Author: Staff Writer
GoDaddy has acquired South Africa’s popular social content startup Over for an undisclosed amount. Over app helps businesses create the photos and videos they need for social media. The company claims to have more than 1 million active users of its own, who are using it to create more than 150,000 projects every day. The US-based company’s app is available in 120 countries with offices n Cape Town and London. Over has grown from humble beginnings in 2012 as a simple “text over photos” app for sharing goals and inspirational quotes, into a multifaceted tool for businesses and individuals, used…
South Africa’s event ticketing and cashless platforms, Howler, announced on Wednesday that it has secured its second round of growth capital investment from three partner companies, namely Techstars, Platform Investment Partners Growth (Platform Growth) and Platform45. In just a few short years Howler has processed over 2,5 million tickets, R1,5 billion in revenues, and managed more than 3,000 vendors. Howler is the first company in Africa to consolidate ticketing, cashless payments and vendor management into one platform. On Howler you can buy tickets and load your money online. You collect a wristband at the event, have the time of your…
Uber Eats on Monday announced expansion plans across Soweto, saying hundreds of new eaters are downloading the app every week and with a wide range of restaurants to choose from, there’s always an option for any occasion. Uber Eats – which allows people to search for and discover local restaurants, order a meal at the touch of a button – started operating in South Africa’s largest township in May 2019. The company sais since the launch in May, Soweto has been a very strong performing area for Johannesburg city in terms of consistent weekly growth. With exciting new expansion prospects…
Cryptocurrencies have come along with us for longer than we believe, in fact, 11 years have gone by now since Bitcoin was created. During this time, the great challenge of those of us who are passionate this world has always been the same: adoption. And the path of adoption is slower than many of us wish. One thing is clear: the adoption will come from the hand of two great sectors: gamming and online commerce. All the experts agree about this point which removes any doubt on this question. Well, today we bring you the breaking news about online commerce…
Huawei is reassured by the UK government’s confirmation that it can continue working with its customers to keep the 5G roll-out on track. The UK government will allow Huawei to play a limited role in supplying the country’s 5G networks. The government said the package of restrictions being announced on “high risk” 5G vendors will allow it to “mitigate the potential risk posed by the supply chain and to combat the range of threats, whether cybercriminals, or state-sponsored attacks”. The U.K. government said that Huawei will be restricted from being involved in “sensitive functions” in a network of features labelled…
Hatchbacks are the most sold used cars in South Africa; this body type is even more popular than the perennially popular sports utility vehicle (SUV). But which are the most popular used hatches in South Africa? According to George Mienie, CEO of AutoTrader, the Volkswagen Polo is the most popular used hatch by far. “It is the most sold hatchback and also the most searched for a hatch in the land. So, when it comes to the Polo, there is direct parity between consumer interest and spend,” he notes. Mienie has based his findings on AutoTrader search and sales data…
Having deployed most of its R180m Section 12J Venture Capital Fund: KNF Ventures, Knife Capital today announced that it is extending the fund for new investors to participate and build on the success and momentum created. One of the main challenges to the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa is access to equity finance. To assist higher-risk ventures in overcoming this challenge, the Section 12J venture capital company (VCC) regime was established where qualifying investors in approved Section 12J VCCs can deduct the full amount of their investment from taxable income in the tax year that the…
Michael Page has published the 2020 South Africa Salary & Skills Guide. The salary benchmark is derived from our proprietary database capturing job advertisements and placements throughout 2019. The last year has proven to be challenging for the professional labour market within South Africa, due to various economic and political reasons. The year started cautiously, with the General Elections held 8th May, and investors adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach. This has, however, continued with policy uncertainty such as expropriation of land without compensation, underlined by the highest unemployment rate since comparable data was recorded in 2008, peaking at 29.1%…
Controversial JSE-Listed Net 1, the company behind Cash Paymaster Services that used to run SA’s social grant payment system, is selling its South Korean business KSNET. Net 1 is selling 100% of KSNET, a South Korean payment processor, to Stonebridge Capital and Payletter for $237 million (R3.4 billion). The transaction, which is not subject to a financing condition, is expected to close in March 2020. “KSNET is a profitable and cash generative business, but operates autonomously and in a more developed economy with limited overlap with the group’s other activities. We also believe that the intrinsic value of KSNET was…
Vodacom’s Summer ShakeUp! campaign is shaking up lives for the better. Today at Highveld Mall Vodacom handed over the keys of a brand-new Audi A4 to Songezo Mampungu from Witbank. Born in Mount Frere in the Eastern Cape, Songezo moved to Witbank 10 years ago to join his family and spends his days making sure other people’s cars are spotless at the local car wash where he works to help support his family. Not only is this 28-year-old Songezo’s first set of wheels, but the first car in his immediate family and a big deal for everyone. “My employer previously…