Author: Staff Writer

Sun Exchange, a global solar micro-leasing marketplace, has kickstarted a R7 million ($460,000) Uprise.Africa equity crowdfunding campaign, for about 5.2% equity stake in the company. Following a two-week private sale period, the Uprise.Africa campaign is now open to the public. Sun Exchange is renowned as a technology and renewable energy leader across Africa. Since launching in 2015, the company has built a community of more than 8,000 Sun Exchange members across approximately 140 countries and brought solar power to 13 South African schools, businesses and organisations, offsetting 1,500 tonnes of carbon per year, and growing. It has received extensive accolades for its unique approach…

AlphaCode, Rand Merchant Investment Holdings (RMI)’s incubation, acceleration and investment vehicle has awarded R23 million supplier development loans to three FinTech startups, Zande Africa, Bright On Capital and Livestock Wealth. All businesses have exciting growth stories. Zande Africa started in 2016 with just two founders, Siya Ntutela and Mdu Thabethe. The business provides trade and merchant finance to spaza shops to enable stock purchases. It now has a turnover of R17 million with 71 staff and it is about to open a third depot in Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, after growing its operations in Nelspruit and Ermelo. Bright On…

Vodacom Tanzania and Flickswitch today announced the availability of SIM Manager, a mobile connectivity management platform for companies looking to provide Mobility and Internet of Things (IoT) services. The new Vodacom service creates an innovative mobile eco-system that gives businesses in Tanzania with large scale communication needs access to self-help online SIM management tools. Customers can now self-provision mobile numbers and build their own monthly packages by setting up smart Top-Up rules. “We firmly believe that the launch of this service will stimulate innovation and support for both SME’s and large corporates alike with the necessary business tools to address…

The Telkom September Big Deal has been revealed. The operator is offering a FreeMe 20GB SIM Only Promotional Deal at R499 a month. This promotional deal is a month-to-month SIM Only promotion for the next 24-months with no device included in the deal. The FreeMe 20GB SIM Only Promotion will expire on the 30 September 2019. The deal provides more than 80GB of data. The deal also includes: 1500 free minutes on all networks 3000 Telkom-to-Telkom free minutes 2GB for WhatsApp calls and messages 10GB for music streaming 50GB for video streaming

The Presidential e-toll task team created by President Ramaphosa proposes that motorists pay R100 a month or 10 cents to pass under each gantry. According to City Press, the task team believes this will provide a 70% discount of the current fees for Gauteng’s e-tolls. The newspaper added that another proposal calls for the scarpping of Gauteng e-tolls. The Department of Transport, Sanral, the Gauteng provincial government and Treasury has until the end of last month to come up with a solution. The decision on the future of e-tolls is still awaited. The Austrian-owned ETC collects tolls on behalf of Sanral.…

Toyota South Africa has teamed up with Altron and Vodacom Business, to roll-out connectivity features and in-car Wi-Fi on all new Toyota and Lexus models. Known as Toyota Connect, the new connectivity hub will be housed within the MyToyota App which was launched in 2014. The technology allows Toyota owners access to a myriad of convenience, connectivity and safety benefits. “As of 01 September 2019, all-new Toyota and Lexus models sold in South Africa will come standard with in-car Wi-Fi including 15GB free data (which you can top up) as well as a host of connectivity features and benefits…

Mozambique needs to create more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of extractive sector megaprojects. This is according to the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), which believes that this sector is still 70% characterised by informal micro-enterprises. Mega-projects such as coal mines or gas liquefaction are often forced to import equipment, consumables and services from overseas because of the lack of local companies able to guarantee their supply. However, petrochemical group Sasol is seeking to change this and enable SMEs to grow by diversifying its supplier base. In South Africa [it’s home market], Sasol focuses specifically on…

The new Audi Q3 is a family SUV with great all-round talents. Just like the Audi top-of-the-line models, it features a digital cockpit and a large MMI screen with touch response. Numerous infotainment solutions from the full-size segment connect the compact SUV with its environment. New assist systems support the driver when parking, in town and on long journeys. These features also enhance comfort, as does the further developed suspension. The Audi Q3 range is priced as follows, along with the standard Audi Freeway plan (5 year / 100 000 km) and inclusive of all taxes: Audi Q3 35 TFSI…

Fuel and petrochemicals company Sasol released its plan to bolster connectivity in Mozambique to enable its workers well-equipped and ready for the digital world. Mozambique has become a hotbed of investor activity after one of the largest gas finds in the world’s recent history located offshore in the Rovuma basin, near the Tanzanian border. About 20% of the gas Sasol produces in Mozambique is used for power generation there. The balance mainly feeds into an 860km pipeline to the company’s Secunda plant in SA, to be used in its production processes. As part of its connectivity strategy, Sasol announced on…

Volvo’s best-selling XC90 has been recharged to offer South Africa’s growing families a new six-seater configuration. The refreshed premium quality SUV boasts new wheels, more colour options, and some subtle styling enhancements. Pricing for the recharged Volvo XC90 for 2019 starts at R1 023 700 (T5 Geartronic AWD Momentum) The latest XC90 follows in the esteemed footsteps of the all-new XC90, which was launched globally in 2015. At the time, it was the first of Volvo’s cars to feature the company’s new more prominent iron mark, which has the iconic arrow elegantly aligned with the diagonal slash across the grille.…