Author: Staff Writer
The Vodacom Foundation has announced the launch of a free application designed to aid in the fight against Gender Based Violence (GBV). As South Africans retreated inside their homes due to the lockdown measures introduced by government to curb the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, reports showed an alarming increase in the number of GBV cases. President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared this scourge of violence as the ‘second pandemic’. The launch of the Bright Sky app coincides with the United Nations 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International…
Pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom is activating 82 km of fibre in a cross-border network into Botswana. This implementation gives more people in Botswana access to Liquid Telecom’s footprint of over 73,000km of Pan African fibre, and increased access to the global digital economy. This expansion connects the Lobatse Border to Gaborone with intent to create efficient mobility and connectivity in Botswana, providing millions of citizens and thousands of businesses access to Liquid Telecom’s world-class One Africa broadband network. “At Liquid Telecom, we have a proven track record of investing in and deploying technology designed to grow, strengthen and build…
Forge Academy, powered by Nokia, has launched a fully inclusive artificial intelligence laboratory in Fourways at The Gantry. The academy will prepare students from all walks of life with theoretical, laboratory and on-the-job training for their participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the global digital economy. “This is more than a dream come true for us, but a lifelong calling to forge people of purpose. We are humbled and immensely proud to launch this academic institution and incubation hub at a time when many youths need to know there is an open door for them to participate in creating…
Jason Quinn, the group finance director at Absa, has been named South Africa’s CFO of the Year at the 2020 CFO Awards. This was announced on Wednesday 25 November at the conclusion of the annual gala event for finance executives, held at the spectacular Polo Room at the Inanda Club in Sandton, Johannesburg. Jason was the big winner during the “Oscars for finance executives”, which celebrated its seventh edition this year. He scooped up three of the ten prizes, also winning the Strategy Execution Award and Moving into Africa Award. Jason has been Absa’s group financial director for the past…
OPPO South Africa is committed to delivering cutting edge computing performance to a wide audience and the A53s is a symbol of that promise. More mobile gamers across South Africa now have access to premium features like a buttery 90Hz high refresh rate screen, fast charging and high-end graphics at an affordable price. This paradigm shift in budget-friendly performance begins with the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor which is the first 400-series CPU to gain the power of Kryo high-performance cores. This improves raw computing power by 70 percent over existing devices in its class. Graphics performance is also…
Capitec, South Africa’s largest digital bank, has launched its QR code payment functionality in their new app. The ‘Scan to Pay’ offering can be used across all major QR code-based payment providers including SnapScan and Zapper. The new addition was fast tracked during the pandemic as it allows clients to pay without touching any surface other than their own phone. Payments can be made at till points, restaurants, for parking and for online shopping – as vendors across the country adopt the technology, offering their clients a safer way to pay. With multiple QR payment providers available to vendors, consumers…
Safaricom’s mobile money service M-Pesa, Nigeria’s e-commerce sites Jumia and South Africa’s Takealot.com are picked as 100 tech challengers by global management firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG). BCG identifies 100 “tech challengers” that have already grown into powerful forces in technology and other industries. Their impact is being felt in their home markets, regionally, and internationally. They have generally weathered the COVID-19 crisis well, with many showing increases in both customers and frequency of usage. While previous emerging markets tech leaders came predominantly from China, the current generation is much more geographically diverse, encompassing Africa, Asia, Israel, Latin America, Russia,…
A total of 50 companies, including Google and Telkom, have pledged R109.6 billion at the third annual South Africa Investment Conference. Today’s collective pledge brings the total amount of investment pledges to R773.6 billion worth of investments in the last three years. With this total amount, South Africa has now reached 64% of its total target of R1.2 trillion. “The world is still very much in the throes of a devastating pandemic that has thrown global markets into disarray. Tough decisions have had to be made on investments, on expansion and on entry into new markets. “It is therefore significant…
Vodacom Business has worked with Amazon Web Services (AWS) Professional Services, to develop the Vodacom Business Cloud Acceleration Suite for organisations who are looking to begin their digital transformation journey. Digital transformation within South Africa has accelerated as organisations of all sizes have embraced the remote workforce model to ensure their employee safety and remain productive during the COVID-19 pandemic.. “As a trusted digital partner to businesses, we’ve always believed that with the right technology and digital processes, South African businesses will be more competitive, resilient and capable of not only surviving, but thriving, despite external challenges,” says Kabelo Makwane,…
Simpli Connect, an Internet Service Provider, and SMTAX, a digital accounting firm primarily for SME’s, have partnered to provide qualifying small businesses with discounted rates on internet access packages. The partnership will officially commence on 16 November 2020 with SMTAX offering the range of SimpliLTE solutions as part of their onboarding process for new company registrations. “In today’s digital economy, it is imperative for any small business to ensure that they are always accessible to their customers, no matter where they are. With our plug & play SimpliLTE solution customers benefit from the widest network coverage in the country and internet access…