Author: Staff Writer
TymeBank and JSE-listed retailer TFG have established a co-branded TymeBank TFG Money account debit card, which has attracted 180 000 customers. This follows a partnership that was established in October 2021. The partnership has enabled the creation of more than 600 TymeBank TFG Money branded kiosks located in TFG stores across the country, enabling customers to have direct and convenient access to transactional banking and through the TymeBank TFG Money bank account. Customers can open a TymeBank TFG Money bank account at a kiosk in select TFG stores. It takes less than 5 minutes. No paperwork. No monthly fees. Customers…
inDrive, the world’s fastest-growing online ride-hailing service, today announced that it is utilizing global risk intelligence company SHIELD’s Device Intelligence. SHIELD’s technology is strengthening inDrive’s defenses against fraud and helping it achieve the highest levels of trust, transparency and fairness for drivers and passengers worldwide. With the second most downloaded mobility app in the world, inDrive provides for the mobility needs of users in over 700 cities and across 47 countries. Today, the inDrive app has been downloaded more than 150 million times. A people-driven business on a mission to challenge injustice, the platform uniquely empowers drivers and passengers to…
At the start of any new year, we usually pen down our goals for the year ahead. Most of them come in the form of exercising more by joining a gym. Yet, our busy schedules and the immense task of maintaining a functional work-life balance means that exercise usually slips through the cracks. During the pandemic, some of South Africa’s biggest gym chains reported record-breaking drops in gym subscriptions. At the same time, South Africans were still getting their fitness fix somewhere. Where were they? Many were smashing their fitness goals by exercising at home. Today, the home gym trend…
An Interview with Vincent van Wyk, Founder and CEO of Fluenty, Lessons in Starting a Tech Company. Fluenty started in August 2018. Vincent van Wyk, Founder and CEO, consulted for several businesses for five years prior to starting Fluenty. To meet the development needs of growing businesses, Fluenty equip their clients to navigate enterprise technology systems with ease so they can drive revenue and unlock new opportunities for business growth. Funding The company was bootstrapped for the first four months starting out with just two developers. When further funding was required to cover salaries during a difficult time of the…
Mama Money, a rapidly growing fintech that offers cross-border money transfer and banking services has partnered with AFC Commercial Bank, a market leader in Zimbabwe with a reliable and robust payout network. This partnership allows Mama Money customers to easily send money to any AFC Commercial Bank branch for cash collection at 45 locations across Zimbabwe. It’s estimated that the monthly remittance flows from South Africa to Zimbabwe range between $30 to $60 million US dollars through both formal and informal channels and accounts for over 10% of the country’s GDP according to the World Bank. But the cost of…
The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) has added a new clause which deals with cryptocurrency products, to the Code of Advertising Practice. The new rules are aimed at protecting consumers from being misled by unethical advertisers and are the result of consultation and agreement with the cryptocurrency industry. “This is a wonderful example of an industry that sees the harm that could be done in its name, and steps up to self-regulate the issues without being forced to do so by government,” says Gail Schimmel, CEO of the ARB. “This has been an exciting project and we know that it will…
The 2Africa subsea cable, the largest subsea cable system in the world, has landed at the Vodacom network facility in Gqeberha, South Africa. This is the first submarine cable landing in the Eastern Cape region, promising greater internet capacity and acceleration of connectivity across the province and supporting South Africa’s growing digital economy. The 2Africa Consortium includes eight international partners, China Mobile International, Meta (Facebook), MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, center3 (stc), Telecom Egypt, Vodafone/Vodacom and WIOCC, who have partnered to build 2Africa. Launched in May 2022, the subsea cable project aims to significantly increase the capacity, quality, and availability of internet…
This summer, everyone needs a win – and according to MTN, “with MyMTN Home internet everyone is a winner. MyMTN Home is aimed at delivering more value for money and providing greater choice to customers. The growth in demand for flexible data solutions and consumers’ increasing need to remain connected to loved ones is what inspired them to introduce the MyMTN Home offerings. With MTN’s home internet solutions, customers can now binge-watch their favourite series, game to their heart’s content stream movies, or pit together the perfect playlist for summer pool parties giving more people uncapped access to the digital world from…
In an effort to assist customers in their hunt for those hard-to-find items, Builders, the home improvement, DIY, and building materials retailer, has launched a new online tool called Product Finder. This new solution utilises a dedicated team of Builders Sales Specialists to locate and source niche décor and outdoor products, a tool, storage solutions, or fittings, whether customers saw the item online, spotted it in a magazine, or encountered it outside the country. Best of all, the platform can even find items the retailer doesn’t stock. “In the last two years we have seen a surge in South…
A whopping 80% of SA Post Offices (SAPO) nationwide do not answer their phones and many of them don’t even have working telephone lines. The DA conducted a project where we called a sample of 300 Post Offices nationwide. “When we tried calling both the Head office and Customer Service Centre, as part of our 25% sample, both calls were equally unsuccessful,” a DA research reveals. This comes just days after it was announced that the SAPO is proposing to cut their employees’ work week by two days, which would ultimately mean that their employees get paid 40% less. This…
Huawei South Africa has risen up the Top Employers Institute’s annual Top Employer rankings and is recognised as one of the top 20 Top Employers in South Africa. While Huawei has been accredited for six consecutive years, its improved ranking is a validation of the hard work it’s put into employee wellbeing and development. Being certified as a Top Employer showcases an organisation’s dedication to a better world of work and exhibits this through excellent HR policies and people practices. The Top Employers Institute programme certifies organisations based on the participation and results of their HR Best Practices Survey. This…
Husband and wife team Ofentse and Nelisiwe Mwase have become the latest South African YouTubers to reach the 1 million subscribers milestone, becoming one of just 25 South African YouTube channels in this elite club. Starting in 2017, the Ofentse Mwase Films (OM Films) channel initially focused on long-form comedy content with a uniquely South African influence and perspective. Describing how their channel came about, the couple says: “We have always been a humorous couple, since we started dating in 2008. We loved anything and everything that was comedy or satire. So it’s safe to say that humour is a…
Africa Data Centres has broken ground on its new facility in Nairobi, Kenya. The new build will expand its existing data centre by up to 15MW of IT load. The facility will be built in the company’s leading-edge modular design. ADC’s expansion at the new site will be completed in the first half of 2024 and will bring five times more capacity than is currently installed. “We believe that data centres will play a significant role in digital transformation and economic growth on our continent. Without them, the push towards a digital economy in Africa will be missing a key…
Today EOH released the final terms of its rights offer and its specific issue of shares to its strategic investment partner Lebashe Investment Group. Salient points On 13 December 2022 at the Company’s EGM, EOH shareholders voted unanimously for EOH to proceed with the rights offer. The combined capital raise from the rights issue and specific issue will amount to R600 million. EOH has received irrevocable undertakings from existing shareholders representing 30% of the issued shares to follow their rights in full. EOH has underwriting agreements with Aeon Investment Management Proprietary Limited, Anchor Capital Proprietary Limited and Visio Capital Management…
More than 25 million South African consumers saved a combined R7 billion on their grocery bills during the past six months (July to December 2022) through the Xtra Savings programme at Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets. It has contributed to fending off soaring living costs with Xtra Savings members swiping their rewards cards over 238 million times to benefit from instant cash savings at till points to help make ends meet. Consumers countrywide continue to switch to Shoprite and Checkers with an additional 1 million members joining the Xtra Savings programme, which was named South Africa’s best retail rewards programme by the 2022 South African Loyalty Awards, during this period. With an unwavering focus on affordability and accessibility, Shoprite and Checkers will continue to keep prices on everyday essentials and groceries as low as possible. The following tips will…
Telkom today announced plans to enable mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) partnerships on its network. Telkom has leveraged its extensive network footprint across South Africa to offer MVNOs the opportunity to provide quality services over its network – thereby enhancing the much-needed competition in the telecoms space. Telkom believes partnering with MVNOs will enable them to deliver their propositions to selected target markets effectively. ” With a best-in-class network, we believe that such partnerships will help create jobs, create a path into the industry for smaller players, and ultimately contribute to the growth of our digital economy, “says Lunga Siyo,…
South Africa’s payment gateway provider Payfast has undergone a major rebrand. Having joined forces with PayGate and SiD under Network International, the company has created a new home for its consolidated offering. With a renewed focus on enabling growth – for the brand, its merchants, and the broader ecommerce industry – this milestone represents a new era in the payments industry. In 2021, DPO Group, of which Payfast is a subsidiary, was acquired by Network International, a globally renowned enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa. “By combining the capabilities of three of South Africa’s biggest ecommerce…
inDrive, the international IT platform for transport and consumer services, in its mission to fight injustice and aid in the development of urban areas with the help of new technologies, will cover the cost for all mobile data that users consume when using the application. inDrive became the first ride-sharing app in South Africa that made the use of mobile data free for its users, an unprecedented case in the country. Currently, the company operates in 9 cities of South Africa – Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Gqeberha, East London, Pietermaritzburg, Rustenburg, Polokwane. Vincent Lilane, Business Development Representative inDrive said:…
AppsFlyer and Google have launched a new report looking at how mobile apps are transforming finance in Africa. Data reveals a significant increase in finance app installs across the African continent, as people turn to apps and technology as a way of managing finances, navigating economic uncertainty, and moving towards financial freedom. The report analyzed more than 140 million installs, across 3,000 finance apps, and found that installs across the continent grew 25%. Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya & South Africa were the main contributors to this rise in finance app installs, with the former largely bolstering this by a massive 200%;…
Women in Blockchain Talks has announced its biggest event yet on the 13th-15th March in Limassol, Cyprus, to coincide with International Women’s Day. The summit will bring together blockchain enthusiasts, industry experts and special guests to reflect on Women in Blockchain Talk’s monumental rise and look at the past, present and future of blockchain, how we can leverage it and in doing so create a space for all. There will be an array of international speakers and workshops, including Web3 and Metaverse Advisor Dr. Martha Boeckenfeldm, Professor Soulla Louca – the Director of the Institute For The Future at the…
Entersekt, a global leader in customer and payment authentication solutions for financial fraud prevention has announced the appointment of Jon Roskill, former Acumatica CEO and Microsoft executive, to its board of directors as part of its continued expansion within North America. In late 2021, Entersekt received significant funding from Accel-KKR, a technology-focused private equity firm, to hire key leadership, launch new branding, and accelerate the expansion within this region. Jon Roskill joins Entersekt board of directors A former Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, and CEO of Acumatica, Mr. Roskill brings decades of executive and advisory experience to the Entersekt board…
The latter half of 2022 was characterised by significant instabilities in the tech industry. E-retailer and cloud giant Amazon announced that it would cut tens of thousands of jobs, social media behemoths Twitter and Meta laid off significant percentages of their workforce, and even Microsoft saw its slowest revenue growth in five years. “There’s chaos in the industry internationally,” says Andrew Cruise, Managing Director of Routed, a local cloud platform provider and VMware specialist. “The war in Ukraine has kicked off a period of great uncertainty that’s affected global inflation, exchange rates, and general risk appetite. This follows the boom…
SA’s e-commerce platform Shopstar has launched live shopping app in Africa. Flick Live is a dynamic social commerce platform, in which brands and retailers can sell their products, interact with viewers and gain potential customers in real-time live streams. This live shopping platform works by seamlessly integrating with any existing e-commerce store, such as those already run on Shopstar, or by other third parties, such as Shopify, WooCommerce and others. All inventory is automatically synced, and any new orders are created on the source platform. Sellers then host a live show on Flick Live, selling their products via highly personal…
UK department store Marks & Spencer (M&S) and technology company Zyler partnered to deliver an in-store virtual try-on experience. M&S brought the technology to their Oxford Circus and Harrogate branches, where the feature was trialed with clothing brand Jaeger . The introduction of this technology provides a personalized shopping journey where customers become the model. Shoppers add a head and shoulders photo and basic measurements to see themselves digitally in the Jaeger collection. Sales assistants guide customers through the process and give style advice. CEO of Zyler, Alexander Berend, describes the partnership as “a wonderful opportunity to get customers excited…
MTN’s Mobile Money (MoMo) financial services platform is moving fast to meet the rising demand for online payment services. With 6,2 million people already subscribed to the service, the new personal loan offering and partnerships with SA-born fintech start-up Zapper, along with services aggregator QuickBus, are set to further extend MoMo’s impact for those looking to lead increasingly digital lifestyles. MoMo Personal Loans, in partnership with Lndr (PTY) LTD which is a registered credit provider, offers a seamless application and loan approval process. A portion of the funds can then be safely, quickly and easily disbursed into the MoMo wallet…