funding round led by Naspers Foundry, Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund, and SBI Investment. “Mobility remains an obstacle for billions of people in high-growth markets across the world,” Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, South Africa CEO of Naspers, said. “Our investment in WhereIsMyTransport is testimony of our belief that great innovation and tech talent is found in South Africa, and with the right backing and support these businesses can provide solutions to local challenges that can improve the…
Absa has developed an online portal focused on providing additional opportunities for Africa’s small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs). According to the World Bank, formal SMMEs make up 40% of GDP in emerging economies, with this number being significantly higher when informal SMMEs are factored in. “Absa’s Procurement Market portal not only demonstrates Absa’s strategy of promoting responsible and inclusive procurement practices, but also ensures that all suppliers are aware of the bank’s service requirements; information that was not previously widely available,” said Vusi Fele, chief procurement officer at Absa. “What’s more, it will help us build mutually beneficial, thriving, inclusive…
Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Region’s drive to connect everyone to the digital economy irrespective of where they live is changing lives. The region has accelerated its deep rural network investment to cover remote areas of the province that had no mobile network connectivity. An investment of close to R100 million over three financial periods has led to the deployment of 84 new base station sites, ushering in a new era of mobile connectivity and successfully driving digital inclusion for all. The new sites were rolled out in 9 District municipalities and 14 Local municipalities including Jozini, uMhlabuyalingana, uMfolozi, uMlalazi, uMsinga, uMzumbe, uMgeni,…
Vodacom Business Africa remains committed to supporting the ambitions of multinational businesses across the African continent, regardless of the global disruptions to businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The business landscape is ever-changing; competitive barriers are disappearing making the speed and agility to market critical components in the digital world. Vodacom Business Africa is introducing Carrier Ethernet and Managed Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) services to empower clients and enable them to seize new digital opportunities across its extensive footprint of 47 countries on the African continent. “These services work seamlessly alongside other converged Fixed and Mobile Connectivity services to give…
JSE-listed technology company Jasco is selling its property technology division for R7, 5 million. The company said Jasco Networks has entered into a sale of business agreement with Reach Group. Reach Group will acquire, the business of professional ICT infrastructure management services, in the Property Technology Management division. The Property Technology Management business model has become stale to Jasco and a non-core business unit, leading to threats of insourcing and continuous price reduction pressures from clients and increased administrative burden of the business. The Property Technology Management business is increasingly under pricing pressures from the major property companies in the current…
Prosus, one of the largest technology investors in the world, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Stack Overflow for $1.8 billion (R24 billion). Prosus plans to invest and grow Stack Overflow’s leading global developer community and SaaS collaboration platform as part of its future of workplace learning focus. Stack Overflow, one of the 50 most popular websites in the world, has built a global company and highly engaged developer and technologist community over the last 13+ years, now serving more than 100 million people across the world every month. Founded in 2008 as an open community-based question and…
1Life, together with LifeQ, using a Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 device, have launched a COVID-19 screening app. It uses unique models derived from users’ biometric data to give them an indication of changes in their health, enabling consumers to take proactive precautions in the event of potential COVID-19 onset, which is essential as the country faces a potential 3rd wave of infections. There is growing evidence for the use of biometrics in the early detection of many physical conditions, and this COVID-19 solution is the first of many solutions that LifeQ plans to offer to consumers, athletes, and those…