Author: Staff Writer

Ukheshe Technologies has confirmed the establishment of a new joint venture with ForexPeople, one of South Africa’s most trusted names in forex with over 20 years’ experience, to seamlessly facilitate cross border payments from South Africa into Africa. The service will extend from South Africa to more than 40 countries across Africa, including Africa’s largest economies. The joint venture comes at a time when the demand for online money transfers is at its highest due to the COVID-19 pandemic and consumers become more comfortable with digital-first payment solutions. Over $48 billion (R684 billion) are remitted throughout Africa annually, a figure…

Showmax Pro subscribers across the continent will soon be able to live stream hundreds of Olympic events on the streaming service from 23 July – 8 August 2021. The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 were postponed to 2021 as a result of the COVID pandemic. While World War I and II led to three Olympics being cancelled completely – in 1916, 1940 and 1944 – this is the first time that a Summer Olympic Games has been postponed since 1896. The Tokyo 2020 event is going to look very different to previous editions, with strict rules in place around mask-wearing, social…

Volvo has unveiled a new Concept Recharge that the Swedish carmaker says “is a manifesto for the next generation of all-electric Volvos.” Volvo currently has two electric cars in its line-up the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge. Both electric cars are built on the multi-powertrain CMA platform. “Our Concept Recharge represents a manifesto for the all-electric future of Volvo Cars, as well as a new type of vehicle,” said Robin Page, head of design. “It displays new and modern proportions that go hand-in-hand with increased versatility and shows what technology can enable in terms of design.” The next generation of…

Volvo Cars will take software development in-house as a car’s appeal increasingly becomes more defined by software-driven functions and features, rather than traditional automotive attributes. The next generation of pure electric Volvo models, including the company’s first SUV on a completely new electric-only technology base, will run on Volvo Cars’ own operating system (OS), called VolvoCars.OS, for faster and more flexible development. Coupled with more frequent over-the-air updates to customer cars throughout their lifetime, the company’s aim is to make Volvo cars better every day. VolvoCars.OS will act as an umbrella system for electric Volvo cars. It incorporates the company’s…

In 1988, a Cornell University graduate student named Robert Morris wanted to measure the size of the Internet. He wrote a program that could spread across a network, install itself on machines, and then Morris would count the instances. From that, the now-infamous ‘Morris Worm’ unintentionally became one of the first known widespread cyberattacks, infecting over 6,000 machines. In 2017, the Wannacry malware virus hit an estimated 1 million machines. According to a report cited by Statista, there were 305 million ransomware attacks in 2020, directed not by curious scholars but organised crime and malicious state actors. The scope and…

Agriculture provides significant opportunities for empowering women both personally and for society at large. About 80% of the world’s food is produced by small-scale farming, with women comprising on average 46% of this agricultural labour in sub-Saharan Africa. The potential for female farmers to thrive is potent but requires, the same skills and financial opportunities afforded to male counterparts. Transforming the face of agriculture Targeted initiatives are needed that secure livelihood and empower young South Africans to be better placed to not only provide economically for themselves but give them a route to a fulfilling and secure occupation and healthy…

Enygma Ventures announced today a R4 million investment into Brown and Ayo, an aspirational lifestyle hair brand, focused on natural hairstyles and trends for black women, in South Africa. “We are super excited about this investment as natural hairstyles and products are a fast-growing trend in an extremely lucrative industry” said Lelemba Phiri, operating partner & principal of Enygma Ventures. “Brown and Ayo have a proven track record of being steps ahead of the trend, whilst serving a powerfully growing yet often ignored consumer – the black woman.” Since 2019 Brown and Ayo have been providing a range of natural…

The ACE submarine cable is now live and available for interconnection at three of Teraco’s data centres across South Africa, expanding access to broadband connectivity and digital services in Africa. ACE is the eighth submarine cable system to connect at Teraco, highlighting Teraco’s position as the leading interconnection hub on the African continent. Spanning approximately 17,000 km along the West Coast of Africa, ACE lands in 19 countries before being backhauled by MTN South Africa, the landing partner, into Teraco’s data centre facilities. Michele McCann, Head of Interconnection and Peering, Teraco, says South Africa is a critical hub for access…

Etion headline earnings a share swell by 1171% to 9.32 cents a share for the year to end-March 2021, giving the JSE-listed tech group investors something to cheer as the turnaround effort shows progress. Headline EPS is South Africa’s main profit gauge. The group also reported that revenue jumped 20% to R692.1 million, and profit after tax soared by 245% to R52.4 million. Etion attributed strong growth in profit after tax of R52.6 million to a combination of revenue growth and cost realignment. The company’s subsidiaries Digitise and Connect underwent a significant restructure to align the cost base with their…

Vodacom has unveiled its much-anticipated VodaPay super app in South Africa, designed in collaboration with FinTech services platform Alipay. Developed by Vodacom Financial Services in partnership with leading global digital lifestyle services platform Alipay, VodaPay is an all-encompassing mobile payments solution that has been customised to meet the specific lifestyle and payment needs of consumers, businesses and tech developers. Vodacom Financial Services is inviting developers and businesses of all sizes to join the VodaPay ecosystem by building their very own Mini Programs. This allows them to leverage off world-class technology to accelerate digital engagement and increase access to the market.…