Author: Staff Writer

Telkom Business has launched an Unlimited Voice Plan offer to help small business subscribers save up on unlimited voice calls by almost 30%. The proposal targets small business owners who are new customers and those previously with Telkom but had to suspend or cancel the service due to lack of affordability. The new plans will also be available to existing Telkom Business customers who wish to add voice line to their existing package. Telkom Business said the new unlimited voice call plans available for R199 per month. “This offering includes monthly line rentals as well as usage, saving the average…

Long-time Vodacom customer Rilwelani Mmbooi, a 27-year-old mother from Limpopo, has been announced as the second grand prize winner of Vodacom’s ShakeOff 2020 campaign, driving home in a brand-new Mini Cooper. Mmbooi, an avid fan of Vodacom’s promotional competitions, would use the USSD (*133# or *135#) channel to access the ShakeOff Summer menu and play with the hopes of winning free data, never expecting that she would one day be a grand prize winner. Since the 2019 Shake!Up campaign, Mmbooi has been shaking daily and recently moved from shaking on USSD to the My Vodacom App, where she could see all…

Vodacom announced on Monday that finally its customers using Apple’s latest iPhone 12 can finally be connected to the mobile phone company’s 5G network. The Vodafone-owned mobile phone firm said in a statement: “Vodacom is pleased to share that we’re now offering 5G cellular support for the powerful new iPhone 12 line-up.” The company did not provide details on why its support for 5G on Apple’s new iPhones was delayed for two months. The sales of the news iPhones by Vodacom stated on Friday, 18 December 2020. The new Apple iPhone 12 family, including iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone…

VidlyIT, a solution that uses IoT smart water meter sensors to assess, aggregated smart reports on the water quantity and quality in circulation, has won the Empire Partner Foundation Hydro Solution Hackathon. The Empire Partner Foundation is a non-profit organisation started by a group of young South Africans. Its goal is to build South Africa, and eventually, the continent of Africa, by solving critical challenges through tech. The Empire Partner Foundation has committed to mentoring VidlyIT for 6-months. “This is one example of how the Empire Partner Foundation is uncovering potential, empowering the technology enthusiasts for impact” the Empire Partner…

Synthesis Software Technologies, a software development and consulting company, has recently attained the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Security Competency. This adds to the company’s announcement of securing the AWS Microsoft Workloads Competency and Synthesis’ growing list of AWS Competency designations. This achievement showcases Synthesis commitment to elevate and enhance its clients’ security posture in the cloud. A select number of AWS Partners that have achieved the AWS Security Competency have proven technical security proficiency and have demonstrated capability with a number of secure cloud implementations. Synthesis achieved the AWS Security Competency after qualifying through a rigorous process to meet AWS’s…

Vodacom has pledged R10 million to fund a private sector-led, multi-sectoral Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Response Fund 1 to support the implementation of the National Strategic Plan (NSP), and the wider GBVF response in the country. Pioneered by the International Women’s Forum South Africa (IWFSA) and the Presidency in collaboration with several strategic partners, the GBVF Response Fund 1 is the brainchild of a resolution of the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Declaration, which followed the 2018 GBVF Summit and is aimed at finding sustainable solutions to ending the scourge of GBV in South Africa. “We are delighted about the…

Microsoft today announced Microsoft Viva, a new employee experience platform designed to help people connect, focus, learn, and thrive at work. The platform aims to replace the old intranet sites and help businesses with remote working. Microsoft Viva said is built on Microsoft 365 to bring together communications, knowledge, learning, and insights into an integrated employee experience that empowers people and teams to be their best‚ from anywhere. “We have participated in the largest at-scale remote work experiment the world has seen, and it has had a dramatic impact on the employee experience,” Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft, said in a…

Avon Justine joins the global community to commemorate World Cancer Day on 4th February 2021 by reaffirming its commitment to work with organisations that support breast cancer survivors. As a company for women, Avon Justine has used the power of beauty and its brand to champion awareness and education about the importance of early detection, which has been clinically proven to improve the chances of successful treatment. Avon Justine has supported non-governmental organisations such as the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), Look Good…Feel Better, Journeysys and Wings of Hope by hosting events like the iThemba Walkathon, the biggest cancer…

JSE-listed Altron has announced the appointment of Nametsegang Maruping as Group Executive: Human Capital, with effect from 1 February 2021. Maruping is currently Head of Human Capital in Altron Rest of Africa, a position which she retains. Maruping joined Altron Rest of Africa in 2018 as the Head of Human Capital. She was responsible for leading and providing human capital strategic oversight across Africa and the Middle East with a key focus on Botswana; Kenya; Mauritius; Middle East, Mozambique; Namibia and South Africa. Prior to joining Altron, Maruping worked at companies such as Absa, Standard Bank and Unilever as well…

Aerobotics has brought on agricultural industry leader and technical agronomist Liaan Janse van Vuuren to further develop its intelligent tools for increasing and protecting yields. As an industry stalwart, Liaan is training Aerobotics’ artificial intelligence in the field to equip growers and their advisers with an eye in the sky that sees everything and misses nothing when it comes to crop performance. Aerobotics’ aerial imagery supports its industry-leading product suite, that includes insights on-farm health, tree canopy size, tree counts and missing tree counts. The company’s agricultural customer base use these insights to protect and increase the production of every…

Ukheshe announced on Thursday the appointment of Prins Mhlanga as a non-executive director of the digital FinTech platform provider. Mhlanga is a South African entrepreneur with a long career in the ICT space. He is currently the founder and CEO of the Ocean on 76 Group. Mhlanga is also a former Managing Executive of Digital Media at Vodacom. Since launching two years ago, Ukheshe has established itself as a leading payment technology specialist successfully collaborating with several blue-chip payment brands. The appointment of Mhlanga comes at a time when the company has refocused on the B2B sector and is streamlining…

The two most critical components in an organisation’s journey to becoming digitally transformed are data and analytics. According to Andreas Bartsch, Head of Service Delivery at PBT Group, it comes down to being able to leverage information as a critical asset that delivers business value. “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of embracing a digital way of thinking especially given the normalisation of the distributed work environment. But more than the tools required to keep employees productive regardless of their physical location, decision-makers must reassess how they view their organisation in this new world,” says Bartsch. Putting data first…

Clinicians can now self-register to get their COVID-19 inoculation, as government prepares for its historic vaccination rollout in the next coming weeks. Launching the Electronic Vaccine Data System (EVDS) on Wednesday, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said more than 34 000 frontline workers have already registered. Healthcare workers can register on http://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za. In line with the phased approach of the vaccine rollout plan, the Minister is calling on all health workers to self-register on the portal. According to Mkhize, those who have so far registered include clinical and non-clinical healthcare workers from both the public and private sectors. Mkhize said…

Cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, has been steadily increasing in its popularity as a speculative investment by South Africans and, it appears, is now squarely within the focus of the South African Revenue Service (SARS). This is according to Thomas Lobban, a legal manager for Cross-Border Taxation at Tax Consulting SA, who argues that when a taxpayer files a tax return, SARS may send a request for verification or “audit request” in which it seeks clarification or supporting documentation from a taxpayer. Lobban said the information sought by SARS is inevitably linked to the disclosures made by the taxpayer in that…

The Nigerian telecoms regulator has again extended the timeline for mobile phone operators to update SIM card registrations by eight weeks. The deadline was 9 February 20201. Last December, the regulator directed telecoms firms to stop selling SIM cards while it audits compliance with SIM registration rules. The regulator said in a statement that the ongoing National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) integration exercise has been extended by 8 weeks, with a new deadline of April 6, 2021. It was reported that a total of 56.18 million NINs have been collected by the mobile network operators, the…

US motor giant Ford Motor Company on Tuesday announced R15.8 billion investment in its South Africa subsidiary, cementing its commitment to the local market. This marks the biggest investment in Ford’s 97-year history in South Africa. The investment is expected to create more than 1 200 jobs, increasing the local workforce to 5,500 employees, and adding an estimated 10,000 new jobs across Ford’s local supplier network, bringing the total to 60,000. It also represents one of the largest-ever investments in the South African automotive industry. “This investment will further modernize our South African operations, helping them to play an even…

Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct is calling for inquisitive graduates who enjoy exploring apps, understand basic software development and figuring out how it all works, to be part of its newly launched Software Tester Learnership Programme with the support of the Department of e-Gov and application testing specialists, IT Ecology. The programme aims to address the increasing need for quality software testers in the country, a gap only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Software testing is a process to evaluate the functionality of a software application and whether it meets the specified requirements. It is an opportunity to identify…

In the past, some software companies were unable to implement the infrastructure needed to deliver solutions to the market place. At the same time, local companies often did not have the training or capabilities to produce developers proficient in the ever-changing technologies demanded by all sectors of industry. Undeterred, Nexah – the Cameronian-based firm – believed it could change the way African software companies are viewed. Its biggest challenge was to create digital solutions for the African market – with the quality on par with international software companies. The company specialises in developing web, mobile, and entertainment services for the…

Tech distribution company Tarsus, which is being acquired by JSE-listed Alviva, announced on Tuesday that group CEO Miles Crisp and finance director Joanne Tanner have resigned to pursue fresh opportunities. The company said both have played a key role in leading Tarsus’s growth over the past decade and in positioning the group as one of the leading broad-based ICT distributors in South Africa. Crisp was appointed as Group CEO in 2014 with a mandate from the board and majority shareholder, Investec, to optimise operations, de-risk funding, strengthen governance and facilitate the sale of the group to a new owner, the…

Economists and experts agree that entrepreneurship has the potential to stimulate economic growth and generate much-needed economic opportunities. The increasing digitisation of the economy has opened up unprecedented opportunities for aspiring micro-businesses to leverage the ubiquity of online platforms to market their businesses beyond their geographical confines. As one of the leading beauty and personal care company, Avon Justine has been at the forefront of harnessing the entrepreneurial spirit of millions of women around the world and giving them the earnings opportunity for 135 years. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to stall economic growth, Avon Justine is once again allowing…

Although investment activity was subdued across the board in 2020, it was an extraordinary deal-making year for South African venture capital firm, Empowerment Capital Investment Partners. Empowerment Capital and its investment funds – Andzani Ventures, Imvelo Ventures and Thuthuka Nathi Ventures – approved and placed a total of R162 million into 13 South African start-ups between July 2019 and February 2021.  Furthermore, R32.5 million is approved for placement in the coming weeks in three exciting new ventures. Started in 2015 by Anton Baumann and Mark Fitzjohn, Empowerment Capital is seeking aggressive growth as it enters the next phase of its business,…

Teraco, Africa’s largest interconnection hub and vendor-neutral data centre provider, announced on Tuesday that it has finalised a new R2.5 billion loan financing transaction to finance the building of its new data centre. Last November, the company announced the construction of a new 38-megawatt hyperscale data centre in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, South Africa. The new transaction cements Teraco’s commitment to continuing investment in the region’s digital infrastructure and expanding Africa’s largest data centre platform. Teraco’s newly appointed chief financial officer, Samuel Erwin, said that the shareholders and lenders of Teraco have a long-term vision for Africa’s digital transformation and…

Ford and Lincoln cars will be powered by Google operating system beginning 2023 as part of a six-year partnership announced Monday. To drive ongoing innovation, Ford and Google said they are establishing a new collaborative group, Team Upshift. Team Upshift will push the boundaries of Ford’s transformation, unlock personalized consumer experiences, and drive disruptive, data-driven opportunities. This may include projects ranging from developing new retail experiences when buying a vehicle, creating new ownership offers based on data, and more. “As Ford continues the most profound transformation in our history with electrification, connectivity and self-driving, Google and Ford coming together establishes…

South Africa has officially received its first shipment of one million Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. The Emirates cargo carrying the first batch of the lifesaving jabs from India touched down at OR Tambo International Airport on Monday afternoon. President Cyril Ramaphosa, together with his Deputy David Mabuza, who chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Vaccines, witnessed the momentous occasion. Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, flanked the two leaders. Plastic-wrapped bundles of the in-demand vaccine were off-loaded from the plane into the unmarked refrigerated trucks. The jabs were then transported to a cold room lab where they will undergo quality checks, which may…

AlphaCode announced on Monday the top ten businesses for R10 million FinTech support programme. Almost 200 fintech businesses applied for the AlphaCode Incubate programme which aims to grow innovative financial services entrepreneurs and find the next OUTsurance or Discovery. The 12-week intensive pre-incubation programme is valued at R500 000, including R150 000 in grant funding for each participant. This jump-start programme has just begun and focuses on achieving a viable business. It culminates in a demo day, where participants will compete for a place in a 6-month step-up programme. Step-up offers grant funding of R500 000 for each startup and…