Author: Staff Writer

Slack just became the easiest way to put your Salesforce data, agents, and apps to work. And every customer can start for free. Sales and service teams that spend their days toggling between team chats, CRM, and tools are losing more than just time — they’re losing the context needed to close deals, solve cases, and serve customers. And for AI to actually work, customer data and conversations cannot live in different places. They need to live in one AI work platform, where data, apps, and agents all come together and work side by side with people. Today, we are…

South Africa produces up to 400 000 qualified matriculants annually, competing for approximately 105 000 university spots. For medicine, the odds are considerably steeper. Acceptance rates at the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University sit around 5%, with the University of the Witwatersrand admitting less than 6% of applicants – placing medicine among the most contested programmes in the country. With far more capable applicants than the system can accommodate, the pressure is increasingly reshaping where South Africa’s next generation of doctors are being trained. “Medicine is one of the only programmes in South Africa where you can have…

Shiprazor, the Cape Town-based e-commerce merchant technology and smart logistics platform, has raised $2.65 million (R44m) in seed funding to help African online merchants reduce delivery costs, improve conversion, and simplify fulfilment. The round was led by pan-African venture capital firm Norrsken22, with participation from AAIC, E4E, Tremis Capital, and an impressive roster of angel investors, including senior leaders at Google, bringing Shiprazor’s total funding to $3.3 million (R54.5m). Africa, like many emerging markets, has a fragmented logistics industry, with the African Development Bank estimating global transport costs in Africa are 75% higher than the global average. This limits growth…

Three emerging young scientists are set to represent South Africa at the prestigious Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), showcasing innovative research that addresses critical global challenges in environmental sustainability, space science and biomedical advancement. The Regeneron ISEF is the world’s largest pre-college science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) competition. The event will take place at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona in the USA, from 9 to 15 May 2026. The fair will feature research projects from approximately 1,800 high school learners from more than 80 countries, regions and territories across the globe, with prizes up for grabs. The…

Vodacom Business has announced the appointment of three additional executives to its Extraordinary Business Advisory Board, strengthening the company’s commitment to providing enterprise customers with credible insights and guidance on emerging technologies and business solutions. The Extraordinary Business Advisory Board is a strategic initiative launched by Vodacom Business to support digital transformation in the enterprise sector. Comprising a curated group of thought leaders and respected experts across fields including cloud, cybersecurity, IoT, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation, the board serves as a crucial platform to empower organisations of all sizes to navigate complex challenges and realise their potential through technology.…

Huawei South Africa’s annual Girls in ICT Day gave young women practical skills in areas such as artificial intelligence, coding, and digital entrepreneurship. The day also celebrated their role in the digital economy, not only as future participants but as young innovators who can help shape what comes next. Hosted by Huawei South Africa in partnership with UN Women, the event welcomed students from Gauteng and Limpopo, who are part of UN Women’s African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI), alongside members of Huawei’s Graduate Programme. Themed “CTRL + SHE: Where She Takes Control of the Future,” the programme gave participants…

The Zimbali Lakes Clubhouse, a new landmark on the KZN North Coast, has officially opened to both residents and the public. Following a series of boutique gatherings throughout April — from an intimate residents’ dinner to exclusive media and influencer experiences — the journey culminated in a grand opening celebration on Tuesday, 21 April 2026, attended by over 200 distinguished guests. From arrival — marked by supercars, champagne and oysters — to sunset over the estate, the evening unfolded in an atmosphere of refined elegance. Guests enjoyed exceptional cuisine, immersive lighting, and entertainment, from live music to theatrical smoke and…

McDonald’s South Africa today announced the appointment of Millicent “Milly” Maroga as Impact Director, effective 1 April 2026, further strengthening its purpose of feeding and fostering the communities it serves. Milly brings over 20 years of Corporate Affairs experience across the beverages and financial services sectors. Her career includes roles at South African Breweries, Old Mutual, and HEINEKEN South Africa (now HEINEKEN Beverages), where she served as Corporate Affairs Director. She has also held several board positions, including with the Gauteng Growth Development Agency, and currently serves as a trustee for the Old Mutual Employee Share Scheme. In her role,…

New York Stock Exchange-Listed HPE today announced that Southern Sun, one of South Africa’s leading hospitality groups is elevating guest experiences and operational efficiencies by modernizing its network infrastructure with the HPE self-driving network. Built on an AI-native, cloud-native network architecture with integral security, the intelligent network delivers exceptional wireless experiences to guest and staff, and a reliable infrastructure for enhanced digital experiences across its properties. Southern Sun implemented the HPE self-driving network to advance its service-led strategy and drive value to a lean IT team. The new architecture delivers resilient connectivity for Wi-Fi, IPTV, IP telephony and cloud applications, reducing…

In 2018, Kate Maakane placed second in a hackathon. She was hungry for the opportunity, bright and ready to be challenged. The tech industry didn’t come knocking. It took six more years before she got her shot. A comprehensive 2024/2025 research report titled “Decoding ICT Demand”, conducted by The Collective X, a South African non-profit organisation focused on the digital skills ecosystem, says the country has 118,000 unfilled digital roles, a 37% vacancy rate across the sector, with 41,000 of those positions at junior level. Their data is compiled by analysing job advertisements from major platforms like Pnet and CareerJunction,…

Google Cloud and Salesforce today announced an expanded partnership that will enable AI agents to execute end-to-end workflows across both platforms by solving the long-standing challenge of fragmented data and disconnected systems. With new integrations across Salesforce and Google Cloud, customers can deploy AI agents in tools like Slack and Google Workspace, while Agentforce and Gemini Enterprise provide the intelligence and context behind the scenes. This allows agents to work across systems, reduces risky data movement, and eliminates time lost to context switching. Under the expanded partnership, the two companies will also develop new features that will make it simpler…

Entrepreneurship is rarely a straight line. For many, it begins as a quiet idea nurtured after hours, a side project built between the demands of a corporate career. However, the leap from providing a service to leading a scalable business requires a fundamental shift in mindset and technical capability. Philile Ngubane, the founder of The Office Ship, has navigated this transition, turning her passion for organisation into a robust operational backbone for growing businesses. While in a corporate role, Philile noted a growing demand for virtual assistants. She first launched her small business in 2020, officially registering the company in…

Eskom enters the 2026 winter season with a resilient power system, projecting a winter period of continued energy stability from 1 April to 31 August 2026. This positive outlook follows the successful conclusion of the summer period, during which the national grid operated with ongoing sustained reliability. With the Generation Recovery Plan firmly embedded in day‑to‑day operations, Eskom has moved beyond short‑term recovery into a phase of stability and sustained energy security, ensuring that homes, businesses and industries remain powered through the peak winter months. This stability is underscored by Eskom maintaining a consistent energy supply of 98.9% in the…

As we enter the second quarter of 2026, the hard-won momentum of South Africa’s economic recovery is facing its ultimate stress test. A global energy shock has ignited a severe cost-of-living hike, with soaring fuel prices threatening a new wave of logistics-driven inflation that touches every corner of the consumer landscape. From the price of basic essentials to the stability of household liquidity, the national narrative has shifted into a high-stakes balancing act between domestic optimism and international turmoil. Housing market resilience faces macro-economic headwinds  The upward momentum in the residential property sector, which first gained traction during the monetary…

Two South African technology startups—Loop and Vambo AI—have been selected to join the 10th cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa. Chosen from an exceptionally competitive pool of nearly 2,600 applications, these innovators are part of a final pan-African group of 15 companies. With an acceptance rate of less than 1%, their selection highlights the immense technical talent and resilience emerging from [Country]’s digital ecosystem. The selected South African startups are utilising Artificial Intelligence to address critical local and regional challenges: Loop: Digitises mobility and payments in Africa, helping people, businesses and communities access simpler, more connected transport and…

As AI adoption accelerates, organisations are rethinking the network infrastructure required to support data-intensive workload. Against this backdrop, Huawei’s OptiX Club 2026, hosted in Johannesburg focused on the role of optical networks in enabling faster, smarter digital environments. The event brought together more than 120 customers, partners and industry stakeholders to explore how AI is changing the demands placed on enterprise networks. Opening the event, York Ning, Director of Huawei South Africa ICT Marketing & Solution Sales Department noted that intelligent upgrades still depend on a stable network foundation. “Frankly speaking, in the AI era, networks are the foundation. Networks…

Vodacom is revolutionising customer engagement as we head towards the end of the Easter season with an innovative Augmented Reality Easter Egg Hunt at Vodacom World in Midrand. Running from Wednesday, 22nd April to Saturday, 25th April 2026, from 9am to 5pm daily, the event offers participants the chance to win their share of R250,000 in exciting prizes. Using cutting-edge augmented reality technology, customers will hunt for virtual Easter Eggs while physically exploring Vodaworld, blending digital innovation with tangible experiences. Prize offerings are extensive and include smartphones, tablets, laptops, televisions, gaming consoles, smart appliances, data bundles, and airtime. To amplify…

Apple announced that Tim Cook will become executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors and John Ternus, senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, will become Apple’s next chief executive officer effective on September 1, 2026. The transition, which was approved unanimously by the Board of Directors, follows a thoughtful, long-term succession planning process. Cook will continue in his role as CEO through the summer as he works closely with Ternus on a smooth transition. As executive chairman, Cook will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world. “It has been the greatest privilege of…

As South Africa navigates ongoing energy constraints and rising electricity costs, attention is increasingly turning to a less visible but significant contributor to electricity demand – residential water heating. “Electric geysers are the largest energy loads on residential developments, accounting for up to 40% of all electricity consumption,” says Matthew Whalley, Managing Director of Balwin Properties. This makes the electric geyser one of the largest drivers of residential demand, yet most systems still operate on fixed schedules or manual timers, heating water regardless of whether it is needed. This pattern contributes to unnecessary electricity use and intensifies pressure on the…

admyt today announced that Discovery Bank cardholders will receive an automatic parking refund in Ðiscovery Miles every time they park with admyt and shop in-store. The benefit is now available across admyt’s network of more than 80 malls nationwide. Building on a successful festive-season activation, this first-for-South-Africa collaboration is now an ongoing benefit. It is the first time card-linked rewards have been directly tied to parking behaviour at this scale, transforming parking from a grudge cost into an effortless benefit for cardholders. Discovery Bank Gold, Platinum, Black and Purple Suite clients qualify for this parking benefit, where monthly refund thresholds…

Today marks a pivotal moment for South African business within the hospitality sector with the announcement of a R750 million investment to develop the new Waterfall City Conference Centre and Hotel. The development is a strategic collaboration between Attacq Limited and Rabie Property Group. “Century City has shown what is possible when conferencing and hospitality form part of a carefully planned mixed-use precinct. It becomes an economic engine for the node, not just a venue. Partnering with Attacq in Waterfall City allows us to take that proven model and apply it in a precinct that’s already built for scale, security,…

The University of Pretoria (UP) has expanded its fully online offering with the launch of two new postgraduate diplomas, the Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management and the Postgraduate Diploma in Engineering and Technology Management, presented by the Graduate School of Technology Management in the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT). The launch marks another milestone for UPOnline, the University’s fully online learning platform, which continues to grow across faculties. With the two new programmes, UPOnline programmes are now offered in four UP faculties, reflecting a steady expansion of flexible, career-focused learning. This is the second and third…

Intel today unveiled its new Intel Core™ Series 3 mobile processors, bringing advanced performance, exceptional battery life, and AI-ready to value buyers, commercial and essential edge devices. Purpose-engineered for value, Intel Core Series 3 is built on the proven foundations of Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (code-name Panther Lake) and manufactured on the Intel 18A process node technology, the most advanced logic node developed and manufactured in the United States. The new processors are designed to transform computing for schools, small businesses, and value buyers, delivering the features people care about at unmatched scale. Over 70 designs from leading partners…

As South Africa sharpens its focus on economic growth, digital inclusion and future-facing skills, Huawei is building one of the country’s most visible ICT talent ecosystems, with nearly 37,000 participants reached in the past two years through its digital skills training and industry-readiness programmes. This work is closely aligned with South Africa’s digital development priorities, as outlined in the South Africa Digital Infrastructure Investment Study 2025 by the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the National Planning Commission, which sets out the investment and policy conditions needed to support inclusive digital transformation through 2035. Within that framework, digital skills, affordability…

Rather than merely waiting for the slower pace of legislative alignment across provinces, the online betting industry is looking toward “technical harmonisation” as a precursor to legal change. In this scenario, technology serves as the bridge that allows both sides to meet in the middle. While the global iGaming landscape often struggles with fragmented rules that polarise stakeholders, there’s a unique trend in the South African market which a recent survey at the 2026 SiGMA Africa iGaming conference at GrandWest casino found: a shared desire for technical harmonisation across industry players and regulators alike. According to the SOFTSWISS SiGMA Africa…