Author: Staff Writer

The global artificial intelligence (AI) market is expected to top $300 billion by 2026, with retail and banking expected to be the two major sectors driving growth. With the technology maturing so fast, small and medium retailers should be looking at how they can use AI and automation to get ahead of the game and increase their competitiveness. That’s according to Steven Heilbron, CEO of Capital Connect, a fintech company that offers business funding to South African retailers. He says that AI technologies are becoming more accessible to even smaller retailers, thanks to platforms such as ChatGPT, creating opportunities for agile companies…

Shoprite and Checkers’ private label products scooped first place in nine categories – including best Mild Cheddar Cheese, Buffalo Milk Mozzarella, Chunky Cottage Cheese and Dairy Dessert – at the 190th South African Dairy Awards. A total of 52 products were submitted under seven of the supermarkets’ different private labels: Housebrand, Ritebrand, Crystal Valley, Royale, Simple Truth, Oh My Goodness, and Forage & Feast. The following products achieved the SA Champion Award as winners in their respective categories: Crystal Valley Cheddar – Lancewood Forage & Feast Mozzarella Di Bufala – Zandam Cheese Crystal Valley Low Fat Chunky Chives Cottage Cheese…

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa  (ICASA) has established a Council Committee to determine the impact of the current state of load-shedding on the electronic communications, broadcasting, and postal services sectors. On 5 April 2023, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) terminated the National State of Disaster on the Impact of Severe Electricity Supply Constraints. Consequently, all Regulations and Directions made in terms of section 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002, pursuant to the declaration of the National State of Disaster, were repealed with immediate effect. Following the decision by the Minister of COGTA to…

MultiChoice Group, Rapyd and General Catalyst today announced a joint venture aimed at developing an integrated payment platform for Africa to operate under a new company, called Moment. Multichoice owns DStv, Supersport, and other media assets. Moment offers expanded payment infrastructure for businesses across Africa to help them collect and make payments easier, quicker, and more affordable in any manner that their buyers or suppliers prefer. Moment will also offer additional options for consumers to spend and save money more wisely. The aim is to transform the African payments landscape by making digital payments more accessible and reliable for domestic,…

inDrive, a global mobility and urban services platform, is strengthening its B2B segment offering by introducing new solutions in inDrive.Freight and inDrive.Couriers delivery verticals. inDrive will broaden its offering through expanding the team and the acquisition of new tech solutions. The company recently completed a transaction with Master Delivery (MD), a SaaS platform for last-mile delivery, whereas, MD’s team in charge of global expansion, will be joining inDrive to strengthen its capacity for segment development. The transaction also covers inDrive’s acquisition of MD’s exclusive technology and its integration into its existing offering to the B2B segment. The team joining inDrive…

MFS Africa, a  pan-African fintech company, is thrilled to announce that it has been crowned FinTech of the Year at a ceremony held last night, 24 May, in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. This prestigious accolade recognises the company’s outstanding contributions to the fintech industry in Africa and beyond through payment solutions that make borders matter less for millions of Africans. The Fintech of the Year award is a testament to MFS Africa’s dedication to transforming the financial landscape in Africa through its network of networks that connects mobile money providers, banks, fintech, money transfer operators and enterprises, enabling seamless…

Angola Cables and Orange have reached an agreement to share infrastructure on the West African Djoliba Network. The agreement provides customers with direct access to Francophone markets in West Africa and gives both companies the opportunity to expand their respective global connectivity by sharing domestic networks as well as Angola Cables’ submarine cable network and backbone infrastructure. Angola Cables and Orange offer seamless connectivity to Djoliba Network and other global destinations Rui Faria, Global Commercial Director of Angola Cables, says: “Getting access to efficient and secure digital and cloud services is an essential requirement for any business in today’s gigabyte…

Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology, announces a series of innovative updates to Sage Intacct to help businesses across the world simplify financial consolidations, streamline operations and improve financial planning. “Midsize businesses require speed and agility in the finance and accounting workflows that underpin every facet of their operations,” said Dan Miller, EVP Sage Intacct. “We’re helping them modernize their financial management systems to streamline processes and gain insights, enabling them to drive efficiency, reduce costs, and prepare for rapid growth.”   Partial Ownership through Tiered Consolidations This innovative feature streamlines the consolidation process at an entity…

Banking as a Service (BaaS) and embedded finance enabler Ukheshe has recently launched a new innovation hub, Ukheshe Labs, to focus on research and development in the digital payments market. Jason Penton, Ukheshe Co-Founder and Head of Ukheshe Labs, says such an endeavour should be a priority for any company operating in the tech sphere. “As a company grows, there is often a very structured process for business as usual. When that happens, it’s easy to become stuck in mundane processes, leaving product development by the wayside. The idea behind Ukheshe Labs is to prevent this by bringing together highly…

The Coega Development Corporation, through its Capital Raising and Sustainability Business Units, together with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), are undertaking preparatory work towards the establishment of a Biofibre Hub, or Cluster, in the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Coega’s partnership with the CSIR offers SEZ investors the best of South Africa’s innovation capability, including the R&D outputs of the National Innovation Clusters and the R&D produced in the country’s leading research universities through the CSIR network. This is critical for the development of new economic sectors. “The CSIR views this partnership as a necessary doorway to…

Virgin Active South Africa will launch its brand new, member-centred app and rewards programme in May to incentivise regular exercise and lifestyle changes. The new app is part of the businesses’ overall mission to connect people to exceptional active experiences – wherever they are in their journey, their budget, or in the world. The app is designed to meet the needs of existing Virgin Active members while attracting potential new ones. The app will track members’ activity and allocate rewards for consistency. The app will also serve as a one-stop-shop for any wellness and fitness related topics. Members can access…

Even though South Africa’s official unemployment rate decreased marginally in the fourth quarter of last year with 169 000 jobs gained in the period, the number of unemployed persons increased by 28 000 to reach 7.8 million. Given the current economic environment, Kaspersky is warning of the risk of cybercriminals exploiting people’s need to find meaningful employment by targeting them in increasingly sophisticated scams. In Africa, 8.7% of individuals and corporate users were affected by phishing last year. This is according to Kaspersky’s Spam and Phishing in 2022 report. Closer to home, 9.7% of South Africans experienced phishing attacks. While these spam…

Tyme, one of the fastest growing digital banking groups globally, has successfully secured two new international investors as part of its pre-series C capital raise launched in January this year. This comes as the group’s South African flagship, TymeBank, celebrates its 7 million customer milestone this month (12 May 2023). Along with the two new shareholders – Norrsken22, an Africa-focused tech growth fund, and Blue Earth Capital (“BlueEarth”), an independent global impact investment firm – Tyme’s shareholders have invested a total of $77.8 million. The funds being raised are intended to further operations in South Africa and the Philippines, for…

Africa Data Centres, a business of Cassava Technologies group, ihas formed a strategic partnership with The London Internet Exchange (LINX) to explore growth and opportunities in current and new markets across the continent Africa. Tesh Durvasula, CEO of Africa Data Centres, highlighted their Pan-African Interconnection partnership to explore opportunities continent-wide. The goal is to add value to local network communities, LINX membership and data centre facilities across Africa. According to recent research by Accenture into the ICT ecosystem, it was revealed that Africa is on the brink of a tech explosion. The consulting firm says certain countries are on a particularly…

If you are unemployed, under 30, have access to a laptop and data, and have a Grade-12 Certificate… listen up! This is for you: You can prepare yourself for the workplace of the future with a number of scholarships in 4IR Skills and make yourself highly sought after in the job market with a Nationally Accredited Qualification. A career in the Tech sector is not beyond your reach and all are invited to apply to the Sisekelo Tech Scholarship Programme (STSP), designed to help address the Tech Skills Gap among South African youth. Primarily targeted at young unemployed individuals as…

According to the latest KASI411 taxi commuter data from March 2023, an exciting new collaboration that harnesses the valuable insights acquired through the Sebenza online platform, combined with the convenience of their free taxi Wi-Fi hotspots. Food is the biggest monthly expense for most of South Africa’s taxi commuters, but despite high levels of unemployment, many are still able to make ends meet, either through a side hustle, a SASSA grant, or through family support. These are some of the recent insights from the latest KASI411 taxi commuter data (March 2023), an innovative partnership between market research agency, Red Fox…

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is rapidly transforming the business landscape, with profound implications for leaders and their interpersonal skills. According to Jacqui van Rooijen, Leadership expert and Transformation Coach at YCagel, leaders will need to adapt their management approach to leverage the benefits and mitigate the risks associated with AI-powered team management. “There is no denying the transformative impact of AI on our world, and it’s poised to reshape leadership practices,” says Jacqui as she delves into the potential pitfalls and advantages it offers in managing and leading teams. Changing Interpersonal Dynamics AI technology reshapes the traditional interpersonal dynamics between…

SoluGrowth, leading South African business process solutions company with DAC Systems as specialist ERP implementation partner, has recently implemented the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (Business Central) platform at the Food & Beverages Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (FoodBev SETA). The initial phase of the project implemented General Ledger, Budgeting, Journal Entry Process, Cash Management, Asset Management, Creditors/Debtors Management, Vendor Management, Contract Management, Purchasing Management, and Projects functionality as well as Reports. This enabled FoodBev SETA to enjoy a new more robust set of business management tools from the outset. Subsequent to that, the project and technical teams of…

Huawei Digital Power this week launched its new commercial and industrial products designed to ensure business continuity for small businesses and households adversely impacted by intensifying load shedding, as well as rapidly rising fuel and electricity prices. Among the products launched is the Huawei Power-S seamless solar hybrid power and backup solution. The solution is suitable for commercial and industrial scenarios providing high-quality hybrid power supply. It can be used for farms, malls, hotels, restaurants, banks, offices, campuses, and factories, which have energy needs 30-100KW range. Power-S can support multiple energy sources including photovoltaic, diesel generators, and Grid. As a…

The current tech product landscape is as exciting as ever, we see many innovative designs, cutting-edge features, and astronomical improvements in how they enhance the life of consumers. The HUAWEI Consumer Business Group has announced and launched a series of new technologically advanced flagship products. From revolutionary smartphones, laptops, to trendy wearables and more – consumers and tech enthusiasts alike, are spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting the latest and greatest products to help them get things done. Here’s a breakdown of the innovative and smart products:   The HUAWEI P60 Pro: Exquisite art and technology In the ever-evolving…

A white paper released by Huawei and IDC has underlined how significant communication technologies will be in building the sustainable, carbon neutral energy grids of the future. The white paper, titled “On Electric Power Communication All-Optical Network, Accelerating Digital Transformation of Electric Power”, was released locally at the Huawei Sub-Saharan Africa Electric Power Summit, which formed part of Enlit Africa 2023, one of Africa’s largest energy and utility conferences. It underlines how the power communication network is the basis for automatic power grid dispatching, market-oriented network operations, and modernised management. Such a network, it says, is an important means to…

Bespoke software engineering firm, Dariel Software, has announced the launch of its Cape Town office together with the appointment of Craig Mitchelmore as Regional Manager as the company expands its reach to the Western Cape. The decision to expand comes off the back of Dariel’s own impressive growth trajectory and an evolving client base in the region where demand for its cutting-edge technology and solutions is rapidly increasing. Dariel will establish closer ties with customers in the Western Cape while being better positioned to introduce its services to a portfolio of clients beyond the financial services sector more prevalent in…

Bayobab today announced strategic pan-African connectivity partnership with Microsoft. This partnership will see Bayobab provide access to large-scale infrastructure services to build capacity to further Microsoft’s cloud initiatives, accelerating digital transformation across organisations and broader communities. This partnership comes at a critical point in Africa’s digital growth trajectory with an internet-based economy on the rise. Sub-Saharan Africa will be home to more than 1 billion people, with 50% under the age of 25 years, forecasts World Bank. A continent with the youngest population and a growing appetite for digital connectivity to access entertainment, financial and commercial needs provide enormous potential.…

Cloud technology is a crucial enabler for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), assisting them to bolster growth by enabling them to collaborate more efficiently with their partners and suppliers whilst increasing efficiency. One Linkage, a women-owned technology company, has recognised this, and is hosting an upcoming event on 25 May 2023 to delve into cloud technology and its potential to foster growth for SMEs participating in ESD programmes. With a keen focus on innovation and leveraging modern solutions, this event will provide a platform for corporates, ESD practitioners and consultants and incubators to explore the transformative power of cloud technology…

Phuthuma Nathi, the MultiChoice Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) share scheme, is looking for shareholders who have not received their dividends between 2006 and 2022.  As one of the most successful BBBEE schemes in South Africa, with more than 78 000 Black shareholders, Phuthuma Nathi has been paying dividends every year since the start of the scheme in 2006. Despite our efforts to contact shareholders, there is still a significant number of shareholders who have not claimed their dividends. Some of the main reasons for unclaimed dividends are that shareholders forget to update their bank account and personal details, which…