Author: Staff Writer

An increasing number of South Africans are embracing PayShap, South Africa’s first interbank, interoperable, real-time payments service, which experienced strong growth in its first year, in line with the service’s fast-expanding community of participating banks and new users. Promoting instant, convenient, easy and safe payments within the transaction limit of R3 000, BankservAfrica’s PayShap data shows there were over 14 million transactions, with a settlement value in excess of R9 billion, in the period between 13 March 2023 to 29 February 2024. Over 2.5 million users have opted into using a ShapID identifier, such a mobile phone number, in order…

In support of homegrown South African innovation, Telkom is a proud partner of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC+Africa) taking place from 13-14 March 2024 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).  GEC+Africa, an initiative of Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), is a gathering of entrepreneurs and leaders from more than 50 African nations who are committed to advancing entrepreneurial activity throughout their countries. The South African startup ecosystem is a thriving hub of innovative and talented entrepreneurs with a desire to scale. The congress is expected to connect entrepreneurs to the best global resources and investor network, create platforms that…

DFA and its parent company, Maziv, have followed up their ambitious network expansion project with two additional infrastructure upgrades to improve network stability in dense areas, accelerate delivery of new services and to future proof the network to provide for scale and sustainable growth. In August 2023, DFA announced a R400-million fibre network expansion project to deploy 800 Dry Underground Distribution Cabinets (DUDC) all over South Africa in areas with high network density. Today, DFA announced the launch of two more initiatives aimed at enhancing the DUDC project’s efficacy. Andreas Uys, Chief Technology Officer at Maziv, says, “The two new…

Capitec announced today that it has taken control of a global online consumer group Avafin. The Prudential Authority of the SA Reserve Bank has approved a transaction for Capitec to increase its shareholding in Avafin Holding Limited (Avafin), an international online consumer lending group, from 40.66% to 97.69% at a purchase price of €26.3 million. In March 2017, Capitec acquired an initial 40% interest in Cream Finance Holding Limited (renamed Avafin), domiciled in Cyprus. The acquisition of a minority interest in Avafin in 2017 provided Capitec with the opportunity to gain experience in the international online consumer credit market, management…

The Southern African Institute of Government Auditors’ (SAIGA) inaugural Audit and Finance Indaba is an important event for auditors and finance professionals in South Africa. Themed ‘The Era of Big Data and Cybercrime’, this year’s Indaba reflects the growing importance of these two factors in the field of auditing and finance. As the industry professionals count down the days to the Indaba, which is scheduled to take place at the Investec Pretoria Office on Friday, 15 March 2024, the SAIGA Chief Executive Officer, Russel Morena, writes about the risks, changes as well as the opportunities presented by big data and cybercrime in the field…

Simera Sense, a world leader providing end-to-end optical solutions for the small satellite Earth observation industry, has raised €13.5 million in its first growth investment round. The company, which offers a diverse array of ‘off-the-shelf’ high-resolution cameras ready for use by clients across the global small satellite industry, has grown rapidly since its founding in 2018. Simera supplies solutions to global customers in the Earth observation data and service market, which is estimated to be worth $12.55 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach $20.73 billion by 2029. Simera Sense will use the investment from NewSpace Capital and Knife…

The Rand Show is happy to announce that ABSA will be the official bank partner for this year’s event at the Johannesburg Expo Centre at NASREC from March 28th to April 1st. ABSA’s largest role for the Show will be to help empower SMMEs to trade better through several offers and as the sole provider of Point-of-Sale (POS) devices. ABSA will have their stand in Hall 6 and will be a significant part of the second iteration of the SMME Summit, following the immense success of the inaugural summit in 2023. ABSA will have two key speakers at the Summit, Khanya Matshikwe, SME Head: Client…

The Information Regulator on Monday morning confirmed that it has received two notifications regarding a security compromise from the Electoral Commission (IEC). The security compromise saw the unlawful release of candidate lists for the African National Congress (ANC) and the Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MK) for the 2024 elections. RELATED: ANC Dismayed By Leaking Of Candidate List Sent To IEC – The Bulrushes The Regulator said it will attend to the notifications from the IEC under the requirements of the Protection of Personal Information Act No. 4 of 2013 (POPIA). However, the Regulator said it advised the IEC that the notifications…

The introduction of AI-powered virtual agents is not expected to impact the number of jobs in South Africa’s Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry. In fact, industry players believe that AI will only bolster the strengths that have earned the country its reputation as a global market leader. South Africa’s BPO sector is fast growing, employing over 200 000 people. According to statistics shared by Minister Ebrahim Patel in November 2023, 90% of employees in the sector are young people, while 60% are women. “Call centres make up a huge proportion of South Africa’s BPO sector and the jobs it creates.…

In 2023, Toyota took top position as South Africa’s most sold used car brand with 60,296 units sold, while the Ford Ranger reigned supreme as the country’s most sold model with 20,156 units sold last year. That’s according to the 2023 AutoTrader Car Industry Report, which has just been published. The inclusion of sales data in this year’s annual report presents the industry with a tool to assess market dynamics and gain an in-depth understanding of shopper behaviour.    According to AutoTrader CEO George Mienie, the report comes at a time when the automotive industry – here in South Africa and globally too…

This week marks International Women in Tech Week. Despite progress being made in gender equality and equity over the last decade, the underrepresentation of women in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields continues to persist. According to the latest UNESCO report on gender-responsive education, too many girls and women are held back by biases, social norms and expectations influencing the quality of the education they receive and the subjects they study. Girls are particularly under-represented in developing countries in the African continent; particularly around STEM education and, consequently, in STEM careers. This gender disparity is alarming, especially as STEM…

Women in South Africa (SA) are uniquely positioned to become the solution to the country’s greatest challenges by harnessing the power of technology, says ALX, a leading tech training and career acceleration provider. Against the backdrop of this year’s United Nations International Women’s Day (IWD) theme, ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’, ALX calls on SA’s rapidly growing technology sector to take shared ownership in addressing the digital gender gap, or risk leaving a generation of talented, young women behind in the fourth industrial revolution. According to a recent report, women hold only 23% of tech employment positions in SA, accounting…

Huawei held the Green Development Summit, themed “Thrive with Green ICT”, during MWC Barcelona 2024. At the summit, guests from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), MTN Group, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Kenya’s ICT Authority, and Indonesia’s Bandung Institute of Technology discussed how digital technology can be used to promote green development and enable an inclusive and sustainable digital world. Jeffrey Zhou, President of ICT Marketing at Huawei, noted in his speech that digital technology has become a key enabler for global sustainable development. He stressed that Huawei would continually work…

3Sixty Global Solutions Group (3Sixty GSG) is proud to announce the acquisition of the 1994-established Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology (CDE), South Africa’s leading diabetes hypertension management solutions company. This acquisition, completed in a cash transaction, underscores 3Sixty GSG’s commitment to expanding its portfolio in the healthcare sector, particularly in the fight against life style diseases like diabetes and hypertension. These conditions have seen a dramatic rise in prevalence across South Africa. With over three decades of pioneering work in diabetes and hypertension care, the CDE has established itself as a beacon of hope and support for individuals living with…

A new venture capital fund that blends investment and entrepreneurship launched today. Conducive Capital is a newly formed, majority black-owned, South African venture capital company investing in early- and growth- stage disruptive technologies that are post-revenue, capital efficient, good unit economics with product market fit, and have the ability to scale their businesses both locally and globally. The company’s founding partners are Clive Butkow, founder and former CEO of Kalon Venture Partner, and Mitchan Adams, co-founder of Ozow, a leading South African fintech company, and current CEO of Aions. Prior to Clive’s role at Kalon he was the COO of…

Cell C promotes El Kope as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director on the Cell C Board. The company said this strategic move reinforces its commitment to excellence and financial leadership, harvesting from their internal top talent pool. El Kope, a Chartered Accountant and finance executive, joined Cell C in September 2022 as the Executive Head for Financial Planning & Analysis. Cell C said her exceptional performance and unwavering dedication led her to step up as Acting CFO following the departure of the previous CFO in August 2023. El has a proven track record and brings a wealth of experience…

Showmax has just dropped the trailer for Tracking Thabo Bester, the true-crime documentary South Africa has been asking for ever since GroundUp first broke the news that the convicted murderer and rapist did not burn to death in Cell 35 after all and was instead shopping at Woolworths in Sandton City. Thabo Bester was the most searched person in South Africa on Google in 2023, with his co-accused, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, just behind in fourth place, as the whole country obsessed over Bestermania and the stormy tale of love, murder, deception and corruption. Daily Maverick named them both ‘SA Villain…

The BMW Group presents a fusion of art and innovation at the Frieze Los Angeles art fair in the form of the BMW i5 Flow NOSTOKANA. The one-of-a-kind vehicle combines colour-change technology developed by BMW with the artistic language of South African artist Esther Mahlangu. The designer piece, with sections of attached film that can be electronically animated, embodies the latest development in colour-change technology for vehicle surfaces in cooperation with E Ink. The BMW i5 Flow NOSTOKANA celebrates its world premiere at the fair opening on 29 February. The contemporary tribute recalls the BMW Art Car designed by Mahlangu…

Eskom board announced the arrival of Eskom Group Chief Executive, Dan Marokane, who officially assumes his role today. He re-joins Eskom at a time when the organisation faces an existential challenge and is undergoing significant changes that require hands-on, bold, and decisive leadership. Eskom Board Chairman Mteto Nyati expressed confidence in Marokane’ s abilities, as well as in the leadership and staff of Eskom, emphasising their collective commitment to turning the organisation around. “We expect Dan and his leadership team to accomplish at least two critical tasks. First, they must address the current business challenges. Loadshedding must become a thing…

The newly-formed National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO) today announced the commencement of operations as a single, one-stop, all-in-one dispute resolution service made up of the four (4) former existing services – the Ombudsman for Banking Services (OBS); the Credit Ombud (CO); the Ombudsman for Long-Term Insurance (OLTI); and the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance (OSTI). The Ombud Council, granted the NFO recognition (under section 194 of the Financial Sector Regulation Act, 9 of 2017 (FSR Act), as an industry ombud scheme on 23 February 2024. Complaints will be accepted from 1 March 2024. All the services and assistance previously provided to…

Mastercard and MTN Fintech have signed a multi-market agreement that will set in motion a new era of collaboration to connect millions of people and small businesses across Africa with digital tools to transact through secure mobile payments, expanding access to the benefits of the cashless digital economy. The partnership will use Mastercard’s cutting edge technology and capabilities to support MTN’s ambition to become Africa’s largest fintech platform for both merchants and consumers. This follows Mastercard and MTN’s recent agreement for a minority investment into MTN Group Fintech – the digital financial services arm of Africa’s largest mobile network operator…

Transnet acting CEO Michelle Phillips has been appointed as its new boss, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan announced on Wednesday. The Minister also announced the appointment of Nosipho Maphumulo as the Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO). “These are critical appointments which represent our steadfast commitment as government to equip Transnet with a competent and experienced executive leadership team to drive the strategic interventions that the board has put in place as part of the Transnet recovery plan,” Gordhan said. Phillips is currently acting as the Group Chief Executive of Transnet, and there has been improvements in the performance of ports…

At MWC 2024, Huawei officially released the National Cloud 2.0 solution worldwide. Huawei aims to help government organizations around the world accelerate national digital transformation and promote intelligence. Hu Yuhai, Vice President of Huawei Hybrid Cloud, said: “Global digital transformation has reached a new stage of full intelligence driven by data and AI. The National Cloud 2.0 solution from Huawei provides trusted cloud infrastructure, innovative cloud services, and extensive industry know-how. We aim to help governments achieve national digital visions faster.” The National Cloud 2.0 Solution Has Been Officially Released Today, more than 170 countries and regions have announced digital…

During MWC Barcelona 2024, Huawei held the Huawei Talent Summit and made announcements relevant to several talent development initiatives, including: the launch of the applications for the global ITU-Huawei Generation Connect Young Leadership Programme; the announcement that the joint project between Huawei and UNESCO’s Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) will be implemented in Morocco; and Huawei Cloud’s startups programme. The theme of the event was “I C Talent: Nurturing Excellence in a Digital World”. Attendees included representatives from international organizations like ITU and UNESCO, government officials from Greece, Kenya, and Mexico, female industry leaders, entrepreneurs participating in the Huawei Cloud…

Discovery today announced the official launch of the Discovery Pothole Patrol Academy in partnership with Avis Southern Africa. Following a successful pilot in 2023 with 18 learners, the Academy is now accredited by the Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (INSETA) to offer a 12-month practical skills training programme providing an NQF Level 3 qualification. In its first official year, which kicked off on 1 February 2024, the Academy is providing classroom and on-the job-training to 24 learners through EduWize, an accredited learnership and skills development provider. Participants are men and women aged 22 to 34 from previously disadvantaged communities…