Author: Staff Writer

Vodacom’s zero-rated ConnectU platform, designed to provide South Africans with free access to information and life-changing online resources, has grown exponentially, with over 34 million unique users accessing the platform over the past two years. This equates to an average of 3.5 million new unique users’ month-on-month. Boosting Education, Jobs, Social, Health, Safety & Security, Government, and Small, Medium, and Micro-sized Enterprises (SMME) pillars, ConnectU is helping millions of South Africans, with Jobs, Health and Education ranking as the top three visited pillars for users. The Education pillar provides zero-rated access to universities, TVET Colleges, Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, Vodacom’s…

SweepSouth, an online home services platform with presence across Africa, today announced that it has completed an US$11m investment round led by Alitheia IDF (AIF), Africa’s first and largest gender-lens private equity fund. The size of the round, which is SweepSouth’s largest to date, is a result of strong growth in the company’s valuation and social impact since the previous funding round. Current investors Naspers Foundry, The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and Futuregrowth Asset Management all committed to participate in this new round, as did new investors Endeavor Catalyst, Endeavor’s Harvest Fund II, Caruso Ventures, and E4E Africa. Co-founded…

Forge Academy & Labs is looking to enrol 15 youths for their newly launched 5G Certification and Cloud Practitioner programme in partnership with MICT SETA. The programme will lay the foundations for critical 5G and CLOUD computing skills in high demand in the ICT sector. Forge Academy & Labs recently partnered with MICT SETA and signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will offer students the following: Accredited 5G and cloud computing skills training Ecosystem building Workforce development programmes Public policy The ‘short skills’ programme, designed by Forge in collaboration with Nokia Bell Labs and AWS, begins on 15 October…

The Shoprite Group now helps its suppliers with access to funding at the most affordable rates with the launch of a new supply chain finance product.   The CredX finance product, which is often cheaper than bank financing, is available to all of the Group’s suppliers and is expected to assist especially SMMEs, for whom cash flow constraints and access to affordable funding are significant business growth obstacles in South Africa. The benefits include:   An affordable financing product from a trusted business with an all-inclusive interest rate and no additional fees;  100% of invoice value available for financing;  No further on-boarding requirements as the…

Vodacom has launched the YouTube ‘Buy & Get’ promotion which gives customers free YouTube data for simply buying a qualifying 7-day or 30-day data bundle. For instance, a qualifying 7-day or 30-day 1GB data bundle, will give a customer 500MB YouTube bundle (valid for 7 days) tagged-on for free, whereas a 2GB data bundle at R149 will give a customer a free 1GB YouTube bundle valid for 30 days. In addition to this YouTube ‘Buy & Get’ promotion, customers are now also able to purchase ‘Double Your Data’ YouTube social bundles, which doubles the value of the social bundle. With…

MTN Group today announced the appointment of Fatima Laher as Group Executive: Group Legal, effective 1 October 2022. Laher re-joins MTN from Samsung Electronics, where she has held the role of Head of Africa Disputes, for the past six years. Lele Modise, Group Chief Legal and Regulatory officer said, “Fatima is adept at providing expert strategic and innovative advice to senior leadership in the prestigious institutions she has worked for locally and internationally.”  “As Executive: Group Legal, Fatima will provide support in overseeing all legal areas and managing legal risk, supporting strategic projects and initiatives across MTN Group, as well…

Mercedes-Benz South Africa is pleased to announce the appointment of Beate Mey as the PR and Internal Communication Specialist for Mercedes-Benz Vans. In her role, Beate will be responsible for media releases, internal communication, dealer communication as well as managing media engagement and friend of the brand interactions for Mercedes-Benz Vans. Beate is a content and communication enthusiast, who loves to take on challenges with an open mind. After graduating as the Dux Litterarum and Artium in her hometown of Mbombela, Beate went on to obtain her BCom in Business Management from the University of Pretoria. Currently, Beate is completing…

For Mercedes-Benz customers who opt for an all-electric or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicle, the smartphone app Mercedes me Eco Coach offers the support of a personal trainer for environmentally conscious driving. So far, the app is providing more than 50,000 users with helpful and fun advice on the best way to make the most of an electric drive. Of those downloads, more than 24,000 are by users in Germany. The carmaker is celebrating this milestone by offering vouchers for its Mercedes me Charge service, which are available as prizes in the integrated bonus scheme with a 50 percent discount. Users can…

Vodacom is spending R300 million this financial year on the Limpopo network, which will go towards expanding broadband coverage in remote areas of the province that have not had access to internet services,  and help to drive inclusion for all. “We are very excited about our network investment for the Limpopo region this financial year, as we aim to ensure that all our customers will benefit from a quality network experience, particularly in rural areas. Expanding access to connectivity forms part of our commitment to building an inclusive digital future while assisting with stimulating socio-economic growth in the province,” says…

If you drive around Johannesburg, Durban or Cape Town, you may have been lucky enough to see Pineapple Tech’s new billboards in the wild. If not, we’ve got you. The first anti-advertising insurance campaign – the consequences are hilarious… One:  Pineapple Two:  Three:  Four:  Five:  Six: Seven: Eight: Nine: Ten: Eleven: Twelve: Thirteen:  Fourteen:  Fifteen: Sixteen:   Ok, one more: For their first ATL campaign since launching in 2017, Pineapple has created the campaign of “100% pure insurance, 0% other stuff”. No gimmicks, no trickery, no BS. And for this, their campaign reflects the no BS approach with an honest, dry…