Author: Staff Writer

Specialist technology solutions provider iOCO has expanded its international presence in the UK and Europe in order to better service its customers in the region. Africa’s largest IT service provider, iOCO has decades of experience working with many of the world’s leading organisations, enabling them to gain the full benefits offered by new technologies. Boasting an extensive team of specialists and strategic partnerships with global technology leaders, iOCO provides a personalised approach backed by a multi-national team of experts. This move is in line with iOCO’s strategic digital expansion over the past few years, with the organisation continually enhancing its…

Ithala Bank and FinTech startup Black Pay have created a partnership aimed at financing township and rural development across the country. The alliance, valued at $15 million or R250 million, will finance township and rural development through home loans, backyard flats, and taxi and vehicle credit while prioritising women and young people. Dr Thulani Vilakazi, CEO of Ithala SOC Limited, said Black Pay will provide all the support Ithala’s clients need to help them in obtaining a loan and to ensure the process runs smoothly. “We recognise that a significant part of our work should be the improvement of the…

Catalytic, part of AltX-listed TeleMasters, has launched uncapped voice bundles to the South African market, taking monthly business call costs down to as little as R99 per user. Catalytic CEO Jaco Voigt says various packages have been made available to existing customers and are now available to the broader market to make the costs of voice calls one less thing for local businesses to worry about. The uncapped voice packages start at R99 per user per month and cover all business calls to fixed-line and mobile numbers in South Africa from 08:00 to 18:00 daily. Without lengthy contracts, the Catalytic…

Virtual Assessment Centre and Data Aggregation Platform, SimplyMustard, has partnered with Junior Mining Association (JMA) to provide a range of best-in-class cognitive, behavioural, technical, and developmental assessments. This will be available through SimplyMustaPlatform, which will both support and empower the junior mining sector and its members. It will also facilitate growth. The SimplyMustard Virtual Assessment centre offers a fully functional digital solution that simulates a traditional assessment process by assessing candidates’ skills and behaviours in a controlled environment, thus enabling better decisions about recruiting, developing, and optimising a business or organization’s talent pool. “We are delighted to partner with JMA…

A major development arising from the changing world of work over the past year and a half is the growth in the gig worker economy – that is, professionals who don’t necessarily get employed full-time at a company but sell their time and expertise to multiple clients as consultants. In the past, permanent employment was, for the most part, the sought-after norm, but in recent years – even before the pandemic hit – young people increasingly sought more flexibility in the workplace. This trend was predicted by the World Economic Forum in its Future of Jobs Report of 2018 and…

Telkom Mobile today launched eSIM support for its customers. eSIM is a digital Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) that allows customers to activate a tariff plan from Telkom without having to use a physical SIM. It is an integrated SIM that is built into devices and cannot be removed, unlike a traditional SIM. “Historically, most of our customers have used traditional card Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs). These enable Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to identify a user and then to authenticate that the user is serviced by that MNO,” explained Andrew Dawson, Executive: Product Portfolio Management. “Going forward, Telkom will support eSIM…

As the prevalence of digital fraud attempts on businesses and consumers continues to rise, TransUnion’s newest quarterly analysis found that fraudsters in South Africa are re-focusing their efforts from financial services to gambling, travel and leisure and communities industries. Across all industries, the rate of suspected digital fraud attempts rose 16.5% globally when comparing Q2 2021 to Q2 2020. Gaming and travel and leisure were the two most impacted industries globally for the suspected digital fraud attempt rate, rising 393.0% and 155.9% respectively when comparing the two periods. For transactions coming from South Africa, the overall percentage of digital fraud…

Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit is going public via a merger with a special purpose acquisitions company (SPAC), the company announced on Monday. The company will be valued at $3.2 billion or R48.5 billion. The deal provides Virgin Orbit with $483 million or R7.3 billion in cash at close to help ramp up “rocket manufacturing to meet customer demand, and to fund growth in its space solutions business and Virgin Orbit’s ongoing product development initiatives. Virgin Orbit has developed proprietary air-launch technology, coupled with world-class manufacturing infrastructure and a proven team to transform space access for a diverse and global customer…

South African innovation catalyst and investment platform, Innovation Edge, has launched a call for bold solutions to increase positive involvement by South African fathers and father figures in the early years of their children’s lives. Selected applicants will be supported to pitch their solutions to the Innovation Edge Investment Committee. Successful ventures will receive up to R1.3 million each in grant funding, strategic coaching, customised operational support and connections to social capital. The deadline for submissions is 30 September 2021. Research[1] shows that when a child has an active and positive father or father figure in their lives, they benefit in…

Telkom’s ongoing innovation focus has seen the organisation training and hiring dozens of data scientists across its operations, applying the power of data to solve organisational and societal problems – revolutionising efficiencies at the telco, and boosting the services it can offer clients. Women data scientists are at the vanguard of this drive, bringing their skills to bear on the diversified company’s innovative, digital-first focus. The data science revolution has also been an opportunity to drive Telkom’s Female Leadership Development Programme (FLDP), creating opportunities for dozens of women across the organisation with wide experience across adjacent sectors. Ops specialist: data…