Author: Staff Writer

South African Venture Capital company Kalon Venture Partners, the digital technology Venture Capital company, has successfully completed its final Section 12 J capital raise with Assets Under Management of over a quarter of a billion rand. Kalon’s first fund started in 2016 and invested in nine disruptive technology companies and its second fund invested in seven of those companies.  Kalon is now seeking innovation-led South African entrepreneurs to deploy its war chest of capital. “The Section 12 J initiative enabled South African investors to participate in the exciting venture capital asset class. The Section 12 J initiative was born in…

According to the 2021 Consumer Pulse SA report, 83% of households reported that they view savings as more important now than before the COVID-19 pandemic, as a result, lockdown has had a positive effect on people’s commitment to put away spare money. Figures from Liberty Group’s savings app, Stash by Liberty, show a significant increase in people putting money away from the start of the COVID-19 restrictions by making use of online money management apps like this. Downloads on the app increased by more than 130% since the onset of the COVID-19 lockdowns in April last year. Along with this,…

Telkom announced on Thursday the resignation of non-executive director Alphonzo Samuels for “personal reasons”. His resignation is effective today. “(The board) extends its gratitude to Samuels for his contribution and wishes him well in his future endeavours,” the company said. Telkom also informed investors it has appointed Mses Olufunke Ighodaro (Funke) and Ethel Matenge-Sebesho as independent non-executive. Their appointment is effective today. The telco said Funke is a commercially astute and experienced business leader who has served on the boards of several private and publicly listed companies, bringing diverse and extensive leadership experience and expertise in a large number of…

To extend its international footprint, Vodacom Business Africa has taken a step into Brazil, thereby increasing its fixed-connectivity coverage to five continents across the globe. This trans-Atlantic connection has been made possible through the undersea South Atlantic Cable System, which is the first to directly link the African continent’s southern hemisphere with South America. With the latest addition of Brazil, the extensive network reach now spans South America in addition to Africa, the Middle East, Europe and North America, further cementing Vodacom Business Africa’s position as Africa’s global connectivity partner of choice. The drive to support the globalisation of multinational…

During MWC Barcelona 2021, Huawei Executive Director and president of Carrier BG Ryan Ding said, operators have seen faster revenue growth in countries where 5G is developing faster; ICT infrastructure, as the cornerstone of the digital economy, is playing an increasingly important role in the new normal created by the pandemic. During his keynote speech, Ding emphasised that the value of ICT transcends the telecoms industry and has transformative implications for the global economy as a whole. “The rapid development of digital infrastructure driven by 5G will add EUR1.9 trillion to the Chinese economy in the next five years. We…

SHAREit, the global internet technology company that has built numerous popular tools and digital entertainment content applications have confirmed Chanel Hardman’s appointment as the new Country Director for Africa. The role is a jointly appointed role by SHAREit and PerformDM and involves working to manage sales operations, develop strategic solutions and work alongside the PerformDM’ team to drive growth on the continent. SHAREit, the world’s most extensive file-sharing, gaming and content streaming application, is paying significant attention to the continent, recently ranked as the No.2 fastest-growing media publisher in Africa in the AppsFlyer’s latest Performance Index. In South Africa, the…

If you haven’t heard of the FOMO App then you really are missing out, this is the not so new South African app that shows you where the restaurants’ specials, events and activities are based on your location. The FOMO App has very quickly become a household name and tool that diners are using to find their specials and with over 60k downloads this app surely has some pull in South Africa. But what happens when restaurants aren’t fully operational? The FOMO App has decided to give back to the ailing restaurant industry by freezing all payments for existing paying…

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…