Author: Staff Writer
Pineapple, the South African digital insurance provider, has been named an Endeavor Outlier. This exclusive, invite-only designation is reserved for the top 10% of high-performing companies in the global Endeavor network. The Outliers programme recognises a select group of Endeavor Entrepreneurs whose companies meet strict, annually updated benchmarks across revenue, growth, and capital raised. Selection also considers a founder’s ability to scale in complex or volatile markets, alongside a commitment to Endeavor’s pay-it-forward ethos. What is Endeavor? Endeavor is a global organisation that selects and supports high-impact founders building scalable companies in emerging and complex markets. Its rigorous multi-stage selection…
Discovery Vitality today cements its position as the world’s most scientifically driven wellness programme by launching the proprietary Vitality Sleep Score and a new Vitality Sleep Rewards programme. This historic launch marks the first time in almost 20 years that Vitality has added a new core pillar to the programme, placing Sleep alongside Screening, Physical Activity and Nutrition, and taking a significant leap forward in how Vitality helps members live longer, healthier lives. Backed by the groundbreaking ‘The Sleep Factor’ research,an analysis of over 47 million sleep records, the launch introduces a clinically meaningful metric that quantifies how sleep directly…
A quick trip to the shops, or a short ride across a residential estate. These everyday journeys are exactly where a new generation of electric scooters is beginning to reshape how people move around cities. Core has announced the official launch of Pure Electric in South Africa, introducing the globally recognised electric scooter brand to the market and expanding access to a new category of personal mobility. Through the partnership, Core will hold exclusive distribution rights for Pure Electric in South Africa. Founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Adam Norris, father of Formula One World Champion Lando Norris, Pure Electric was…
Dis-Chem today unveiled the Melrose Arch Health Hub, marking a significant step forward in its ambition to reduce the cost of healthcare, increase access and improve health outcomes for South Africans. More than a new store, the company says the hub represents a fundamental shift in how healthcare is delivered through retail. The format is anchored in a clinic, pharmacy and cover services trifecta, marking a significant step in Dis-Chem’s evolution from a pharmacy-led retailer to an integrated health partner and retailer. “South Africans have long had to navigate their healthcare alone, moving between disconnected providers and fragmented systems. This…
For over 20 years, Tableau has defined how the world sees and understands data. Now, as organisations shift from viewing data to asking AI to act on it, raw data, on its own, is no longer enough. In the traditional world of analytics, humans looked at dashboards and brought their own experience and context to the table to make a decision. Today, as we move into the agentic era, AI agents require that same level of “knowledge” to provide the trusted, accurate answers required to drive autonomous action. The foundation of this shift is knowledge: not just giving AI access…
The University of Cape Town (UCT) has collaborated with HyperionDev, a global leader in online tech education, in a strategic partnership to deliver a portfolio of high-impact, career-focused online programmes designed to equip students with in-demand digital and leadership skills. The collaboration marks a significant step forward in bridging the gap between higher education and industry, combining UCT’s academic excellence with HyperionDev’s expertise in scalable, outcomes-driven online learning. UCT Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela said: “As a university, we are deeply committed to expanding access to high-quality education that is both academically rigorous and socially responsive. This partnership reflects our role…
Miami Beach, Florida HotelPORT® today announced the launch of EnGAIgeVIEW™, an AI-powered guest engagement platform anchored in PropertyVIEW™, the hospitality industry’s source of truth for verified hospitality content. Developed by BIG Tech Group, the platform introduces a new standard for real-time, intelligent guest interaction across voice, text, and chat. “This isn’t an incremental upgrade. It’s a category reset,” said Fred Bean, Founder of HotelPORT. “The industry has been built around listening after the experience. We’ve built a platform that engages during the experience—when it actually matters.” From Feedback to Real-Time Engagement EnGAIgeVIEW™ is designed to replace static surveys and delayed…
Slack just became the easiest way to put your Salesforce data, agents, and apps to work. And every customer can start for free. Sales and service teams that spend their days toggling between team chats, CRM, and tools are losing more than just time — they’re losing the context needed to close deals, solve cases, and serve customers. And for AI to actually work, customer data and conversations cannot live in different places. They need to live in one AI work platform, where data, apps, and agents all come together and work side by side with people. Today, we are…
South Africa produces up to 400 000 qualified matriculants annually, competing for approximately 105 000 university spots. For medicine, the odds are considerably steeper. Acceptance rates at the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University sit around 5%, with the University of the Witwatersrand admitting less than 6% of applicants – placing medicine among the most contested programmes in the country. With far more capable applicants than the system can accommodate, the pressure is increasingly reshaping where South Africa’s next generation of doctors are being trained. “Medicine is one of the only programmes in South Africa where you can have…
Shiprazor, the Cape Town-based e-commerce merchant technology and smart logistics platform, has raised $2.65 million (R44m) in seed funding to help African online merchants reduce delivery costs, improve conversion, and simplify fulfilment. The round was led by pan-African venture capital firm Norrsken22, with participation from AAIC, E4E, Tremis Capital, and an impressive roster of angel investors, including senior leaders at Google, bringing Shiprazor’s total funding to $3.3 million (R54.5m). Africa, like many emerging markets, has a fragmented logistics industry, with the African Development Bank estimating global transport costs in Africa are 75% higher than the global average. This limits growth…
Three emerging young scientists are set to represent South Africa at the prestigious Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), showcasing innovative research that addresses critical global challenges in environmental sustainability, space science and biomedical advancement. The Regeneron ISEF is the world’s largest pre-college science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) competition. The event will take place at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona in the USA, from 9 to 15 May 2026. The fair will feature research projects from approximately 1,800 high school learners from more than 80 countries, regions and territories across the globe, with prizes up for grabs. The…
Vodacom Business has announced the appointment of three additional executives to its Extraordinary Business Advisory Board, strengthening the company’s commitment to providing enterprise customers with credible insights and guidance on emerging technologies and business solutions. The Extraordinary Business Advisory Board is a strategic initiative launched by Vodacom Business to support digital transformation in the enterprise sector. Comprising a curated group of thought leaders and respected experts across fields including cloud, cybersecurity, IoT, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation, the board serves as a crucial platform to empower organisations of all sizes to navigate complex challenges and realise their potential through technology.…
Huawei South Africa’s annual Girls in ICT Day gave young women practical skills in areas such as artificial intelligence, coding, and digital entrepreneurship. The day also celebrated their role in the digital economy, not only as future participants but as young innovators who can help shape what comes next. Hosted by Huawei South Africa in partnership with UN Women, the event welcomed students from Gauteng and Limpopo, who are part of UN Women’s African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI), alongside members of Huawei’s Graduate Programme. Themed “CTRL + SHE: Where She Takes Control of the Future,” the programme gave participants…
The Zimbali Lakes Clubhouse, a new landmark on the KZN North Coast, has officially opened to both residents and the public. Following a series of boutique gatherings throughout April — from an intimate residents’ dinner to exclusive media and influencer experiences — the journey culminated in a grand opening celebration on Tuesday, 21 April 2026, attended by over 200 distinguished guests. From arrival — marked by supercars, champagne and oysters — to sunset over the estate, the evening unfolded in an atmosphere of refined elegance. Guests enjoyed exceptional cuisine, immersive lighting, and entertainment, from live music to theatrical smoke and…
McDonald’s South Africa today announced the appointment of Millicent “Milly” Maroga as Impact Director, effective 1 April 2026, further strengthening its purpose of feeding and fostering the communities it serves. Milly brings over 20 years of Corporate Affairs experience across the beverages and financial services sectors. Her career includes roles at South African Breweries, Old Mutual, and HEINEKEN South Africa (now HEINEKEN Beverages), where she served as Corporate Affairs Director. She has also held several board positions, including with the Gauteng Growth Development Agency, and currently serves as a trustee for the Old Mutual Employee Share Scheme. In her role,…
New York Stock Exchange-Listed HPE today announced that Southern Sun, one of South Africa’s leading hospitality groups is elevating guest experiences and operational efficiencies by modernizing its network infrastructure with the HPE self-driving network. Built on an AI-native, cloud-native network architecture with integral security, the intelligent network delivers exceptional wireless experiences to guest and staff, and a reliable infrastructure for enhanced digital experiences across its properties. Southern Sun implemented the HPE self-driving network to advance its service-led strategy and drive value to a lean IT team. The new architecture delivers resilient connectivity for Wi-Fi, IPTV, IP telephony and cloud applications, reducing…
In 2018, Kate Maakane placed second in a hackathon. She was hungry for the opportunity, bright and ready to be challenged. The tech industry didn’t come knocking. It took six more years before she got her shot. A comprehensive 2024/2025 research report titled “Decoding ICT Demand”, conducted by The Collective X, a South African non-profit organisation focused on the digital skills ecosystem, says the country has 118,000 unfilled digital roles, a 37% vacancy rate across the sector, with 41,000 of those positions at junior level. Their data is compiled by analysing job advertisements from major platforms like Pnet and CareerJunction,…
Google Cloud and Salesforce today announced an expanded partnership that will enable AI agents to execute end-to-end workflows across both platforms by solving the long-standing challenge of fragmented data and disconnected systems. With new integrations across Salesforce and Google Cloud, customers can deploy AI agents in tools like Slack and Google Workspace, while Agentforce and Gemini Enterprise provide the intelligence and context behind the scenes. This allows agents to work across systems, reduces risky data movement, and eliminates time lost to context switching. Under the expanded partnership, the two companies will also develop new features that will make it simpler…
Entrepreneurship is rarely a straight line. For many, it begins as a quiet idea nurtured after hours, a side project built between the demands of a corporate career. However, the leap from providing a service to leading a scalable business requires a fundamental shift in mindset and technical capability. Philile Ngubane, the founder of The Office Ship, has navigated this transition, turning her passion for organisation into a robust operational backbone for growing businesses. While in a corporate role, Philile noted a growing demand for virtual assistants. She first launched her small business in 2020, officially registering the company in…
Eskom enters the 2026 winter season with a resilient power system, projecting a winter period of continued energy stability from 1 April to 31 August 2026. This positive outlook follows the successful conclusion of the summer period, during which the national grid operated with ongoing sustained reliability. With the Generation Recovery Plan firmly embedded in day‑to‑day operations, Eskom has moved beyond short‑term recovery into a phase of stability and sustained energy security, ensuring that homes, businesses and industries remain powered through the peak winter months. This stability is underscored by Eskom maintaining a consistent energy supply of 98.9% in the…
As we enter the second quarter of 2026, the hard-won momentum of South Africa’s economic recovery is facing its ultimate stress test. A global energy shock has ignited a severe cost-of-living hike, with soaring fuel prices threatening a new wave of logistics-driven inflation that touches every corner of the consumer landscape. From the price of basic essentials to the stability of household liquidity, the national narrative has shifted into a high-stakes balancing act between domestic optimism and international turmoil. Housing market resilience faces macro-economic headwinds The upward momentum in the residential property sector, which first gained traction during the monetary…
Two South African technology startups—Loop and Vambo AI—have been selected to join the 10th cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa. Chosen from an exceptionally competitive pool of nearly 2,600 applications, these innovators are part of a final pan-African group of 15 companies. With an acceptance rate of less than 1%, their selection highlights the immense technical talent and resilience emerging from [Country]’s digital ecosystem. The selected South African startups are utilising Artificial Intelligence to address critical local and regional challenges: Loop: Digitises mobility and payments in Africa, helping people, businesses and communities access simpler, more connected transport and…
As AI adoption accelerates, organisations are rethinking the network infrastructure required to support data-intensive workload. Against this backdrop, Huawei’s OptiX Club 2026, hosted in Johannesburg focused on the role of optical networks in enabling faster, smarter digital environments. The event brought together more than 120 customers, partners and industry stakeholders to explore how AI is changing the demands placed on enterprise networks. Opening the event, York Ning, Director of Huawei South Africa ICT Marketing & Solution Sales Department noted that intelligent upgrades still depend on a stable network foundation. “Frankly speaking, in the AI era, networks are the foundation. Networks…
Vodacom is revolutionising customer engagement as we head towards the end of the Easter season with an innovative Augmented Reality Easter Egg Hunt at Vodacom World in Midrand. Running from Wednesday, 22nd April to Saturday, 25th April 2026, from 9am to 5pm daily, the event offers participants the chance to win their share of R250,000 in exciting prizes. Using cutting-edge augmented reality technology, customers will hunt for virtual Easter Eggs while physically exploring Vodaworld, blending digital innovation with tangible experiences. Prize offerings are extensive and include smartphones, tablets, laptops, televisions, gaming consoles, smart appliances, data bundles, and airtime. To amplify…
Apple announced that Tim Cook will become executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors and John Ternus, senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, will become Apple’s next chief executive officer effective on September 1, 2026. The transition, which was approved unanimously by the Board of Directors, follows a thoughtful, long-term succession planning process. Cook will continue in his role as CEO through the summer as he works closely with Ternus on a smooth transition. As executive chairman, Cook will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world. “It has been the greatest privilege of…