Author: Staff Writer

Educational apps are changing the future of classrooms. The Best Educational Solution, awarded at last week’s MTN Business App of the Year awards, goes to an app that best breaks through the barriers to learning, a solution that focuses on solving the education challenges in Africa. The 2020 Fundi Best Educational App winner is Xitsonga Dictionary, an app developed by Mukondleteri Dumela from Kraaifontein in Cape Town that provides users with thousands of words translated from Xitsonga to English. Designed to help learn in a fun and intuitive way, users are able to simply take a picture using the Xitsonga…

An app that takes away the notion that investing is hard and expensive has been adjudged the overall winner of the MTN Business App of the Year Awards. EasyEquities was announced as the overall winner in Johannesburg on Thursday evening. EasyEquities makes the purchase of shares safe, easy and fun, helping new and existing investors to stay on top of their investment portfolios, with detailed account overviews and personalised reporting. EasyEquities, which also placed first in the Best Consumer Solution category, walks away with the overall grand prize of an international trip to a tech-related destination valued at R200,000. The…

South Africa’s largest digital bank, Capitec, has partnered with popular music streaming service, JOOX, to provide its clients with a Live Better benefit of 30% off of the app’s monthly subscription fee. From 28 October 2020, Capitec clients can enjoy a number of VIP benefits at a discounted monthly subscription fee (usually R59.99 per month, now R41.99) when paying with a Capitec Card and registering on joox.com. Once subscribed to JOOX, clients will have access to all their favourite top local and international artists. In addition to having no audio ad disturbances, in-app features include live streaming concerts, karaoke functions,…

Mobile phone operator MTN is launching a full mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service in South Africa. MTN said the aim to launch MVNO service is to bring the digital world closer to more people and communities. With its extensive national network that covers rural areas, MTN said it will offer MVNO partners a high-quality network experience and opportunity to deliver innovative solutions that reach even more South Africans. “We expect MVNO subscribers across the country to double over the next five years, with several large players introducing offerings. MTN is excited to be an enabler of this further growth…

Yoco announced today that its customer base of small businesses had crossed the 100,000 milestone and to further grow its customer base the South African FinTech firm is launching its first ‘standalone’ card machine. The ‘standalone’ card machine is known as the Yoco Neo. This device does not require a smart device or bluetooth to enable payments. Speaking from the Yoco Next, a virtual launch event, Yoco’s founders summarised the product development journey that the FinTech company has been on since the launch of South Africa’s most affordable card machine – the Yoco Go – late last year.  Yoco Go is…

Pick n Pay’s Smart Shoppers can now have their till receipts sent directly to their email instead of receiving a printed receipt. These will also be loaded onto customer’s PnP mobile app profile for 90 days so that they are conveniently saved in one place for easy access and review. Pick n Pay’s new Digital Receipts will be sent to a customer’s email or PnP app within minutes of completing their purchase at any Pick n Pay store, including Clothing, Liquor, and Express stores. This is another step in the retailer’s efforts to reduce unnecessary waste. Many till receipts land…

AURA, South Africa’s security and safety platform, has appointed Alon Lits as its Chairman with immediate effect. Previously General Manager for Uber sub-Saharan Africa, Lits brings with him decades of experience and aims to assist Aura CEO, Warren Myers, to maximise the opportunities that exist for the growing platform business. “In my seven-year tenure at Uber I have learnt some valuable lessons and I hope to share these with the Aura team, while helping them continue on their important journey of democratising access to security solutions and medical response across South Africa,” says Lits. With a career that began in…

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni, have retreated from their commitment to the “active scenario”, which lasted just 3 months, according to Geordin Hill-Lewis MP, DA Shadow Minister of Finance. Lewis was reacting to Mboweni’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) the Minister delivered in Parliament on Wednesday. Debt will not stabilise by 2023. In fact, it will continue to balloon to a massive 95% of GDP and will now only stabilise in 2025/26, with an extra R1 trillion in additional debt. “The ANC government has chosen to cut essential services to the public – like education and policing…

In an effort to stabilise the spiraling public sector wage bill, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has announced that National Treasury will propose a three-year wage freeze. The proposal is contained in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) the Minister delivered in Parliament on Wednesday. About R36.5 billion has been reduced from the compensation of employees, mainly from a freeze in salary increases. In supporting documents, Treasury said government proposes growth in the public service wage bill of 1.8% in the current year and average annual growth of 0.8% over the 2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period. “To achieve…

Stabilising government’s debt will come with difficult decisions, and the public sector wage bill is the main area where government will impose reductions aimed at returning public finances to a stable position. The National Treasury said this in its Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) on Wednesday, in which it proposes steps to reduce the fiscal deficit and stabilise the debt-to-GDP ratio over a five-year period. This as National Treasury looks to make spending reductions of R60 billion in 2021/22, R90 billion in 2022/23 and R150 billion in 2023/24 – mostly falling on compensation. “Large fiscal adjustments and an improving economic…

Nokia today announced that it is enabling ultra-fast 5G services for Vodacom South Africa’s customers by deploying its 5G radio, core and fixed network solutions across Vodacom’s network. Vodacom is using Nokia’s 2G, 3G, 4G and fibre access networks, as well as 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) and mobile broadband services. Nokia is supplying its AirScale, Fastmile and Subscriber Data Management (SDM) / Home Subscriber Server (HSS) products to Vodacom to enhance its service offering and deliver increased operational efficiencies. Nokia’s AirScale radio network product portfolio will enable Vodacom to deploy 5G services across several spectrum bands, including the new…

A syndicate of criminals posing as employees of vehicle-tracking companies is targeting these companies’ customers in a car-theft scam. The criminals claim that customers’ tracking devices need repairing, then set up appointments, where they attempt to steal vehicles. The syndicate is targeting high-value vehicles from all major tracking providers. Vehicle-tracking and fleet-management organisation Netstar has launched a multi-pronged strategy to combat the threat. Alerts have been sent to customers, staff and fitment centres, and investigations are underway. “We are conducting an inquiry to ensure customer information remains protected and to help apprehend suspects so that justice is served.” said Netstar’s…

IT services company Gijima, owned by Robert Gumede, has bought one of its main rivals T-Systems South Africa for an undisclosed amount. The transaction is pending Competition Commission approval. T-Systems South Africa, owned by T-Systems International, the IT services arm of German-based Deutsche Telekom, has been providing ICT networks, applications and systems to South African companies for over 20 years. This transaction is the result of T-Systems International’s strategic review of its global portfolio and its decision to refocus on its core markets in Europe and the Americas. The transaction will enable Gijima to have access to international IP, expertise…

Payment and merchant solutions provider, Dashpay, has partnered with South Africa’s biggest financial marketplace, Fincheck, to offer an array of on-demand personal finance facilities via hundreds of thousands of Newland point of sale smart terminals, in stores across South Africa. Dashpay’s Newland devices operate on the Android platform, which means that they are able to run a variety of applications, alongside the processing of traditional credit card purchases. The Fincheck app, which merchants can register for and download directly to the terminal, offers customers the opportunity to compare and apply for personal finance via the in-store terminal. Fincheck compares offers…

Aki Anastasiou, one of South Africa’s leading radio and TV personalities and avid tech lover, joins eNCA as the host of a brand-new technology and gaming show, TecHub. TecHub airs every week on Sundays from 1 November 2020 at 17:30. Anastasiou is a renowned technophile and is highly ranked among Tech speakers in the country. He plans to simplify and expose viewers to the exciting world of technology and gaming. Technology is a part of our daily lives and in the time of Covid-19, gaming and tech has outstripped the movie industry from an interest perspective. In terms of revenue,…

CDC, the UK’s development finance institution, has today announced a $40 million (R652 million) equity investment in Liquid Telecom, Africa’s largest independent fibre, data centre and cloud technology provider. This marks CDC’s second investment in the company, following a $180 million equity investment in 2018. CDC’s additional investment is made as part of Liquid Telecom’s wider fundraise where the company attracted $307 million through a rights issue to shareholders. CDC’s investment will enable Liquid Telecom to further expand its pan-African data centre operation business, Africa Data Centres, and consolidate its position as the leading data centre operator on the continent.…

Telkom has launched FreeMe Share Plans, a shared data plan that allows multiple SIMs to share a single data plan. The company said in a statement the new plans are a response to changes in work and education arrangements amid the COVID-19 pandemic increase in internet data usage for families and small businesses. The FreeMe Share data plan comes as 24-month post-paid contracts and include SIM-only or multiple-device combo options. According to Telkom, up to 10 SIM cards can share data, voice minutes, and SMS bundles with these contracts. The plans are available in 3 options, namely: FreeMe Share 36GB,…

DearSA attorneys Hurter Spies this week sent a letter [view below] to Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma asking her to provide reasons why she extended the lockdown earlier this month and to give an undertaking no further extensions will be given. She has also been asked to support her reasons with documents and expert evidence. The minister has been given until 30 October 2020 to reply, failing which DearSA says it will approach the High Court for relief. DearSA has run several public participation campaigns showing an overwhelming majority are against any further lockdowns. The letter to the minister…

In acknowledging Cybersecurity Awareness Month during October this year, leading peer-to-peer (P2P) cryptocurrency marketplace, Paxful, is highlighting the importance of security awareness amongst users when trading in digital currency. A recent report says illicit cryptocurrency activity accounted for just 2% of Africa’s roughly $16 billion trading volume from July 2019 to June 2020. The cryptocurrency sphere is not immune to opportunists with illicit intent, “In our experience, the majority of cryptocurrency transactions are safe. Despite this, risk management is top-of-mind for us to protect our customers and we have a dedicated team that focuses on risk assessment and security to…

South Africa’s most prestigious fintech R10 million startup initiative, AlphaCode Incubate, shares how to improve chances of accessing its support and unpacks the trends in the fintech incubation ecosystem. AlphaCode Incubate has disbursed R30 million in funding to 31 black-owned financial services businesses over the past five years and is currently accepting applications for its next programme which offers packages valued at R1,5 million for successful applicants. “We’re primarily seeing applicants aged 19 plus, those who are in their final year of tertiary education, as well as corporate refugees who have experience in financial services or tech. We have seen…

Navigating banking systems is almost always stressful and tediously litigious, and particularly true when it comes to applying for a home loan. Despite all their efforts, new home buyers are still not successful when applying for a bond independently. While bond originators take the hassle out of applying for a home loan and reduce the time it takes to be approved, they also give prospective buyers a way to ensure that they are offered the most favourable loan package and interest rate. Using a bond originator saves you time and paperwork and often means that the banks’ turnaround time is reduced, ensuring…

The New Yorker magazine has suspended staff writer Jeffrey Toobin after he exposed his penis during a virtual staff call last week over the messaging platform Zoom. Jeffrey Toobin has been suspended while we investigate the matter,” a spokesperson told The Washington Post. Vice.com first reported the suspension Monday afternoon. The magazine, which has employed Toobin since 1993, did not comment further about the nature of the incident or the length of the suspension. Earlier, the New York Post wrote: ‘One former staffer at the magazine said she believes his 25-year career will come to an end over the incident.’ “How do…

Prosus Ventures has announced its first investment in Mexico, leading a $15 million (R246 million) Series A funding round in Klar, a challenger bank in Mexico. Prosus Ventures, formerly Naspers Ventures, is the early-stage venture investing arm of Prosus, a global consumer internet group and one of the largest technology investors in the world. The company said other investors include International Finance Corporation and former investors Quona capital, who led Klar´s SEED round, Mouro Capital (formerly Santander Innoventures) and aCrew. The round brings the total debt and equity funds raised to approximately $72 million. Klar has been working to democratize financial services in Mexico since…

The U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit Tuesday against Google, alleging the search giant is engaging in anticompetitive and exclusionary practices in the search and search advertising markets to remedy the competitive harms. The department alleged that Google, a unit of Alphabet, is the monopoly gatekeeper to the internet for billions of users and countless advertisers worldwide. For years, Google has accounted for almost 90% of all search queries in the United States and has used anticompetitive tactics to maintain and extend its monopolies in search and search advertising. “Today, millions of Americans rely on the Internet and online…

The world’s first “robot lawyer” has gone from helping people dispute their parking tickets, to assisting lawyers with over a hundred different areas of consumer rights. With technology rapidly evolving, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a valuable tool for law firms to increase efficiency through automation. “Law firms have traditionally been slow to adapt to new technology, with many fearing that it will replace key roles within the legal profession. In reality, automation can be used to help lawyers save time and resources,” says Dries Cronje, founder of Deep Learning Café, a South African AI consulting company. Legal tech presents…