Author: Staff Writer

Ongoing volatility, further progress on regulations and continued interest from institutional investors can be expected in 2021 according to Luno, South Africa’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. “Looking back at our predictions from last year – the Bitcoin halving happened without a hitch and the industry matured as institutional investors entered the market. 2020 was a proper stress test with Bitcoin hitting a low of around $5,000 in March and a high of $28,000. The new year is following the same trend with the price already reaching the $40,000 level,” says Marius Reitz, Luno’s GM for Africa. Institutional investors will continue to…

For the past two years, we published AlphaCode, South Africa’s leading FinTech thinkers, predictions about the financial technology (FinTech) landscape. We believe that FinTech represents the digital revolution that is transforming the way customers access financial products and services. As such, FinTech is gaining significant momentum and causing disruption to the traditional value chain. South Africa has a flourishing FinTech industry underpinned by a sophisticated and supportive ecosystem. “Each year, at AlphaCode, we use our vantage point of the fintech landscape to share what we expect this year. We had no idea last January that a whole new world awaited. One…

South African tech start-up and online tech-education leader, HyperionDev, is inviting the public to become stakeholders in the company’s growing tech education business. Through the investment, HyperionDev will invest R3.5 million in coding scholarships to deserving South Africans. The UK-based capital funding drive – which has already realised  £1,5million (±R32 million/ ±US$2 million) in capital commitments –  will facilitate HyperionDev’s expansion into UK and US markets on the back of the company’s success in Africa. The impact investment opportunity affirms HyperionDev’s commitment to delivering positive social impact by answering a pressing need for tech education and skills development in South…

DFA today announced that it has been awarded Top Employer status in South Africa for 2021 by the Top Employers Institute. DFA joins 1,691 companies in 120 countries globally, including only 97 local companies, who are recognized by the Top Employer Institute for their efforts in various facets of employee management. With headquarters in the Netherlands and offices in several countries around the world – including South Africa – Top Employers Institute was established with the aim of promoting excellence in human capital management to support business strategy. DFA CEO, Thinus Mulder, said that achieving the certification was the culmination…

Mara Phones, South Africa’s manufacturer of smartphones, has appointed Sylvester Taku to the position of managing director with immediate effect. Taku has been doing business in Africa for over 20 years and has made accelerating growth through smart, well-considered moves his signature style. He has been the Head of Growth at Mara Phones since 2019 and led the opening of the first bricks-and-mortar Mara Experience Store in Maponya Mall, Soweto, exactly a year after Mara Phones unveiled the country’s first smartphone manufacturing facility in KZN. “Sylvester is bold and dependable with an amazing ability to spot the next opportunity,” Mara…

Warrant Officer, Roger Mario Kivido has been arrested allegedly dealing in copper cables. Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha said Kivido was arrested on Friday, 22 January 2021. Kivido, a 53-year old rogue cop, is stationed at New Brighton police station. “The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team received a tipoff on 11 October 2020, regarding a police officer in full uniform, driving a marked police vehicle who was selling copper cables at a local scrapyard along Grahamstown Road, in Port Elizabeth,” Ramovha said in a statement. “Preliminary investigation was carried out at the scrapyard in a form of an enquiry.…

As part of its ongoing commitment to prevent Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Vodacom has zero-rated its Bright Sky SA app. The app was launched in November last year. The zero-rating of the app ensures that Vodacom users will not incur any data costs for downloading or accessing many of the referral links to GBV support services found in the app. Given that not everyone can afford data, Vodacom is highly focused on making connectivity more accessible, particularly when it comes to essential tools and services such as Bright Sky. “Technology has a powerful part to play in solving some of the…

Altron Systems Integration (ASI), a subsidiary of JSE-listed Altron, has joined the NVIDIA Partner Network (NPN), becoming the first Compute DGX partner and solutions provider in South Africa. ASI has joined NPN as a Solution Provider focusing on the Compute and Compute DGX competencies, serving customers across Southern Africa in their AI journey. This gives ASI access to the latest hardware, trainings, technical documentation, technical specialists, and interesting promotions for its customers, and allows the business to distribute NVIDIA’s AI solutions across Africa. “NVIDIA’s expertise in building end-to-end AI and data science solutions and frameworks enable every enterprise to realise…

If you’re interested in scooping up a brand new Galaxy S21 series phone, you can now place your pre-order at Telkom. The new S Series from Samsung includes the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra. Telkom announced on Wednesday that the new Samsung’s smartphones are available from Telkom online store. In-store sales will start from 5 February 2021, said Telkom. The Galaxy S21 series is the latest flagship offering in devices by Samsung and boasts state-of-the-art innovation and head-turning and iconic design including a pro-grade camera and advanced processor ever in a Galaxy device. It also introduces…

MultiChoice South Africa today announced that 236 students will benefit from bursaries worth R26 million in 2021. The company is making tertiary education a reality for students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, Broadcasting, Media, Film & Television, Human Resources, Finance, Economics, Law, Communications, UI/UX/CX Design, Consumer Insights and Advertising. “We believe investing in these fields of study is critical for the future of our industry and our country,” says MultiChoice South Africa’s CEO, Nyiko Shiburi. “We are excited to provide access to the necessary resources for these future leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to thrive and flourish…

Xero and Nedbank have partnered to give small businesses and their advisors’ financial data through a fully digital API-enabled bank feed. Xero is a global small-business cloud accounting platform. The new feed will go live soon and will be available to Nedbank small business clients with a Xero account, at no additional cost. Once live, small businesses will be able to connect the feed from their Xero account. This fully digital bank feed will mean that small businesses and their advisors can import their banking transactions automatically and securely, directly from Nedbank into their Xero organisation. This bank feed is…

Absa Group announced today it has been selected to serve on the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council’s (PCI SSC’s) Board of Advisors in 2021 and 2022. The banking group said in a statement in this role will be able to help shape the development of payment data security standards and programmes globally. The PCI SSC leads a global, cross-industry effort to increase payment security by providing industry-driven data security standards and programmes that help businesses detect, mitigate and prevent cyberattacks and breaches. Absa Group Chief Security Officer Sandro Bucchianeri will represent Absa on the board for the third consecutive…

The South African EduTech startup Play Sense has become one of the first registered play-focused preschool franchises in the country. Play Sense raised R8.25 million in early-stage funding from USA-based Enygma Ventures in April. The private investment fund focuses on investing in women-led social impact businesses in Southern Africa. The Africa Trust Group is its local implementation partner. The digitally-enabled micro-playschool programme enables teachers to set up their own playschools at home under the Play Sense banner, with its imaginative play-centred curriculum for preschoolers as its primary drawcard. It has now become one of the first programmes of its kind…

Customers pay for goods or services via the channel of their choice. Transaction Junction’s omnichannel payment platform enables this, while affording retailers a holistic view of their clients. The convergence of the physical and digital worlds means that geographic monopoly is playing an increasingly smaller role in selling products and services. Moreover, competing on price alone is no longer an effective way to succeed in business, which is why customer experience (CX) has become increasingly important. Payment is a crucial part of CX, but with the introduction of multiple eCommerce channels, the advancement of payment technologies and the abundance of…

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has urged the public against doing any financial services business with Tradetheatre Capital Markets Pty, which it has warned is not authorised to give any financial advice or render any intermediary services. The FSCA said according to the Tradetheatre Capital Markets’ website, it is a trading platform that offers trading in Forex, CFD, Cryptos and/or Binary Options. The website claims that Tradetheatre Capital Markets Pty and Tradetheatre Middle East Ltd are authorised by the FSCA and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority in Abu Dhabi respectively. The Financial Services Regulatory Authority has confirmed that Tradetheatre…

Concor (formerly Murray & Roberts) has successfully completed a fast-track COVID-19 facility at Jubilee Hospital using innovative building technology. The construction company said this facility was handed over on 27 November 2020, having begun work on site some five months earlier. Following the national COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Department issued a tender for this facility for the Gauteng Department of Health. Concor won the bid and began earthworks in July 2020. The turnkey project in Hammanskraal north of Pretoria handed over ten modular units to the Gauteng Department of Health, adding another 300 beds…

With the COVID-19 pandemic having battered the South African fiscus in 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa has cautioned that the country will have to embrace innovative interventions to rebuild the economy in the New Year. The President said this on Monday in his first weekly newsletter of 2021. “Public finances are under extreme strain, now even more so because of the cost of our health response to COVID-19 and the social and economic relief measures we put in place to assist businesses and poor households,” he wrote. “The contraction of the economy also meant that tax revenue has declined significantly. There…

Checkers Sixty60 was recently recognised as one of Memeburn’s best apps of 2020 – the apps were those who helped to manage the stress and chaos of lockdowns and social distancing. While 2020’s unexpected turn of events presented many challenges, Sixty60 provided customers with an innovative and safe solution to have their groceries delivered at the touch of a button at the same value for money for which Checkers is renowned. Customer response has been exceptional due to the service’s lightning-fast service and ease of use, and order volumes skyrocketed during lockdown necessitating Checkers to rapidly expand Sixty60 throughout the…

Dimension Data has put up a for-sale sign for its Mweb Internet service provider (ISP) business. Techcentral exclusively reported today that Dimension Data has appointed Standard Bank to lead the sale process. Four years ago Dimension Data, which is owned by Japan’s NTT, bought 100% control of Mweb from MultiChoice Group – which at the time was owned by Naspers. The company is an ISP based in South Africa since 1997. It is a division of Internet Solutions Digital Ltd, a subsidiary of Dimension Data, and its headquarters are located in the Mweb Building in Parow, Cape Town. It is…

Curro Holdings, the South African JSE-listed independent education provider, has appointed JP le Roux as the Executive Head of its flagship technology-driven school, Curro Foreshore. Le Roux will take the helm effective January 2021. The appointment comes alongside the school undergoing a major revamp. With a wealth of experience and a master’s degree in mathematics education, Le Roux was previously the head of mathematics and the deputy principal at Cedar House School in Cape Town. He is most looking forward to steering the school to even greater success. Curro Foreshore was the first school in the group to adopt the…

In Q4, Microsoft was again the brand most frequently targeted by cybercriminals, as it was in Q3, according to a recent report. Check Point Research, the Threat Intelligence arm of Check Point Software Technologies, a provider of cybersecurity solutions globally, has published its new Brand Phishing Report for Q4 2020. The report highlights the brands, which were most frequently imitated by criminals in their attempts to steal individuals’ personal information or payment credentials during October, November and December. The report states that forty-three percent of all brand phishing attempts related to the technology giant (up from 19% in Q3), as…

South Africa’s Information Regulator has announced that it met Facebook South Africa on Wednesday to discuss its revised WhatsApp privacy policy. WhatsApp’s revised private policy sparked a global outcry after the popular Facebook-owned messaging app alerted its 2 billion users to accept the new terms if they wanted to continue using it. According to reports, WhatsApp will now share data with Facebook. “As part of the Facebook family of companies, WhatsApp receives information from, and shares information with, this family of companies,” Ars Technica quoted the new privacy policy. “We may use the information we receive from them, and they…

Africa’s largest data science academy EXPLORE Data Science Academy has added Data Engineering to its online training offerings. Starting Monday, January 18, 2021, the 12-month course will provide applicants with the specific skill set required to become data engineers – a key role in the successful digital transformation of a business. Shaun Dippnall, CEO of EXPLORE Data Science Academy, explains, “The use of vast quantities of data by data scientists now requires those with a specialised skill set to organise data and ensure its quality, security and availability to the organisation.  These are data engineers.” According to Dippnall apart from the skill…

As one of the pioneers in the use of a smartphone as a digital vehicle key since 2018, BMW is pressing ahead with the development and popularisation of its BMW Digital Key feature, which is available to iPhone users today. In line with this goal, the premium car manufacturer will introduce the BMW Digital Key Plus, a convenient and secure way to unlock and start your car without taking your iPhone out of your bag or pocket. This latest incarnation of the service is based on Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, the technology found on the U1 chip of iPhone. The BMW Digital Key Plus feature…

F5 Networks is buying privately distributed cloud services platform Volterra for $500 million (R7,6 billion). With the addition of Volterra’s technology platform, F5 Networks is creating an edge platform built for enterprises and service providers that will be security-first and app-driven with unlimited scale. F5 Networks also reiterated its commitment to return $1 billion of capital over the next two years, including the initiation of a $500 million accelerated share repurchase in fiscal year 2021. “Current edge solutions are simply inadequate for today’s enterprise customers. It’s time to break out of closed edge systems that only perpetuate the pain of…