Author: Staff Writer
BMW is finally going to start integrating Android Auto into its cars, the German-based automaker said. The automaker is finally introducing Android Auto to its cars as of July 2020. Android Auto will allow customers to connect their Android smartphones wirelessly with their vehicle and, in doing so, enjoy access to useful information like suggested destinations and upcoming appointments just when it is needed. Android Auto is integrated directly into BMW’s fully digital cockpit, meaning that customers can view all important information not just on the central Control Display, but also in intelligently adapted form in the instrument cluster’s Info…
Following the launch of Mara’s smartphone factory in October, Vodacom announces that Mara smartphones will be available from Vodacom participating outlets from today. “Vodacom is proud to offer the ‘Made in Africa’ Mara smartphones to our customers, not only because it provides South Africans with the opportunity to connect to the things that matter most to them, but also because this supports our commitment to African innovation,” says Davide Tacchino, Terminals Managing Executive at Vodacom. “Vodacom believes that the journey into the Fourth Industrial Revolution begins with investment that leads to growth. Our end-goal is to connect all South Africans to…
The Sun Exchange equity crowdfunding campaign launched in September in partnership with Uprise.Africa, has officially come to a close. Sun Exchange, a global solar micro-leasing marketplace, said in a statement is delighted to report that over R4.2 million was invested by 288 individuals from across the world. “We’re thrilled that this community of new investors will be joining Sun Exchange on our mission to connect the world to the sun, bringing affordable and clean energy to emerging markets,” said the company. The Uprise.Africa campaign formed part of our seed funding round. To date, with the success of this latest campaign, we’ve now raised…
For nearly two decades, Africa has largely maintained real gross domestic product (GDP) growth at higher rates than the world average, which helped the region stay on a convergence path. GDP growth was mainly supported by buoyant domestic demand and investment. However, given the high population growth in most of parts of the continent, GDP per capita growth rates were modest. Unleashing the potential of the private sector is needed to create new and better jobs—the most promising pathway to poverty reduction, according to International Finance Corporation (IFC). “Transformational entrepreneurship could be at the heart of the emergence of a…
JSE-listed technology company Altron, through its Rest of Africa (ROA) operations, has partnered with Pascal Technologies to provide a seamless and integrated payment system for motorcycle public transport services in Rwanda. In terms of the deal, Altron is supplying the infrastructure comprising of payment terminals, GPS devices and mounting units, while Pascal Technologies is supplying the software application that enables mobile money transfers and tap-and-pay payments. The terminal enables payments while the GPS device calculates distance and the fee payable by motorcycle passengers. Altron ROA managing director Ike Dube said, “We will supply hard-wearing, cost-effective devices, while Pascal Technologies will provide…
A windfall of beauty and personal care products is in the offing for Avon Justine customers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and customers will have an opportunity to get discounts of up to a whopping 75% for Avon products between Friday, 27 and Saturday, 30 November. These mouth-watering deals which will enable Avon Justine customers to derive great value and augment their bouquet of personal care products at a fraction of the cost. This four-day bargain frenzy will also provide its beauty entrepreneurs with the opportunity to sell bigger volumes and provide more for their families this festive season.…
South African mobile data network operator, rain has launched its intelligent 5G transport network in partnership with Huawei. Transport networks can be thought of as the “neural networks” that connect core networks to services. rain’s CTO Gustav Schoeman says, “With Huawei’s E2E solutions and new products, our first 5G users can experience 5G ultra-high speed broadband service at home. Rain will further strengthen its partnership with Huawei in 5G network innovation and practice to offer a top service experience to users.” In terms of 5G transport network construction, Huawei’s embraces the concepts of “ultra-broadband network”, “intelligent connectivity”, and “committed high…
New and existing MTN customers are in for big deals this Black Friday with a number of huge savings lined up for prepaid, contract and business customers. For a monthly subscription of as little as R199 on selected Made for Me packages, customers will receive up to 300GB and 60 000 minutes over six months on 24-month contract plans. “MTN will be running Black Friday promotions from the 29th of November and over the weekend until Monday, 2 December 2019. This gives us the opportunity to reward our customers with fantastic deals that will offer great value for money. As…
Clientèle Limited has officially announced the launch of Clientèle Mobile. Clientèle Mobile will offer data and airtime at discounted rates for Clientèle Rewards members through the Clientèle App. Its SIM cards are available to purchase at a cost of R30. Each Clientèle Mobile SIM card comes with 100MB of free data on activation. Clientèle Rewards members receive an additional 100MB after the first Rewards fee payment and another 100MB after the second Rewards fee payment. Clientèle Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service offered through a leading network provider. Clientèle Mobile pricing offers Clientèle Rewards members up to…
Today, MTN’s Zakhele-Futhi’s empowerment scheme listed on the Empowerment Segment of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). MTN’s previous scheme, MTN Zakhele, listed on the JSE in 2015, but delisted in the next year as the scheme was wound up. The newly listed MTN’s Zakhele-Futhi will be listed for a minimum period of five years, until 25 November 2024. MTN’s Zakhele-Futh is a ring-fenced special purpose vehicle aimed at facilitating investment by previously disadvantaged South Africans in MTN Group (MTN). It holds about 77 million shares in MTN, amounting to 4% of MTN’s issued share capital. It also has about 89…
South Africa’s first online business lender specialising in small to medium enterprises is forging ahead in the financial technology space, hitting the R1-billion mark in just four years. Pollen Finance has lent over R1-billion to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) since it was established in 2015. CEO Louis du Plessis believes Pollen has barely scratched the surface when it comes to the funding requirements of South Africa’s vitally important SME sector. “What does a billion rand mean in our local economy? It means more SMEs are driving the economy,” he said. To start, a billion rand invested in the economy…
Public Display Technologies (PDT), a South African technology and communications company, focused on the delivery of turnkey solutions, has snapped up three awards for their work with Holographic 3D displays – delivered in partnership with HYPERVSN. The accolades were awarded at the tt100 Business Innovation Awards program, which was launched in 1991 to create an awareness of the role of technology and innovation in South Africa. PDT received the following awards: The Da Vinci Award for Best Innovation Concept The MTN Award for Excellence in the Management of Innovation The Greg Tosen Award for Excellence in the Management of Technology. “The…
Checkers has launched its exclusive on-demand one-hour grocery delivery service named Sixty60. It is South Africa’s first 60-minute grocery delivery service from a supermarket chain, as Checkers relentlessly innovates to respond to customers’ demands for hyper-convenience. The mobile app delivers groceries and drinks at the touch of a button and offers the same value for money for which Checkers is renowned. Users can track the status of their order and delivery in real-time. “Sixty60 will offer unrivalled convenience because it does all the hard work for you,” explains Neil Schreuder, Chief of Innovation and Strategy at Shoprite Checkers. “In our…
Avon Justine’s employer value proposition has once again been affirmed after the Top Employers Institute conferred the company with the much-sought-after Top Employer 2020 award. This is the third consecutive time the direct selling company has been awarded this coveted accolade and highlights its continued commitment to providing the very best working environment for employees through their progressive ‘people-first’ HR practices. “We are proud to once again be recognised as a Top Employer in South Africa. This is a testament that our employee-focused approach in line with our business strategy is paying a dividend” says Lerato Ndoro, HR Executive Director…
SA’s Wireless Application Service Providers’ Association is advising smartphone users alarmed by the ‘deepfake’ phenomenon that the expected promulgation of South Africa’s Cybercrimes and Cyberbullying Bill is imminent. Furthermore, there are practical ways web users can protect themselves from the growing trend to bully, shame and otherwise digitally harm people by overlaying their images onto unrelated photos and videos to concoct an untrue and alternative version of reality. In this fake reality made possible by ‘deep’ machine learning, reputations are destroyed and self-harm becomes a real possibility. “Local legislation offers some protection but with deepfake videos increasing by 84% since…
Seedstars World, the largest startup competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup scenes is coming to South Africa for the 7th time, to hold 2 dynamic pitch events this time: 21st November 2019 at 4:00 pm in Cape Town, with the support of the local host Seedspace Capetown, 8 Spin Street Cape Town CBD. 28th November 2019, at 3:00 pm in Johannesburg at JoziHub, 44 Stanley Ave, Milpark, Johannesburg. After careful screening, the Seedstars team will shortlist up to 10 Startups per city of the best seed-stage startups in each city to give a 3 minutes pitch in English, in…
MTN today announced the first two winners of the MTN CakeCrush competition launched in October this year. As part of MTN’s big 25th birthday celebrations this summer, the competition gives customers a chance to win one of 25 VW Polo Vivos and their share of millions more in prizes. Ntombizamabele Oscarina Maganga from Kokstad, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Andile Angelo Manci from Bhizane, Eastern Cape are the two lucky winners of the VW Polo Vivos. The new cars are a fantastic festive season gifts for Ntombizamabele and Andile who are looking forward to many happy miles, road trips and brighter adventures…
Summer’s here and school holidays are upon us. “Millions of young South Africans will soon be experiencing the lazy, hazy days of summer and with them, plenty of free time to surf both the sea and the web,” says André van der Walt, chair of SA’s Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA). With smartphone penetration well over the 100% mark, it’s clear that many South African families now have multiple devices in the home. Unfortunately, coupled with the convenience of always-on connectivity is the constant threat of unsavoury web content. Good news for parents in the run-up to the summer holidays…
The limited fastest Mini ever has been revealed and is known as the MINI John Cooper Works GP. The new car packs more power and some serious aero. The MINI John Cooper Works GP name has been used by the BMW-owned brand in the past and embodies maximum performance and uncompromising dynamics. It follows on from the likewise limited-edition John Cooper Works GP small series of 2013 and 2006. This model is limited to just 3,000 units. The MINI John Cooper Works GP distils the racing essence of the modern MINI. Classic MINI icons such as the elliptical headlights and…
It is not enough for business to simply stick to the fundamental products and services they have always offered. In the digital age it’s disrupt or die. Caption: Lu Baoqiang, Vice President of Huawei Southern Africa Region According to the IDC, digital transformation is essential for an organisation to adapt quickly to changing markets. Business opportunities are fleeting, the IDC said, and if your business does not have the agility to seize them, your competition will. The IDC said that digitally transformed organisations can react quickly to changing market dynamics, and adapt their strategies quickly and on-demand. Companies that are…
IBM, American Cancer Society (ACS), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), today announced a new alliance to help improve access to high-quality cancer care and treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa called Allied Against Cancer. The Alliance will support a network of African oncology experts and technical assistance partners to help improve the quality of cancer care, including collaborating closely with the African Cancer Coalition to establish priorities and execute these initiatives locally. There are more than 800,000 new cancer cases each year in Sub-Saharan Africa and incidence is projected to double by 2040. And…
MTN South Africa announced on Monday morning that it has signed a new long-form roaming and services agreement with Cell C, subject to certain conditions precedent. In May 2018, Cell C signed its first roaming agreement with MTN, providing Cell C with 2G, 3G and 4G roaming services on MTN’s network in select areas of South Africa. The new agreement will see this access expanded to enable Cell C to roam on MTN’s network in all areas of the country. This is aligned to MTN’s strategy to further develop the group’s wholesale business and will allow both MTN and Cell…
Luno’s CEO Marcus Swanepoel, speaking at AfricaCom 2019, has outlined how the implementation and use of cryptocurrencies will be an important part of Africa’s future. Luno can see that as cryptocurrencies develop over the next ten years, they can become part of everyone’s lives, solving many of the issues currently associated with existing fiat currencies. Commenting after his keynote at AfricaCom, Swanepoel said: “Cryptocurrencies are on a growth path which can help solve the fundamental problems of the existing monetary system, which in many parts of Africa is not fit for purpose. At the moment we tend to hear about…
Safaricom and Huawei have jointly received the prestigious Most Innovative Service “the Business of Tomorrow” award at AfricaCom 2019 in Cape Town. Safaricom and Huawei Executives at AfricaCom 2019, winners of “Most Innovative Service” Award. George Njuguna, IT Director, Safaricom (Left) and Stanley Shen, Director Safaricom KAD at Huawei Kenya (right) This award recognizes the two companies for offering the new revolutionary Mobile Money Overdraft service, known as “Fuliza”. This service enables users with insufficient funds in their M-PESA accounts to borrow money to complete their M-PESA transactions. The service was officially launched in January 2019 and has been gaining…
Dale Capital, a Mauritian-listed private equity investment holding company, has completed its inward listing on the ZAR X stock exchange. The firm said this listing will enable South Africans to invest in a growing group with an attractive return in a tax-effective jurisdiction. Dale Capital wishes to raise $2 million (about R30 million post the listing), says Norman Noland, founder and CEO of Dale Capital. “By enabling participation for South African investors through this inward listing, we are diversifying the group’s capital base, improving liquidity for existing shareholders, and providing a diversified investment spread for investors as a result of…