Author: Staff Writer

The country’s communications watchdog has issued the final Invitation To Apply (ITA) in respect of the licensing process for the International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum, also known as the high-demand spectrum. ICASA said the ITA will be published in the Government Gazette today. The publication of the ITA follows a period of over three months of consultation undertaken by the Authority through the publication of the first and second Information Memorandum (IM) on 1 October 2021 and 15 November 2021 respectively. The consultative process was premised on the truncated timetable outlined by ICASA in terms of a notice published on…

BYJU’S, the most valuable EdTech company in the world with 115 million students on its learning platform, has announced the acquisition of Austria-headquartered GeoGebra. This acquisition complements India’s BYJU’S overall product strategy and integrates GeoGebra’s capabilities to enable the creation of new product offerings and learning formats to its existing mathematics portfolio. It furthers BYJU’S aim to make math more engaging, leading to better learning outcomes. This synergy of two like-minded companies will bring comprehensive, personalised and immersive learning experiences to all students, the company said. GeoGebra will continue to operate as an independent unit within the BYJU’S group under…

Dynamite comes in small packages, so they say – and it’s certainly true of this small package. Open it up and inside you will find the brand-new Huawei FreeBuds Lipstick, a pair of earphones of unparalleled style and quality that are sure to blow you away. Created at Huawei’s aesthetic research centre in Paris, the Huawei FreeBuds Lipstick is designed to look exactly like a stick of lipstick. Its exquisite workmanship makes a true fashion statement and signifies a new trend in ultra-chic design. Huawei FreeBuds Lipstick comes in a luxury-grade stainless steel body that uses sophisticated production processes to…

Discovery Bank and Vitality Money clients spent 600 million Discovery Miles, adding up to R100 million in purchases, this November, according to the CEO of Discovery Vitality. Discovery Bank extended its Discovery Miles Đ-Day, held on the 15th of every month, to include the full Black Friday weekend from 26 to 28 November. Miles Đ-Day is an opportunity for Discovery Bank and Vitality Money clients to get up to 40% off when spending their Discovery Miles in-store or online at partners – giving clients unprecedented discounts. “We’re pleased that our clients spent significantly at our partner stores, which was valuable economically.…

Volvo Cars has invested in the optical and imaging technology start-up Spectralics through the Volvo Cars Tech Fund, the company’s venture capital investment arm. The investment gives Volvo Cars access to promising technology at an early stage of development that could contribute to making cars safer and revolutionise in-car user experience. Coming from a background in aerospace technology development, Israel-based Spectralics creates state-of-the-art imaging and optical infrastructure spanning materials, hardware and software, enabling a wide variety of advanced optical capabilities. One of the company’s core solutions is the multi-layered thin combiner (MLTC) which is a new type of thin optics…

Entersekt, a global payment security company headquartered in Cape Town, today announced a strategic investment from Accel-KKR, a technology-focused private equity firm. The investment will enable Entersekt to accelerate its roadmap and fuel expansion into new markets. Rand Merchant Investment Holdings through AlphaCode, RMI’s incubator for fintech entrepreneurs has led two previous fundraising rounds and remains a significant investor. “We are very excited to have Accel-KKR on board. The industry is experiencing a wave of innovation in areas like omnichannel and passwordless authentication, 3-D Secure and open banking, all of which are strategic focus areas for Entersekt. The investment from Accel-KKR…

Global supply-chain disruptions could remain high until H2 2022 amid renewed COVID-19 outbreaks around the world, China’s sustained zero-COVID policy and demand and logistic volatility during Chinese New Year, trade credit insurer Euler Hermes said in a new report on Thursday. Nevertheless, the trade credit insurer expects trade growth to remain strong through 2022 and 2023, with some clear winners across regions and sectors, according to Euler Hermes’ Global Trade Report. Global supply-chain disruptions will remain high until H2 2022 After exceptionally strong performance since H2 2020, global trade of goods contracted in Q3, especially in advanced and emerging economies.…

South Africa’s retail giant Shoprite announced today it has appointed Paul Norman and Dawn Marole as independent non-executive directors of the board. Their appointment is effective 4 March 2022. “The Shoprite Holdings board welcomes Dawn and Paul and looks forward to their valued contribution to the Group,” the retailer informed investors. Marole holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting), Diploma in Tertiary Education and an MBA. She is an experienced corporate executive and human resources director and currently Executive Chairman of Executive Magic. In addition, Marole is an experienced non-executive director (NED) having served on various boards over the past decade…

Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE) today announced that Sandile Dube has been appointed as acting managing director for HPE in South Africa, effective 1st January, 2022. Sandile’s predecessor, President Ntuli, has been promoted to a pan-regional role as Director of HPE GreenLake Cloud Services across the UK, Ireland, Middle East and South Africa (UKIMESA) region. “It is a great privilege to be given an opportunity to lead Hewlett Packard Enterprise in South Africa, during an important time in our history,” said Dube. “The South African team has shown great resilience to overcome challenges during the past year and are excelling as…

MTN Group today announced the appointment of Hermann Tischendorf as our Chief Technology & Information Officer for Digital and Fintech. “We are delighted to have a seasoned executive of Hermann’s calibre joining our growing DigiFin team,” says MTN Group Chief Digital and Fintech Officer Serigne Dioum. “He brings the skills and experience that will accelerate innovative digital and fintech advancements in line with our strategic intent of leading digital solutions for Africa progress.” Hermann joins from 4Finance Group, where he was Chief Technology Officer. He has 30 years of experience in the financial services sector, where he has occupied numerous…