Author: Staff Writer

TymeBank, South Africa’s digital bank and its international sister company Tyme,  announce the appointment of David Pfaff as Chief Financial Officer of Tyme as well as the country CEO of Tyme’s South African operations. He took office on 1 March 2021. Pfaff is expected to divide his time between Singapore and South Africa to cover all his responsibilities. He will work alongside TymeBank CEO, Tauriq Keraan, who will remain in his position as CEO and continue to report to the TymeBank Board. “TymeBank continues to achieve exceptionally high customer satisfaction through its single view of the customer, its world-class technology…

South African entrepreneur Nico Steyn is stepping aside as CEO of IoT.nxt, a company he co-founded with partners Terje Moen and Bertus Jacobs. IoT.nxt was founded in 2015. He resigned with immediate effect. Steyn will remain as a shareholder and will continue to serve on the board, assist in the leadership transition. He will also work with the executive team to drive the growth and innovation strategy of IoT.nxt in a new capacity. “As a founder making this decision is not easy. However, I know the exceptional executive team that we have assembled over the past 18 months is well-positioned…

Aura, South Africa’s security and medical response platform, has announced its imminent expansion into Kenya which will be led by its new General Manager, Hilary Itela. Partnering with KK Security, owned by GardaWorld, Aura will offer its emergency and medical response services in Nairobi and Mombasa. Warren Myers, CEO at Aura, says that the intention is to address the fragmented and idle response capacity in Kenya while also democratising access to critical services by making them more widely available and more affordable than ever before. With over 15 years’ experience in various management roles in East and Central Africa, Itela…

South Africa’s retailer Mr Price announced today it has entered into an agreement to buy 100% of Yuppiechef, a privately-owned South African omnichannel retail business primarily focused on kitchenware. In November 2020, Mr Price communicated its ambitions to invest in growth opportunities in specific segments of the market through both organic and acquisitive growth avenues. The group’s strict investment criteria, which have been previously communicated, continue to guide its capital allocation decisions and have been applied with the same disciplined approach in the case of Yuppiechef. The company said the acquisition of Yuppiechef will enable it to expand in South…

The Oppo A15 and A53s are now available to buy at all MTN stores nationwide. The A15 will be available on the My MTNChoice Flexi R60 at R179 per month for 24 months, and the A53s will be available on the My MTNChoice Flexi R60 at R269 per month for 24 months. Both handsets will come bundled with a free Bluetooth speaker and rewards valued at R1300, including R60 airtime. The smartphone brand prioritises world-class technology encased in technological art, all while remaining affordable to the everyday local. Both models boast an impressive 13MP rear camera and 720p HD screen,…

Huawei in partnership with the Gauteng Department of e-Government is offering an online youth ICT Skills Development Program. A total of 393 students from five regions in Gauteng (Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Johannesburg, Westrand and Sedibeng) participated in the training in new technologies like 5G, cloud and AI, to empower them with knowledge and skills as they enter the employment market or aim to further their studies. ICT skills, encompassing new technologies are amongst competencies that have been identified as essential components for Gauteng’s future economic growth, the province’s readiness for 4IR, and a key requirement for the achievement of the Growing Gauteng…

Streaming giant Netflix is looking at ways to curb password sharing for both business and security reasons. The Verge reported that a new feature prevents people who are not authorized to use the account from accessing it. A Netflix spokesperson told The Verge, “This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so.” If Netflix detects that someone is trying to use the account without being an account owner, they’ll be asked to verify later or verify being an account owner through an email code or text code. If someone is unable to verify account ownership…

The South African Post Office (SAPO) has confirmed that the R350 COVID-19 Special grant recipients will be paid all monies owed to them. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Post Office said beneficiaries should also know that there is no deadline for them to collect their grant from its outlets. “The funds that are waiting for them do not expire and they can collect it later if it suits them,” said the SAPO. The Post Office has introduced a system to reduce waiting times for beneficiaries who collect their R350 COVID-19 Special grant. The system said the Post Office…

VaultGroup is changing the face of the local storage security industry by providing high-tech solutions to the local market, offering custom-built secure storage to customers in two specific verticals. VaultGroup has grown into a 40 plus person business. Six years ago, two Johannesburg-based entrepreneurs opened a small business with a big vision of stopping mobile phone store robberies in their tracks. Their solution, CellVault combines simplicity with a dash of technology: secure lockers with a built-in time-delay that would deter robbers who don’t have time to wait around. CellVault is an ultra-secure time lock mechanism designed primarily for high-value, low-volume…

Dropbox, one of the most popular cloud storage solutions in the world, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to buy DocSend, a secure document sharing and analytics company with more than 17,000 customers. Under the terms of the agreement, Dropbox will acquire DocSend for $165 million (R2.5 billion) in cash subject to customary purchase price adjustments and closing conditions. “Given the dramatic rise in remote work, there’s increased demand for digital tools that help people organize their content and seamlessly collaborate with each other,” Dropbox Co-Founder and CEO Drew Houston, said in a statement. “DocSend is…

Kia has revealed the first official images of the EV6 – its first dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV). EV6 is also the first of Kia’s next-generation BEVs to be developed under a new design philosophy that embodies Kia’s shifting focus towards electrification. “EV6 is the embodiment of both our brand purpose, ‘Movement that inspires’, and our new design philosophy. It has been designed to inspire every journey by offering an instinctive and natural experience that improves the daily lives of our customers, and provide user ownership that is simple, intuitive and integrated,” said Karim Habib, Senior Vice President and Head…

BMW is the most searched for car brand in South Africa, the Toyota Hilux is the most desired car model and online vehicle searches have grown by an impressive 54,1%. These are just some of the interesting findings contained within the latest bi-annual AutoTrader Car Industry Report, titled #ReBound. The report covers the July 2020 to December 2020 period, and it includes interesting data that is valuable to the used and new car market in South Africa. According to George Mienie, AutoTrader CEO, 2020 saw an unprecedented interruption to the local automotive industry. “2020 will be a year that will…

The Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric – the first all-electric car from the Swedish luxury brand – will be launched in South Africa in the second half of 2021. This all-electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) has already demonstrated strong sales internationally. Thousands of orders were placed for the XC40 Recharge even before the formal start of sales in Europe last year. By the start of production in the company’s Ghent, Belgium, plant on October 1 last year, every car scheduled to be built that calendar year had already been sold. According to Greg Maruszewski, Managing Director at Volvo Car South…

Vodacom now has its own tracker known as Curve designed to help you find lost items, the Vodafone-owned company announced today. The new GPS tracker is an invaluable device for those who want to keep an eye on their prized possessions such as car keys, laptops, and even school kit bags, the company said. The mobile phone company added that the Curve can also help you stay connected to the people you love the most, and can even be used to monitor the whereabouts of your beloved fur baby. The small and lightweight device attaches to almost anything and being…

Microsoft and the Gauteng Department of e-Government have partnered to implement the Gauteng Azure Training programme in collaboration with Andela and Geekulcha. The partnership aims to upskill software developers in the province through an immersive programme where selected individuals will work to learn basic skills in Azure, through the Microsoft Learn platform. The programme seeks to engage and train 3,000 developers in Gauteng, South Africa and will run until the end of June 2021. As South Africa moves further into the Fourth Industrial Revolution and cloud technology becomes ubiquitous, the Gauteng Provincial Government has recognised the need to accelerate digital…

PayPal will buy cryptocurrency security firm Curv as part of its push into crypto and digital assets, the company announced on Monday. Curv is a provider of cloud-based infrastructure for digital asset security based in Tel Aviv, Israel. To drive sustained growth and innovation in this area, PayPal recently created a business unit focused on blockchain, crypto and digital currencies. Curv will join the newly formed group, with its strong team of technologists adding technical expertise to PayPal. Curv was founded in 2018 by CEO Itay Malinger and CTO Dan Yadlin. The terms of the transaction are undisclosed but Calcalist reported that PayPal was paying between…

Huawei has officially launched its Huawei Women Developers (HWD) program, which aims to empower women developers to create applications and tools that can change the world. The program is intended to encourage more women to join in technological innovation by providing participants with more opportunities and platforms for career development and skills training. Any woman developer from around the world can register to join the program on the Huawei Developers official website. Huawei states in the announcement that, in the digital era, more opportunities and support must be given to women to ensure they have access to the education and…

Irvine Partners public relations and integrated marketing agency has been awarded the Huawei Technologies corporate communications account. The agency will serve as the communications partner for Huawei’s South African corporate office. “We are excited to have Irvine Partners on board and look forward to a rewarding working relationship based on their track record and ability to hit the ground running,” says Huawei’s Media and Communications Manager, Vanashree Govender. Irvine Partners’ mandate will be to communicate Huawei’s significant local impact — both in terms of a tangible commitment to social responsibility and its contribution to South Africa’s digital transformation and economic…

MTN Group today announced the appointment of Chika Ekeji as Executive: Strategy and Transformation as part of plans to further bolster management capacity to accelerate the group’s strategic ambitions. Effective 15 March 2021, Chika joins Africa’s leading mobile operator from management consultancy McKinsey & Company in Nigeria, where he led the West Africa Digital Practice and served telco, financial services, and public sector clients across Africa. “We are very pleased that Chika is joining us as we work to accelerate our strategic repositioning,” said MTN Group Chief Operating Officer Jens Schulte-Bockum. A Nigerian-American national, Chika has a Masters of Engineering in…

Ukheshe Technologies, the South African digital FinTech enablement provider, is targeting global expansion. Having established itself as a formidable payment technology specialist within the B2B sector, the company has set its sights on the Middle East, Europe and Asia Pacific. Apart from its regional African reach, Ukheshe will focus on establishing significant long-term partnerships in strategic locations within the Asia Pacific region, Europe, and the Middle East. The company has filled key senior positions with the announcement of Donovan Drew as President: Asia Pacific; Paul Selibas as President Project Engineering, based in Europe; together with Chris Pillay as VP of…

Openserve, Telkom’s network division, announced today that it would double the speed of its fibre lines in March 2021. Today, Telkom’s Consumer Division, revealed new high-speed fibre packages for existing and new customers as well as price changes. From 5 March 2021, as a promotional offer, new customers can experience 25/5Mbps Uncapped fibre from R399 and 50Mbps at R699, while existing Telkom internet fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) customers get a free speed upgrade, in some instances 2.5x times more the speed, to the new speed portfolio with no price increases while others get a price decrease. New FTTH Home Unlimited Bundles prices…

Telkom is calling all gaming content creators, gamers, producers and commentators to submit their work for a chance to win R100 000 and produce their own seasons. The #OpenUpTheGames competition is open until 30 April 2021 for submissions of a minimum 1 and maximum 3 lifestyle content pieces relating to gaming and no longer than between 5-10 mins each. The URL for submissions is: www.create.telkomone.tv. “Following the success of the #OpenUpTheIndustry content creation competition, we wanted to open up another industry of interest to our customers – gaming, in addition to other future segments to be disclosed in due time…

Vodacom is launching Digi-Parenting, a resource to provide parents with the tools, knowledge, and advice for building happy and safe digital homes for their kids. Children’s online use continues to increase. With this comes opportunities to learn and grow but also the potential for risky situations. To help with raising the next generation in a safe digital society, Vodacom is bringing Digi-Parenting. The resource is available to Vodacom and non-Vodacom customers. In a study by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention in South Africa, almost half of parents reported having never had any guidance on how to support or…

Hellopay and Mastercard announced a partnership to roll out SoftPOS – a contactless acceptance solution that turns any NFC-enabled Android device into a physical point of sale. This move is expected to boost digital payment acceptance at small informal enterprises in South Africa while supporting consumers’ preference for touch-free payments amidst social distancing. SoftPOS leverages Mastercard Tap on Phone, a simple and cost-effective digital payment technology developed for micro and small businesses like spaza shops, independent retailers, market stall traders, mobile servicemen and tradesmen who tend to operate in a cash economy due to the costs and complexity of obtaining…

Bolt, a ride-hailing and e-scooter firm, has secured a €20 million (R364 million) war chest of funds to expand in Eastern European and African markets. The funds were secured from the World Bank’s IFC. Bolt launched South Africa – its first African market – in 2016 and now operates in over 34 towns and cities across all nine provinces, connecting more than 25,000 drivers with passengers. Since its launch in South Africa, the company currently operates in seven African countries, providing earning opportunities for more than 400,000 drivers in over 70 cities across the continent. IFC’s funding will be targeted towards…