Author: Staff Writer
African payment solution provider Peach Payments has appointed Uways Kureeman as its new country head and director for Mauritius. He reports to outgoing country head and director Sandeep Chagger, who took up the role of Group Chief Operating Officer in February. Chagger says: “We are committed to driving growth and innovation in the digital payments ecosystem of Mauritius. I am confident that Uways, with his substantial experience in technology implementations, strong business network, and passion for digitisation, will accelerate Peach Payments’ growth and innovation in Mauritius and the region. His successful leadership tenure as the General Manager of ICL in…
Cape Town-based startup Open Access Energy (OAE) has secured R13.6 million in funding from investment firm Factor E Ventures. This funding represents the first tranche of a $1.5 million seed round, supporting OAE’s mission to develop software solutions that address South Africa’s energy crisis. OAE has successfully created two software solutions that optimize transactions between Independent Power Producers (IPPs), Energy Traders, and consumers, including large offtakers like factories. The startup aims to revolutionize South Africa’s energy sector by enabling wheeling, enhancing grid reliability, reducing emissions, and generating new revenue streams for IPPs. “Open Access Energy has quickly become a major…
Vodacom is investing over R800 million this financial year to build new network sites, upgrade mobile networks, expand full fibre broadband, and launch energy projects, all aimed at enhancing broadband connectivity and delivering exceptional service. Importantly, to bridge the digital divide, new sites will be deployed in remote areas of KwaZulu-Natal that have never had connectivity before. “We are making a significant investment in the network in KwaZulu-Natal in order to achieve our goal of building an inclusive digital society,” Imran Khan, Managing Executive, Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal region, said. “Our goal is to give our customers an excellent network experience by…
McDonald’s South Africa (MSA) is collaborating with the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality, and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA) to train 1,400 unemployed youth through a Hospitality Learnership Programme. This initiative aligns with CATHSSETA’s recently adopted High Impact Programme, which aims to empower unemployed individuals with skills that could lead to employment within McDonald’s and the broader hospitality sector. This initiative comes at a critical time, as continuous skills development is essential in countries with high youth unemployment rates. CATHSSETA is one of the 21 Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) established under the Skills Development Act (No. 97…
According to a recent report, 1,514 incidents of attempted murder involving female victims were recorded between July and September 2023. Furthermore, females were victims in 14,401 grievous bodily harm (GBH) incidents reported to the police during the same period. In response to alarming statistics like these, the University of Johannesburg hosted an event focusing on the nightlife economy as a means to tackle critical issues such as gender-based violence (GBV), sexual harassment, human trafficking, and drink spiking. “The University of Johannesburg’s new project on the role of the nightlife economy in addressing gender-based violence brings together nightlife establishments, regulatory bodies,…
Eastgate in Johannesburg is set to become the home of Africa’s largest officially registered rooftop solar installation, according to an announcement made by the shopping centre’s owner on Monday. The ambitious solar project, which began with its first panel installation in 2020, is approaching its final stages and is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. Investing in solar power was a strategic decision taken by Liberty Two Degrees (L2D), as it provides a cost-effective, efficient and environmentally friendly means of generating electricity. L2D’s sustainability strategy includes the reduction of its reliance on the grid, which has improved operating…
A new study by the IBM Institute for Business Value found that surveyed CEOs are facing workforce, culture and regulation challenges as they act quickly to implement and scale generative AI across their organisations. The annual global study of 3,000 CEOs from over 30 countries and 26 industries, including South Africa, found that 64% of those surveyed say succeeding with generative AI will depend more on people’s adoption than the technology itself. However, 57% of local respondents say they are pushing their organisation adopt generative AI more quickly than some people are comfortable with. The findings also revealed that nearly two-thirds (65%)…
The threat of malicious Wi-Fi hotspots that intercept user data is nothing new, but fake Wi-Fi incidents have recently reached new heights. In a case from Australia, for example, a passenger was arrested for setting up fake Wi-Fi hotspots at the airport and on board the plane during the flight. There’s a good reason these days why passengers are more likely to use in-flight Wi-Fi: airlines are increasingly offering entertainment streamed directly to passengers’ devices rather than on the seatback screens. Once being connected to the airline’s media portal, they can not only have access to movies, music, games and…
AI is impacting nearly every sector including fraud. Generative AI technology has also spawned increasingly sophisticated methods of deception, with deep fake technology emerging as a significant threat in South Africa. Criminals are creating more advanced versions of impersonation fraud using AI-generated video and voice. These are so convincing that businesses have been duped into transferring millions to scammers, like an employee at the Hong Kong office of a multinational company who transferred $26 million after unwittingly attending a video call with deep fakes of co-workers, including the company’s chief financial officer. A Luno staff member was recently targeted using…
Founders Factory Africa, an early-stage venture capital firm, has rebranded as 54 Collective, with a focus on supporting African start-ups using a R3 billion investment fund. 54 Collective, builds on its track record of investing in and scaling early-stage ventures in Africa. The new name, 54 Collective, reflects the firm’s ambitious pan-African vision, aspiring to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses to serve all 54 African countries. “Our catalytic capital and value-add support to founders, through our Venture Success Platform, signifies our evolution and ongoing mission to support entrepreneurs across Africa and enable them to build without boundaries to drive commercial…
Huawei Cloud successfully hosted the Database Innovation Forum 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. The theme of the forum was “GaussDB: A Better Way to Database”. In collaboration with local customers and partners, Huawei introduced its GaussDB solutions to enable various public and private industries in the country to access distributed database technologies and accelerate digitalisation. GaussDB is a trustworthy data foundation for mission-critical workloads because it ensures high availability, performance, security, scalability, and intelligence. At this forum Huawei Cloud also launched its GaussDB Pioneer Programme to promote innovation and further adoption of database technologies in the country. Huawei Cloud…
Aleph is announcing a sales partnership that will expand Pinterest’s digital advertising solutions to 11 new markets across LATAM, Asia, the Middle East and Africa: Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Israel, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, South Africa and Turkey. “South Africa’s social media landscape is one of most vibrant and diverse on the continent with the estimated 26 million users gravitating to an average of eight platforms per person. The growing popularity of Pinterest among local users – nearly half of social media users turn to the platform for inspiration each month – presents a unique opportunity for brands.…
During major sporting events, concerns about safety and crowd management reach new heights. In this context, effective video surveillance, including effective smart video storage and analytics, becomes an essential tool to guarantee the safety of participants, public and infrastructure. The challenges : capacity and endurance Modern smart video surveillance faces several challenges, primarily the fact that cameras must be able to operate 24/7 to ensure uninterrupted coverage. Storage solutions must therefore offer high capacity and exceptional endurance to handle high-resolution video streams. Western Digital’s WD Purple Pro hard drives, for example, are specifically designed for these requirements, supporting capacities of…
Growthpoint Properties (JSE: GRT), the country’s real estate investment trust (REIT), is set to transform the commercial real estate landscape by introducing a clean, green energy benefit scheme called e-CO2 at 10 of its properties in Sandton, Johannesburg. With all major elements already in place for the scheme to debut in July 2025, Growthpoint will deliver the first green energy to its office buildings through wheeling, reducing carbon footprints and generating Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) for tenants using the latest blockchain technology. The Growthpoint e-CO2 green energy benefit scheme (e-CO2 is short for electricity minus carbon dioxide and pronounced “eco…
Irvine Partners, independent creative communications agency in Africa, today announced the opening of its second European office in Stuttgart, Germany. This expansion coincides with the launch of a dedicated travel and tourism division within the agency. Established in South Africa in 2010, Irvine Partners has grown its pan-African network, with wholly owned offices in Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria. In late 2020, the agency expanded its international reach with the opening of its London office, which is now the group’s headquarters. The decision to launch the German office alongside a dedicated travel and tourism division is a natural evolution for Irvine…
In a strategic move aimed at enhancing client experience, inq., a global leader in Edge solutions, has directed its efforts on better servicing clients through South Africa, a key region with a significant presence of multinational corporations. This aligns with the new group-level strategy to leverage South Africa’s robust market landscape, ensuring that its diverse client base expectations are exceeded through the concentration of efforts in the region. “Along with this move, the Security Operations Centre (SOC) and Network Operations Centre (NOC) will be located in South Africa covering Namibia, Swaziland, Botswana and Mozambique” says Andile Ngcaba, Executive Chairman at…
From ‘Yahoo Boys’ who operate online to the seemingly innocent man or woman on the street, scammers are everywhere, and their tactics are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Dave Barber from Walking with Winners says, “You wouldn’t be able to spot a scammer in the street. They don’t have a distinct appearance, like being covered in tattoos and wearing thick gold chains, while offering you a brilliant investment opportunity. Scams are also not chance encounters. Scammers do their best to fit into society and in this way are able to gain your confidence.” According to the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS),…
Telkom welcomed the Competition Commission’s recommendation to the Competition Tribunal (Tribunal) to approve the proposed transaction to sell 100% of Swiftnet, with conditions. Telkom obtained shareholder approval on 24 May 2024 for the sale of the masts and towers business housed in Swiftnet for R6.75 billion to an infrastructure fund managed by a subsidiary of Actis LLP with Royal Bafokeng Holdings as its B-BBEE partner. This decision remains pivotal to Telkom’s goal of unlocking shareholder value and streamlining our focus on core operations and strategic initiatives. The disposal is now been referred to the Tribunal for their final decision. The…
Melon Mobile, Africa’s first truly digital telco, has launched a campaign inviting all South Africans to experience their fully customisable and super flexible mobile network — for free. This is the first time a mobile company in SA has allowed customers to sign up with the option to later opt out, putting the power of experience in the hands of those it belongs to, the customer. In a move that challenges the traditional business model, Melon Mobile is offering a 14-day free trial with 5GB Data plus unlimited Calls & Texts, allowing consumers to take their service for a test…
The DA notes reports that beneficiaries of South African Social Security Agency’s (SASSA) R370 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grants are struggling to verify their identities with SASSA’s new biometric identification system. The new system requires beneficiaries who have been identified by SASSA for identity verification or those that need to change their contact details to be supplied with a verification link from the Department of Home Affairs via SMS in order to submit a photo of their face. “There are however numerous beneficiaries who have not received this link due systems allegedly being down at Home Affairs at the…
Developing Markets technology systems integrator Cassava Technologies (Cassava) has announced that its AI activities will now operate as a separate business unit, Cassava AI. Since the advent of Generative AI, Cassava has forged strategic partnerships with industry giants such as Microsoft, Google, AWS, Anthropic, Oracle, Atlas AI, Cerebras and Palo Alto Networks. These partnerships enable it to offer superior systems integration and support to enterprise customers across strategic international markets. Cassava already provides services such as Data Centres, Cloud, Cyber Security, Fibre Connectivity, and Renewable Energy to large multinational and local companies. The organisation has already trained and deployed more…
Google today announced the 8th cohort of its Google for Startups Accelerator Africa programme. This year’s cohort features ten innovative startups from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa, selected from nearly 1,000 applications, highlighting the remarkable talent and creativity in the African tech ecosystem. Startups play a pivotal role in driving economic development and technological innovation in Africa. By addressing local challenges with tailored solutions, these startups are not only creating jobs but also enhancing the quality of life across the continent. Despite the current “funding winter” in Sub-Saharan Africa, where investment flows have slowed, the resilience and ingenuity of…
IBM today released its annual Cost of a Data Breach Report revealing the average cost of a data breach in South Africa reached R53.10 million in 2024, as breaches grow more disruptive and further expand demands on cyber teams. Globally, 70% of breached organizations reported that the breach caused significant or very significant disruption. Lost business and post-breach customer and third-party response costs drove the year-over-year cost spike worldwide, as the collateral damage from data breaches has only intensified. The disruptive effects data breaches are having on businesses are not only driving up costs but are also extending the after-effect…
Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC), a 100% black-owned broad-based investment holding company, announced a partnership with Grindstone, a global growth-engineer, respected for the pivotal role it plays in creating impact through engineering growth for startups. With a total of sixteen cohorts completed to date, Grindstone continues to expand its impact footprint and is excited about this next cohort in collaboration with MIC. This strategic collaboration marks the initiation of a new chapter of GrindstoneX, a specialised accelerator programme that fosters the growth of high-growth, innovation-driven, woman-owned startups. From the first cohort to the sixteenth, Grindstone’s alumni companies have raised over R2.2…
Shoprite Group’s Checkers Sixty60 on-demand delivery service has maintained its leading position in the South African market, showcasing an impressive 58.1% growth in the 2024 financial year, as reported on Tuesday. Checkers and Checkers Hyper reported sales growth of 12.3% with online sales from our Checkers Sixty60 on-demand platform increasing by 58.1%.. Shoprite and Usave reported sales growth of 10.7% and LiquorShop sales increased by 20%. Shoprite also reported that supermarkets RSA opened a net 201 stores versus 301 stores in 2023 including the stores acquired from Massmart) during the year to total 2 322 stores. Of these net new…