Author: Staff Writer

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has authorised local biotechnology company CapeBio to manufacture rapid COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits. Announcing the approval of the test kits on Monday, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, said the COVID-19 test kits, co-developed by CapeBio and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), will help to reduce South Africa’s reliance on imports, making it easier for the country and the rest of the continent to gain speedy access to test kits. “Given Africa’s dependence on imports, the government, through the Department of Science and Innovation…

Former ICASA CEO Pakamile Pongwana has passed away, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa said in a statement. “ICASA is deeply saddened by the recent passing of its former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Pakamile Pongwana,” reads the statement. Pongwana was at the helm of ICASA as the CEO from 2013 to 2017, where he contributed immensely to the work and performance of the Authority. “He is widely regarded as one of the industry veterans and a key architect of the ICT sector since the dawn of democracy,” said ICASA. “When joining ICASA as CEO, Pongwana arrived at a time…

The 2Africa consortium, comprised of China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC, announced today the addition of four new branches to the 2Africa cable. The branches will extend 2Africa’s connectivity to Seychelles, the Comoros Islands, and Angola, and bring a new landing to south-east Nigeria. The new branches join the recently announced extension to the Canary Islands. 2Africa, which will be the largest subsea cable project in the world, will deliver faster, more reliable internet service to each country where it lands. Communities that rely on the internet for services from education to healthcare,…

The new Audi’s Skysphere is a self-driving roadster that drives itself while passengers relax and can change shape at the touch of a button. Details of the new Audi’s electric concept car were revealed this week by the German carmaker. With the touch of a button, the driver can take advantage of their freedom and choose their own driving experience– either they pilot their 4.94-meter-long e-roadster themselves in “Sports” mode with a reduced wheelbase, while the rear-wheel steering ensures that the vehicle remains extremely agile despite its dimensions. Or they can choose to be chauffeured around in a 5.19-meter GT…

Disney+, the Walt Disney Company’s popular and fast-growing streaming service, is coming to South Africa to compete with Netflix, ShowMax, Amazon Prime Video and DStv Now. News24 reported that Disney’s subscription video streaming service Disney+ will finally launch in South Africa around June 2022. The publication quoted Bob Chapek, CEO of Walt Disney Company, as saying the “expanded Disney+ footprint will include parts of the Middle East and South Africa”. The Walt Disney Company Africa late on Thursday night told Channel24 in a statement: “As confirmed in The Walt Disney Company’s Q3 earnings call, Disney+ will launch in South Africa in winter…

South African venture capital firm Imvelo Ventures, founded by Capitec Bank and Empowerment Capital Investment Partners, has invested in Acumen Software, a company that is revolutionising the interaction between South Africans and their municipal service providers. Funding from Imvelo, which identifies and funds promising South African small and medium enterprises (SMMEs) across the broad spectrum of financial technology, and Sappi’s Andzani Ventures, has enabled the development of My Smart City, a platform for city residents to report service delivery issues, track reported matters, and mobilise fellow community members. Johannesburg and Cape Town are the first two cities with access to…

We all look forward to the day when we can play immersive, virtual-reality games on our 5G phones with ease and speed. But 5G’s advances in bandwidth and latency will go far beyond the consumer experience. It’s also a potential game-changer for enterprises, manufacturers, universities, hospitals, the public sector and beyond. For many of these organisations, a private 5G network will be the way to go, often in tandem with Wi-Fi 6. All will want to step up to the next level of digitalization and transformation — for example, by realising the full potential of the Internet of Things technologies. And by enabling them to build and easily…

African microinsurance FinTech aYo Holdings, together with MTN and Sanlam Life has launched two innovative insurance products in Côte d’Ivoire that will contribute towards MTN subscribers enjoying peace of mind. “It is estimated that less than 2% of the Ivorian population currently has insurance. This is because most people think insurance is only for white collar workers with high incomes,” CEO of aYo Intermediaries Cote d’Ivoire Limited, Jean-Charles N’Gotta, said. “We want to show that with aYo services, people with all levels of income can get peace of mind at an affordable cost to help take care of their financial…

Sanlam and MTN announced today that they are joining forces in an exclusive strategic alliance to distribute Sanlam insurance and investment products across Africa, further developing MTN’s mobile financial services business. The Alliance will build a digital insurance and investment business, which will be an integral part of MTN’s fintech offering. It will provide people across the continent with easier access to these services, particularly those sectors of the population that have typically been unable to access traditional distribution channels for such products. The Alliance has the potential to pre-empt and adapt to digital disruption in markets where both Sanlam…

Huawei South Africa is calling on women entrepreneurs to apply for its digital skills training programme, Women4Tech. The free online course is open to savvy, tech-forward women entrepreneurs, and aims to advance their skills and help them use new technologies to grow, improve and digitise their businesses. The training comprises of three courses, Cloud Computing and how it benefits SMME’s, digital marketing for business success, especially in an increasingly competitive online market space, and the last part of the training is an introduction to App Development and a networking opportunity with award winning App Developers within the Huawei Mobile App…