Author: Staff Writer

Mara Phones, South Africa’s manufacturer of smartphones, has appointed Sylvester Taku to the position of managing director with immediate effect. Taku has been doing business in Africa for over 20 years and has made accelerating growth through smart, well-considered moves his signature style. He has been the Head of Growth at Mara Phones since 2019 and led the opening of the first bricks-and-mortar Mara Experience Store in Maponya Mall, Soweto, exactly a year after Mara Phones unveiled the country’s first smartphone manufacturing facility in KZN. “Sylvester is bold and dependable with an amazing ability to spot the next opportunity,” Mara…

Warrant Officer, Roger Mario Kivido has been arrested allegedly dealing in copper cables. Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha said Kivido was arrested on Friday, 22 January 2021. Kivido, a 53-year old rogue cop, is stationed at New Brighton police station. “The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team received a tipoff on 11 October 2020, regarding a police officer in full uniform, driving a marked police vehicle who was selling copper cables at a local scrapyard along Grahamstown Road, in Port Elizabeth,” Ramovha said in a statement. “Preliminary investigation was carried out at the scrapyard in a form of an enquiry.…

As part of its ongoing commitment to prevent Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Vodacom has zero-rated its Bright Sky SA app. The app was launched in November last year. The zero-rating of the app ensures that Vodacom users will not incur any data costs for downloading or accessing many of the referral links to GBV support services found in the app. Given that not everyone can afford data, Vodacom is highly focused on making connectivity more accessible, particularly when it comes to essential tools and services such as Bright Sky. “Technology has a powerful part to play in solving some of the…

Altron Systems Integration (ASI), a subsidiary of JSE-listed Altron, has joined the NVIDIA Partner Network (NPN), becoming the first Compute DGX partner and solutions provider in South Africa. ASI has joined NPN as a Solution Provider focusing on the Compute and Compute DGX competencies, serving customers across Southern Africa in their AI journey. This gives ASI access to the latest hardware, trainings, technical documentation, technical specialists, and interesting promotions for its customers, and allows the business to distribute NVIDIA’s AI solutions across Africa. “NVIDIA’s expertise in building end-to-end AI and data science solutions and frameworks enable every enterprise to realise…

If you’re interested in scooping up a brand new Galaxy S21 series phone, you can now place your pre-order at Telkom. The new S Series from Samsung includes the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra. Telkom announced on Wednesday that the new Samsung’s smartphones are available from Telkom online store. In-store sales will start from 5 February 2021, said Telkom. The Galaxy S21 series is the latest flagship offering in devices by Samsung and boasts state-of-the-art innovation and head-turning and iconic design including a pro-grade camera and advanced processor ever in a Galaxy device. It also introduces…

MultiChoice South Africa today announced that 236 students will benefit from bursaries worth R26 million in 2021. The company is making tertiary education a reality for students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, Broadcasting, Media, Film & Television, Human Resources, Finance, Economics, Law, Communications, UI/UX/CX Design, Consumer Insights and Advertising. “We believe investing in these fields of study is critical for the future of our industry and our country,” says MultiChoice South Africa’s CEO, Nyiko Shiburi. “We are excited to provide access to the necessary resources for these future leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to thrive and flourish…

Xero and Nedbank have partnered to give small businesses and their advisors’ financial data through a fully digital API-enabled bank feed. Xero is a global small-business cloud accounting platform. The new feed will go live soon and will be available to Nedbank small business clients with a Xero account, at no additional cost. Once live, small businesses will be able to connect the feed from their Xero account. This fully digital bank feed will mean that small businesses and their advisors can import their banking transactions automatically and securely, directly from Nedbank into their Xero organisation. This bank feed is…

Absa Group announced today it has been selected to serve on the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council’s (PCI SSC’s) Board of Advisors in 2021 and 2022. The banking group said in a statement in this role will be able to help shape the development of payment data security standards and programmes globally. The PCI SSC leads a global, cross-industry effort to increase payment security by providing industry-driven data security standards and programmes that help businesses detect, mitigate and prevent cyberattacks and breaches. Absa Group Chief Security Officer Sandro Bucchianeri will represent Absa on the board for the third consecutive…

The South African EduTech startup Play Sense has become one of the first registered play-focused preschool franchises in the country. Play Sense raised R8.25 million in early-stage funding from USA-based Enygma Ventures in April. The private investment fund focuses on investing in women-led social impact businesses in Southern Africa. The Africa Trust Group is its local implementation partner. The digitally-enabled micro-playschool programme enables teachers to set up their own playschools at home under the Play Sense banner, with its imaginative play-centred curriculum for preschoolers as its primary drawcard. It has now become one of the first programmes of its kind…

Customers pay for goods or services via the channel of their choice. Transaction Junction’s omnichannel payment platform enables this, while affording retailers a holistic view of their clients. The convergence of the physical and digital worlds means that geographic monopoly is playing an increasingly smaller role in selling products and services. Moreover, competing on price alone is no longer an effective way to succeed in business, which is why customer experience (CX) has become increasingly important. Payment is a crucial part of CX, but with the introduction of multiple eCommerce channels, the advancement of payment technologies and the abundance of…