Author: Staff Writer

FlexClub, the innovative global vehicle subscription marketplace, has partnered with the sole distributor of Bajaj Auto in South Africa, to offer motorcycle subscriptions to individuals and businesses in South Africa. The partnership means that safe, reliable and highly economical vehicles are now accessible and affordable for the many thousands of independent delivery drivers in South Africa. According to Darren Venter, Head of Operations in South Africa at FlexClub, the fuel-efficient 125cc Bajaj CT motorcycles are a compelling and economical transport option for independent couriers who contract for food and goods delivery companies like Uber Eats, Mr D, Bolt, OneCart, Checkers,…

A new artificial intelligence (AI) platform has been unveiled by Telkom, in collaboration with Enlabeler, which could have a far-reaching impact on the education, health and business sectors. The new AI platform translates speech into text from English and local languages. It has a unique ability to interpret South African accents. The platform, izwe.ai, has been officially launched at the AI Expo Africa 2021, the largest business-focused Artificial Intelligence, Robotic Process Automation and 4IR trade event in Africa, running from September 7-9. Izwe.ai offers transcription and translation across a range of languages, as well as a number of text classification…

For the first time in South Africa, car buyers can enjoy a complete end-to-end digital vehicle shopping experience, saving them vast amounts of time and energy, through the new Avo virtual vehicle mall feature. This is the latest in the evolution of the super app, Avo by Nedbank, which was launched in May 2020, changing the way people interact with e-commerce. ‘While there are already quite a few websites and aggregators where people can browse vehicles, the existing options are still very limited,’ says Julie Vetter, Avo Executive at Nedbank. ‘While these online portals are offered to a client to…

Wits University today invited Africa’s research community to join its newly formed AI Africa Consortium which aims to develop a collaborative network focussed on the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and the application of AI in research and innovation. Addressing the virtual opening of AI Expo Africa 2021, the largest business-focused AI event in Africa, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits University, announced the ambitious partnership, saying AI and machine learning (ML) “offers huge opportunities for development and progress in Africa”. “For us to fully participate in the 21st Century, we must use this ‘scientific renaissance’ to drive…

Forge Academy, South Africa’s first fully inclusive artificial intelligence laboratory, is offering 33 interns the opportunity of a lifetime. Selected interns will grow their digital skillsets and gain valuable experience in the 4IR disciplines of software development, user experience (UX) design, 3D graphics, game design and much more. The internship programme, which is sponsored by Nokia, will begin with selected applicants completing a four-week evaluation bootcamp. From this bootcamp, the final 33 interns will be chosen to work at Forge Academy for a 12-month period. Each student will have an accredited qualification to assist in securing career opportunities. Interns will…

The headwinds and economic strain of the past 18 months have left many businesses with little option but to evaluate costs. However, a recent PwC report states that while 52 percent of companies plan to curb or defer investments, only 9 percent will make those cuts in digital transformation. “Clearly, effective processes, combined with strong risk discipline and using FinOps to optimise cloud costs is more important than ever before. Managing through turbulence and disruption has become an essential skill for CIOs and IT decision makers,” notes Marilyn Moodley, Country Leader for South Africa and WECA (West, East, Central Africa)…

Xiaomi’s new Air Fryer, the Mi Smart Air Fryer 3.5L, is now available in South Africa and will initially be sold exclusively on Mobile in Africa’s ecommerce store. The smart product connects over Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi and is supported by the Mi Home App. It also works with Google Assistant and Alexa. According to Google Trends, which tracks popular search data, air fryer related queries grew by more than 5,000% in South Africa over the past twelve months. What’s more, in 2020, there was a 57% increase in people talking about healthy living on social channels over the previous year. Globally, the…

Jaguar South Africa is celebrating World EV Day on 9 September by giving away special one-on-one all-electric I-PACE driving experiences to ten lucky winners of an EV-themed quiz to be hosted on its Facebook page. Be warned, this is not your average social media-style quiz designed for maximum engagement with quickfire, easy-to-answer questions. Contestants will need some genuine interest in electric vehicles, the future of mobility and all-electric Formula E motorsport to succeed and scoop the prizes.  The quiz will run over seven consecutive days, with one question published per day, beginning on World EV Day on 9 September. To qualify…

M-Pesa has reached 50 million monthly active customers, cementing its position as Africa’s largest FinTech platform. Launched more than 14 years ago in Kenya, M-Pesa is today available in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Ghana and Egypt. The number of active M-Pesa customers has doubled in the past five years. The milestone also comes just 18 months after Safaricom and Vodacom launched the M-Pesa Africa joint venture to accelerate growth of the service across the continent. M-Pesa Africa has been delivering digital platforms as part of its focus to be the largest fintech and digital ecosystem…

Effective today, Pick n Pay Clothing fashion ranges will be available for purchase on Zando, extending accessibility beyond its physical stores across the country and online at www.pnpclothing.co.za. “Pick n Pay Clothing customers will have more access to our clothing ranges through Zando, and we look forward to welcoming new customers who we know will enjoy the quality and affordable pieces of highly desirable fashion that we offer,” says Hazel Pillay: GM Pick n Pay Clothing. Through Zando, which is well-established in online fashion and clothing retail, Pick n Pay will be able to diversify its customer base, reaching more…