Author: Staff Writer

Naspers has directed its executive team to identify new investment opportunities in South Africa by the end of its 2026 financial year as part of its next strategic investment cycle, according to a report in the Sunday Times. The global technology investor, which owns major South African platforms including Takealot, Mr D, Media24, AutoTrader and Property24, continues to prioritize building Takealot into the country’s dominant e-commerce player despite intensifying competition. According to Naspers’ latest annual report, South Africa CEO Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa has been tasked with finalizing the local investment strategy by FY2026 while ensuring all potential deals receive proper evaluation.…

South African financial institutions are currently holding more than R90 billion in unclaimed benefits that rightfully belong to members of the public, according to a report in the Sunday Times. This staggering amount includes R4.5 billion in unclaimed dividends alone, according to a recent report. Banks, retirement fund administrators, insurance companies and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) are all actively trying to locate millions of beneficiaries who may be unaware they are entitled to these funds. R4.5 Billion Waiting To Be Claimed! Is Yours? JSE Launches Campaign For Unclaimed Dividends The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) revealed that the total…

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has rejected calls to leave South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU), despite tensions with the ANC over President Cyril Ramaphosa’s firing of DA deputy minister Andrew Whitfield, according to a report in the Sunday Times. At a heated two-hour federal executive meeting, some senior DA members pushed for the party to exit the GNU but were overruled by leader John Steenhuisen and his allies, including cabinet ministers. The party instead resolved to vote against the budgets of two ANC ministers implicated in corruption. The crisis escalated after Ramaphosa dismissed Whitfield for “insubordination” when he traveled…

Embattled Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo allegedly spent over R10 million in public funds on his security detail, including a R4 million armoured BMW X5, over three years, according to a Sunday Times report. Law enforcement sources revealed that Letsoalo’s security detail, comprising nine bodyguards, makes him the most protected state-owned entity (SOE) CEO, surpassing even ministers, who typically receive four guards. Only the president and deputy president have larger security teams (15-20 bodyguards). However, the Transport Department and State Security Agency (SSA) confirmed they have no record of Letsoalo reporting threats or requesting a risk assessment. A whistleblower disclosed…

JSE-listed 4Sight Holdings has delivered another set of strong financial results and positive operational performance for the year ended 28 February 2025. Operating profit rose 49.3%, supported by 28.4% Cash Balance growth, delivering 75.7% Earnings per Share for shareholders for the two-year year-on-year comparison. “Our latest set of results reflect the continued success of our dual go-to-market strategy – Direct and Indirect, and our steadfast dedication to innovation, for our partners: both Customers and Vendors,” explained Tertius Zitzke, Group CEO at 4Sight Holdings. “Our sharpened focus on delivering 4Sight Automated Intelligence (4AI), driving Agentic AI in business solutions, enabled real-time…

Salesforce’s latest Slack Workforce Index revealed a significant increase in AI adoption and excitement among desk workers, with daily AI usage higher by an astounding 233% in just six months. The survey of 5,000 global desk workers also found that AI has emerged as a clear competitive advantage, as workers who use AI daily prove to be 64% more productive and 81% more satisfied with their job than colleagues not using AI.  The Index reveals that workers are using AI to level up, going beyond just automating tasks. 96% of workers have used AI to perform tasks they previously didn’t have the skills to do themselves, and today’s workers are 154% more likely to turn to AI agents to help them perform tasks better and more creatively, rather than to just simply automate their work. “AI adoption is accelerating rapidly, and it’s changing the way the world works for the better,” said Peter Doolan, EVP & Chief…

Today the Telkom Foundation celebrated the successful completion by 115 Mpumalanga learners of its Coding & Robotics Programme at an event at the Ermelo Inn. Introduced into two Mpumalanga schools in 2022, the three-year programme is part of the Telkom Foundation’s commitment to equip young people with digital literacy skills and the necessary tools to be economically active and to find employment in the new digital environment. It is fitting that the graduation event takes place at the end of Youth Month, whose theme was ‘Skills for a changing world – Empowering youth for meaningful economic participation’. Certified by IBM…

Disney+ debut the official trailer and key art for the Original limited series “Washington Black,” based on the bestselling novel of the same name and starring Sterling K. Brown, who also serves as an executive producer. The series will premiere with all eight episodes on Wednesday, 23 July on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally. “Washington Black” follows the 19th-century odyssey of George Washington “Wash” Black, an eleven-year-old boy born on a Barbados sugar plantation, whose prodigious scientific mind sets him on a path of unexpected destiny. When a harrowing incident forces Wash to flee, he is thrust into a globe-spanning adventure that…

TransUnion today announced a minority investment and broader strategic partnership with Omnisient, a South Africa-founded FinTech operating internationally that offers a privacy-preserving data collaboration and advanced analytics platform. The Omnisient platform empowers businesses to safely access high-value consumer data ecosystems and rapidly integrate alternative data sets to drive intelligent decision-making. As part of the investment, a TransUnion representative will join Omnisient’s board of directors. “The Omnisient platform allows multiple clients to use built-in advanced analytical tools to simultaneously evaluate the utility of diverse data sets, identifying those that deliver measurable value. Through this collaboration, TransUnion expects to gain access to…

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has welcomed the decisive reforms introduced by Home Affairs Minister Dr. Leon Schreiber to modernise the department’s identity verification service, calling it a critical step toward a more efficient and reliable system. A System in Crisis For years, the Home Affairs identity verification system operated at a meager fee of 15 cents per transaction, far below the actual cost of maintenance. This underfunding led to severe inefficiencies, including a 50% failure rate and a staggering 41,691 hours of system downtime over the past five years. To put this into perspective, the downtime was four times worse than the hours lost…