Author: Staff Writer
JSE-listed financial services group FirstRand announced an agreement to acquire 20.1% of Optasia, one of the world’s largest AI-powered fintech platforms providing financial access to people across emerging markets. The group is acquiring this strategic investment concurrent with Optasia’s IPO which is in progress. FirstRand believes that this investment in Optasia represents an exciting opportunity to leverage a proven fintech platform that has a successful track record of solving the lending needs of underbanked or unbanked consumers, practitioners and micro enterprises which have had difficulty accessing traditional credit products. Optasia’s ability to pre-score customers, process micro loans at scale and…
McDonald’s South Africa (MSA), in collaboration with the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA), is proud to celebrate the graduation of 676 young South Africans who have successfully completed a Learnership Programme. This milestone forms part of a broader effort to address youth unemployment by equipping young people with valuable, job-ready skills. The learnership aligns with CATHSSETA’s High Impact Programme, which aims to empower unemployed individuals with industry-specific training, improving their chances of securing long-term employment within the hospitality and tourism sectors. “This initiative is a clear demonstration of how co-investment between the private…
South Africa’s higher-education sector doesn’t lack investment, says Dr Stan du Plessis, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of STADIO Higher Education. What it lacks are the outcomes that should follow. An economist by training and inclination, Du Plessis believes the private higher-education sector can help close that gap through designing for efficiency, aligning qualifications to the world of work, and offering scalable access without sacrificing quality. He believes STADIO’s new Durbanville campus, opening officially on 20 October 2025, embodies the group’s goal of quality at scale: a comprehensive campus built for efficiency, affordability and impact. “Instead of many small,…
Growthpoint Properties, South Africa’s leading Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), has acquired a 30% stake in the operational Boston Hydroelectric plant, a new R390 million development with an operational lifetime of over 40 years by leading independent power producer Serengeti Energy within the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme near Clarens. South Africa’s newest hydroelectric plant was certified for commercial operations by Eskom on Friday (17 October 2025) and has already started adding renewable energy to the national grid. As early as 2023, Growthpoint secured exclusive access to all the approximately 30GWh of renewable electricity generated by the plant annually, through its…
The world-first multi-adaptive safety belt, set to debut in Volvo Cars’ soon-to-be-revealed fully electric EX60 SUV, has been recognised as one of the Best Inventions of 2025 by TIME. Today, TIME revealed its annual list of the Best Inventions, which features 300 extraordinary innovations changing our lives. For the second year in a row, Volvo Cars is honoured to be included on the list for its latest safety innovation. The new multi-adaptive safety belt is designed to even better protect occupants by adapting to the traffic conditions and the person wearing it. “We are proud to be recognised by TIME…
Phodisho Samuel Maganyela, a 15-year-old, Grade 10 learner from Lesedi Secondary School in the Tshwane District, in Bronkhorstspruit, has claimed top honours in the 2025 Bokamoso Creative Essay Competition, recently held in Klipspruit, Gauteng, where he impressed judges with his imaginative and practical solutions that empower youth-driven sustainability efforts. Maganyela’s standout essay explored how young minds can engineer sustainable solutions addressing South Africa’s pressing challenges. His visionary ideas, grounded in creativity and science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM) principles, underscore the vital role tomorrow’s engineers and thinkers will play in shaping a sustainable future. Hosted by Knight Piésold, on 13…
As cryptocurrency adoption accelerates across Africa, many South Africans still face a steep learning curve in understanding the fundamentals of blockchain, digital wallets, and decentralised finance. In response to this growing educational gap, Binance, the world’s leading blockchain ecosystem, has launched a new crypto-focused show to make digital finance accessible to all. Hosted by South Africa’s very own Financial Bunny, Nicolette Mashile, The Getting Crypto Show premiered on Saturday, 18 October at 15:00 on SABC’s S3 and will air for six limited and highly educational episodes. A first for Africa, the show will simplify cryptocurrency for everyday South Africans by…
October is the month when cybersecurity experts are busiest, keeping us all safe online. With Black Friday around the corner, there are deals everywhere, people clicking fast and scammers are sharpening their digital claws. Around 68% of South Africans said they were targeted by fraud (email, phone, text, online) from Aug-Dec 2024 and 33% of them lost money during that time. It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which makes it the perfect time to buff up your online street smarts. Being connected shouldn’t mean being careless. With these tips in mind, you’ll hopefully stay safer than a bank vault. Rename your Wi-Fi…
Telkom FutureMakers, in partnership with the UK–SA Tech Hub, an initiative of the UK Government, is proud to support the AI Readiness Accelerator – a programme designed to give South African startups the tools, talent, and opportunities to make AI their competitive advantage. “Unlike other programmes that teach you, this one builds with you,” said Telkom on its linkedln page. “This intensive, six-month journey is fully funded and founder-centric, providing a concrete path to AI integration and investment. The selected cohort will receive unparalleled support, including embedded engineers to build their Data and Cloud foundations and engineering work aligned with…
Marking three decades since its 1995 launch, MultiChoice is reviving a classic South African TV tradition: Open Time. The celebration grants all active DStv satellite subscribers a full, complimentary Premium pass for the weekend of November 7-9, 2025. This strategic move allows customers to experience the platform’s top-tier sports, movies, and entertainment, serving as both a thank-you to existing users and a compelling reason for new and existing customers to upgrade. Three familiar faces from South Africa’s television past, Ashley Hayden, Scot Scott and Doreen Morris, are among the many icons returning to the screen to celebrate DStv’s 30th anniversary.…