Author: Staff Writer

South Africa may be behind the curve when it comes to electric vehicle adoption, but as the shift to mainstream EV acceptance edges closer, more and more motorists are weighing up the pros and cons of electric versus petrol and diesel. While there’s no denying internal combustion engine (ICE) cars still enjoy many inherent benefits, there’s one contest where EVs have an indisputable advantage. They’re simply cheaper to run per kilometre. Much cheaper in fact. To prove the point, Jaguar South Africa sent one of its senior driving instructors on a week-long mission to record and report the electricity consumption…

Netflix announced today that it is buying Next Games, a developer and publisher of mobile games based in Helsinki, Finland. Netflix would acquire Next Games for total value of €65 million ($72 million). The board of Next Games has unanimously decided to recommend that shareholders accept the deal. “Next Games has a seasoned management team, strong track record with mobile games based on entertainment franchises, and solid operational capabilities,” said Michael Verdu, Vice President of Games, Netflix. “We are excited for Next Games to join Netflix as a core studio in a strategic region and key talent market, expanding our internal game…

Investing in property is one of the biggest financial decisions a person is likely to make. New and increasingly sophisticated scams and incidence of fraud are on the rise and affect developers, buyers, sellers, estate agents, conveyancing attorneys, and other property professionals. “As property transactions typically involve substantial sums of money, they are a natural target for fraudsters. Tactics range from impersonating estate agents to intercepting emails with instructions on where to make payment for transactions as well as notices of change of banking details instruction, says Ryan Mer, CEO, eftsure Africa, a Know Your Payee (KYP) platform provider. While…

South African FinTech group Capital Appreciation Limited (Capprec) is on an acquisition spree in South Africa and the Netherlands. Capprec announced today it has acquired Responsive Technology group for the purchase price of c.R48,68 million. Capprec is a financial technology company with proprietary and licensed platforms, solutions, products and applications targeted at the B2B market. Its client base includes all major banking institutions in South Africa, as well as many niche banks, large financial services institutions and other financial services companies. In recent times, the company has also successfully diversified into the Retail, Telecoms and Healthcare sectors. The acquisitions include three South African companies:…

At the 2022 Mobile World Congress (MWC), Huawei launched innovative gigabit fibre-to-the room (FTTR) solutions. The solutions extend fibre to every room and aims to build an all-optical base for smart homes and digital enterprises, enabling gigabit Wi-Fi 6 coverage in each room and creating a brand-new digital life experience. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, global digital transformation has accelerated. Home broadband services have shifted from HD video-based entertainment to multi-centre services such as immersive XR experience, online office, and whole-house intelligence. Enterprise services have also migrated to the cloud. User experience is poor due to disadvantages of the traditional…

Corteva Agriscience has officially introduced PowerCore technology to South Africa’s maize farmers. The solution is a new high-performing, herbicide-resistant seed trait that effectively helps protect crops from damaging above-ground insects, such as the maize stalk borer and spotted maize stem borer. The company’s leading seed brands, Pannar and Pioneer will be offering PowerCore technology as part of new, high-yielding genetics within their respective maize portfolios. “South Africa’s agricultural, food and beverage exports hit a record high of $12.4bn (approximately R191.4bn) in 2021, with maize being a significant contributor, reaching its largest export volume since 1994/1995. What’s more, maize is a…

Takealot today announced its partnership with leading tech NPO GirlCode helping to empower millions of South African women in the world of tech. GirlCode was born out of a recognition of an inherent gender bias in the tech sector with only 23% of tech jobs in South Africa held by women. In addition, South Africa is facing a dire unemployment crisis, affecting young people in particular. GirlCode provides a solution to these problems by introducing girls and women to Tech from an early age, supporting them to upskill in coding and design. As part of its commitment to diversity and…

MyHealthTeam, creator of the largest and fastest-growing social networks for people facing chronic health conditions, today announced its partnership with South Africa’s largest private health insurance administrator, Discovery Health, to launch myCOVIDteam, a social network – also known as an online patient community – for people facing acute or long-haul symptoms of COVID-19 (known as ‘long COVID’). MyHealthTeam’s patient communities are patient-led, online groups where patients, caregivers, doctors, researchers, and others come together with a focus on a particular disease. They share stories, offer support and information, and even develop solutions where needed. “COVID-19 will have a wide-ranging impact on…

JSE-listed Metrofile, a leading document and electronic information management specialist in Africa and the Middle East, has deepened its suite of digital services – backup, disaster recovery, cybersecurity and specialised virtual private server (VPS) hosting – through its acquisition of IronTree. While paper-based document management remains a central pillar of securing content, the pandemic has meant that more documents are now originated, signed digitally, and then stored, indexed, and archived in cyberspace. A recent World Economic Forum report proposed the opportunities from the digital transformation of industries could be in the region of $100 trillion over the next decade. As an example,…

Pan-African FinTech enablement partner Ukheshe Technologies has appointed Darryn Botha as its Chief Information Officer. Botha’s role will include overseeing data security, maintaining a stable IT infrastructure, while enabling Ukheshe’s business strategy and improving its ability to engage and collaborate with clients. Botha has spent over 25 years in the financial services industry with experience in building bespoke insurance and investment platforms to service local and international markets, and helping startups deliver new and easy-to-use business acquisition channels. He also headed up the systems team in charge of implementing business solutions for Discovery Life, Discovery Insure and Vitality Life in…