Author: Staff Writer

BMW South Africa, in line with its expanded electromobility offering in the country, announced on Wednesday the appointment of established service provider GridCars as its official Charge Point Operator, effective 1 September 2020. Responses from existing BMW i3 drivers were considered when the new three-year agreement with GridCars was decided. Enhanced customer experience and access to Gridcar’s extensive network were instrumental in securing the deal. There will, however, be a defined sign-up process for BMW customers who register on the GridCars portal with their new (or existing) RFID ChargeNow cards. Customers will be able to use one card for access…

Naspers announced on Wednesday an investment in the food service industry with a stake in the Food Supply Network (FSN). FSN is an independent business-to-business marketplace that integrates ordering systems of manufacturers, distributors, and buyers (restaurants, hotels and retailers) of food products. Naspers’s R1.4 billion early-stage tech investment vehicle aimed at boosting the South African tech sector.  “Naspers Foundry invests in early-stage and founder-led South African tech companies and we’re delighted to announce our backing of Food Supply Network,” Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO South Africa of Naspers, said. “It’s the third investment we’ve made through Naspers Foundry and we’re excited to…

President Cyril Ramaphosa will today chair two virtual meetings that will deliberate on the country’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic and the economic recovery plan. The first virtual meeting the President will chair is the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC). The council is co-chaired by the President and the Deputy President and brings together Ministers, Premiers and the leadership of the South African Local Government Association. The meeting is expected to deliberate on a report from the National Coronavirus Command Council on the country’s response to the pandemic. The second virtual meeting that the President will chair is the National Economic…

The 2021 new facelift of the famous Jaguar F-PACE is connected and electrified. The new F-PACE is available with the P400e PHEV powertrain as well as the latest four-cylinder and new in-line six-cylinder diesel Ingenium engines. All F-PACE models feature intelligent all-wheel drive and eight-speed automatic transmissions. When fully charged, the new P400e is capable of up to 53km of all-electric driving, enabling the new F-PACE PHEV to complete the average daily commute to and from work in EV mode without requiring a recharge. “The new F-PACE is dynamic and assertive with an elegant stance on the road – it…

Wide-open spaces are a great place to decompress after months of lockdown, and Knorhoek ticks all the boxes for the perfect country escape. Situated in the Knorhoek Valley just outside Stellenbosch next to Quoin Rock Wine Estate, easy accessibility makes this working farm the perfect choice for family outings. The allure of delicious farm-to-table dishes, and top Simonsberg wines are just part of the story.  Parents can enjoy lunch around the pool, or a picnic under a canopy of trees, while their children are free to explore rock pools, or expend their energy on a bouncy jumping castle. Nature abounds,…

Avon breaks all the rules with Far Away Rebel & Diva. The new launch is the next step in the glamorous bold journey of the perfume powerhouse Far Away, the company’s number one fragrance brand. The range has captured the hearts, minds and dreams of millions of women for over 20 years. Far Away Rebel & Diva was designed for the unapologetically fearless girls who can show the world they have proudly shed the ordinary to discover their true selves: the unstoppable spirit of fearless women. This powerful effect is achieved by the combination of contrasts and contradictions, resulting in…

Global streaming service Spotify is announcing Telkom South Africa as the first local sponsor of the Discover Weekly playlists for South African users. These sponsorship opportunities have recently expanded to additional markets across EMEA, including Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Turkey. Tailored for each of Spotify’s more than 299 million users every Monday, the Discover Weekly playlist is refreshed every week, and listeners love the weekly moment of musical discovery . Spotify’s fan-favourite Discover Weekly playlist, which this year celebrated its five-year anniversary globally and second-year anniversary in South Africa, helps Spotify users to discover new…

Every year Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, hosts a global student competition called Schneider Go Green. Students from around the globe are invited to submit their innovative and bold ideas on energy management and automation for a smarter and more sustainable future. The company announced the top eight teams on 10 August 2020. They will present their ideas and compete against each other during the finals on 10 September 2020. Showing the company’s deep commitment to diversity and inclusion, the 2900 submitted projects were chosen from Asia Pacific, North America, South America, China,…

Registrations open today for EXPLORE Data Science Academy’s (EDSA) 2021 intake of its 12-month fully-sponsored data science learnerships, starting January 11, 2021. For hundreds of successful candidates, this prized learnership is the ticket to a job in one of the most globally sought after careers, with an average starting salary of R400 000 a year. There are no restrictions to entry for the learnership, nor are formal qualifications required.  Applicants should be between 17 and 35 years of age and must pass a challenging aptitude test on the academy’s website. The EDSA has several hundred learnerships available at its campuses in Cape Town,…

MTN’s Mobile Money solution, MoMo, has launched some new functionalities aimed at assisting South Africans during challenging economic times. These include the new food vouchers functionality, and the option for users to make charitable donations to a range of reputable, vetted charity and faith-based organisations that are offering relief to those who need it the most. The food voucher service is designed to assist registered MoMo users, by removing the worry of giving cash to someone to purchase essential items – it could be a family member, neighbour, someone at work or a stranger in need. This new functionality enables…

Audi has utilised its brand partnership with South African Olympic runner and world record holder, Wayde van Niekerk, in a brand campaign which is titled #Lane8. The brand campaign is driven on social media and centres on Wayde’s historic victory at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, where he broke a 17 year old world record in the 400 metre sprint, from the eighth lane. The #Lane8 campaign is aimed at inspiring South Africans to strive for greatness and to overcome doubt and hardship no matter the challenge faced. The main video, which is part of this campaign is an…

Digital payments company Ozow, has launched the Ozow Revolution. According to the company, the Ozow Revolution is a visionary effort to make digital payments available to everyone and create greater opportunity to participate in the digital economy – especially for historically excluded communities that rely on costly and unsecure cash payments. Thomas Pays, CEO and co-founder of Ozow, says far too many consumers and businesses have been excluded from the benefits of the digital economy. “As an impact-driven and market-led company, Ozow is at the forefront of developing breakthrough payments products that enable greater financial and digital inclusion. While more than…

Huawei South Africa has announced the winning teams and individuals from the SA national finals round of its Global ICT Competition at an online awards webinar. Top honours went to Tshwane University of Technology and University of Venda, who claimed the First to Excellence Prize in the Network and Cloud streams. Instructors, Topside Ehleketani Mathonsi (from TUT) and Kudakwashe Madzima (from UNIVEN) also received individual awards for Excellent Instructor for First Half of 2020. Globally the Huawei ICT Competition 2019-2020 has covered over 70 countries worldwide, with 150 000 contestants from more than 2,000 universities and colleges. In South Africa,…

This past week, the national Department of Health (DoH) launched a COVID Alert SA App – in partnership with Discovery – to strengthen the existing contact tracing methods to help break the transmission of COVID-19 as South Africa seeks to prevent a resurgence of cases since the easing of restrictions to level two. Vodacom has zero-rated this App in a bid to reduce barriers of access and help the government in its fight to halt the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. This COVID Alert SA App is South Africa’s free exposure notification tool that lets people know when they have been…

Vodacom Group and the SADC Banking Association have signed a memorandum of understanding that will allow the Vodacom Group to join the South African Development Community’s Transactions Cleared on an Immediate Basis (TCIB) payment scheme. The TCIB payment scheme has been developed in cooperation with interested financial institutions by the  SADC Banking Association and is supported by the SADC Payment System Oversight Committee of the Committee of Central Bank Governors of Southern Africa. It aims to advance regional integration of payments on the African continent. Earlier this year, the World Bank projected that global remittances – payments made for either…

Vodafone Foundation is committing $28 million (R474 million) to expand its m-mama ‘ambulance taxi’ programme beyond Tanzania. The programme will initially expand to Lesotho, with a co-investment of $4.5 million (R76 million) by the foundation and the Government of Lesotho to introduce m-mama across the country through the Ministry of Health. Lesotho has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world, and the programme could potentially save 200 lives over the next four years alone. “Vodafone Foundation shares the commitment of the Government of Lesotho to reduce maternal mortality and contribute to the UN’s health goal,” Joakim…

In a bold industry move, Cash Crusaders – leaders in second hand, quality new goods and secure loans, has built and launched Click & Collect – the first instalment in taking their retail business online. “Although we’ve been planning the launch of e-commerce for our business for a while, COVID-19 rapidly increased the rate in which we rolled the service out,” says Sean Stegmann, CEO of Cash Crusaders Franchising. “As discussed in our recent 702’s Franchising for Future Success webinar, with shopper behaviours changing somewhat, the timing was perfect for us to aggressively embrace our digitisation strategy. We started with…

Global studies show that young people are capable of contributing to the economy by working, starting businesses and leading organisations, yet far too many do not have access to the opportunities they need to reach their full potential. According to the  UN World Youth Report, over 71 million young people are unemployed, and many more millions are in precarious or informal work. The stats also show that 156 million young people in low-and-middle-income countries are living in poverty even though they are employed. We can evidently see this in Africa in the high number of young people who are unemployed and…

Heading out of a long, cold winter, South African households will soon be thinking about reflecting heat instead of retaining warmth. While the country’s energy supply continues to fall short, the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) looks forward to continuing its rollout of an energy-efficient cooling solution – known as ‘cool roofs’. Cool roofing simply involves the coating of roofs with a durable, reflective membrane which reflects the heat of the sun. It is inexpensive and highly effective passive energy, low-tech cooling intervention. SANEDI is one of ten global teams awarded a $100 000 grant by the Million…

Banks in Africa must provide mobile payments and other digital services to remain competitive as well as to unlock new business opportunities across sectors such as energy, health care, education and transportation, according to a new report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) titled Five Strategies for Mobile-Payment Banking in Africa. Although many African banks have little direct experience with mobile payments, it represents a must-win opportunity for these institutions on the continent because technology companies outside of Africa will capture the market if African banks fail to provide these services. “The estimated market in facilitating payments alone is $500 billion.…

Cash may have traditionally been king, but COVID-19 has contributed to a faster pace of digital payment adoption. Recently on AlphaCode’s monthly Industry Insights webinar, two global FinTech players discussed the emergence of a plethora of digital payments and debated if cash is on its way out. Omosalewa Adeyemi, Head of Global Partnerships and Expansion at Flutterwave (a technology company that helps businesses in Africa and across the world send and receive payments) and Nicolas Vonthron, co-CEO of Mama Money (a rapidly growing international payment operator using mobile technology to reach new markets and underserved communities with a key focus…

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) wishes to inform all stakeholders of the passing of former Councillor Botlenyana Mokhele yesterday. Mokhele joined ICASA as a Councillor on the 4th of April 2016 and left the office on the 10th of June 2020, upon the end of her four (4) year term. She was not new to ICASA when she joined in 2016, as she had served at the former Independent Broadcasting Authority (ICASA’s predecessor), ICASA’s Policy Department and the Department of Communications, to name but a few. The regulator said it is indeed grateful to have had Ms…

Telkom has welcomed the Independent Communication Authority’s announcement that it will release the Invitation to Apply (ITA) for both Wireless Open Access Network (WOAN) and the International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT) spectrum by the end of September. Telkom Group Chief Executive Officer, Sipho Maseko has welcomed the move as the kind of decisive action needed to drive South Africa’s economic recovery. Maseko commended the approach taken by the new ICASA council to issue both ITAs simultaneously as a considered and pragmatic approach to the spectrum release process. “We are looking forward to seeing innovation in auction design by the new council,”…

Today, local data science competition platform Zindi launched its new recruitment platform  to help organisations around the world find the data science talent they need. Zindi will draw on its community of more than 18 000 data scientists across Africa and the rest of the world to match companies and organisations with the right talent for the job at hand. “Zindi has the largest community of data scientists in Africa, which makes us uniquely positioned to help organisations find the talent they are looking for,” says Celina Lee, CEO of Zindi. “We are proud to be pioneering a data-driven, evidence-based…

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says to ensure that matriculants are not compromised by the late release of the Grade 12 results, Universities South Africa has agreed to extend the academic year to the end of February 2021. Universities are expected to start their 2021 academic year in March or April next year. This, Motshekga said, will ensure that students will still be able to get admitted to institutions of higher learning on time. The Minister said this when Ministers in the Social Services Cluster responded to oral questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday. “On 24 August this year,…