Author: Staff Writer
Tarsus On Demand is partnering with the SAtion ecosystem and Microsoft to offer a free, day-long business development workshop for 40 small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) based in townships in and around Johannesburg. The workshop, which takes place on November 11, aims to equip tech entrepreneurs with skills and resources to grow their businesses. This initiative builds on the existing agreement between SAtion and Tarsus On Demand to help drive growth and digital transformation in South Africa’s SMME sector. SAtion draws together stakeholders in the private and public sectors to discuss, coordinate and implement Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) projects.…
Hlayisani Capital, which is chaired by former Nedbank chair Reuel Khoza and a majority shareholder, announced today it has bought a minority stake in Tractor Media Holdings, one of South Africa’s leading digital outdoor media owners. Hlayisani Capital said the funds will be channelled towards the acceleration of Tractor’s aggressive digital out of home (DOOH) growth strategy. The funds will also allow for the acquisition of key sites, new portfolios as well as investment in advanced and cutting-edge technologies – ensuring that Tractor remains at the forefront of DOOH media in South Africa. “We believe in growth, we believe in…
In 2018, the University of Limpopo began revamping its enterprise architecture, ushering its ailing IT infrastructure into a new world of efficiency. In 2020, this digital transformation journey accelerated towards the cloud as a more scalable, agile, and reliable solution that could ensure learning continued even in the most remote and locked down circumstances. “This project was very important to education in this country. We are building a modern ICT infrastructure that allows us to grow and service more ambitious young South Africans than we ever could before. As more users demanded access to our online, media-rich learning experience, the…
Wits University has led a national consortium that secured R54 million funding from the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) to co-ordinate a national quantum technologies initiative. Following on a proposal written by the consortium led by Professor Andrew Forbes from the Wits School of Physics, the DSI committed the first tranche of funding up until March 2025 to set up the South African Quantum Technologies Initiative (SA QuTI). It involves establishing quantum nodes at five centres – Wits University, the University of Zululand (UniZulu), Stellenbosch University, the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (UKZN) and Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) – and eventually…
The world celebrated the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October. There is a large number of migrant breadwinners in South Africa who send money to their families, and the Post Office has a cost-effective, same-day money transfer service to and from Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Nigeria, Mauritius, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique and eSwatini ready. The service is available from any post office in South Africa to any post office in the destination country. The transferred funds become available at the destination post office in the foreign country on the same day. The service is offered through the…
Standard Bank’s former information technology senior lead, Mary Mahuma, has been appointed as the new Head of Information Technology at Philip Morris South Africa (PMSA), a leading international tobacco company. Mahuma joins the company in South Africa to lead the technology and operations as PMSA transforms its core operating model beyond tobacco, underpinned by the organisation’s bold ambition to deliver a smoke-free future. PMSA Managing Director Branislav Bibic says that “A smoke-free future is attainable, and the benefits it can bring to the adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke and global public health, are enormous.” “Mary is charged…
With the global Fourth Industrial Revolution in full swing, companies are investing billions of dollars on advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). Organisations around the world are expecting and experiencing significant increases in business returns as a result of successful investment in AI. Today, Spatialedge, an AI solutions provider headquartered in Stellenbosch, South Africa, has announced the acquisition of Cape AI. Spatialedge is a big data and applied machine learning solutions company, with a focus on enabling companies to rapidly build and operationalise robust machine learning solutions. It enables enterprise data science teams to deliver improved business value faster by…
MTN South Africa recently asked small businesses with additional generation capacity to join forces in an innovative crowd-sourcing initiative to further bolster MTN’s network resilience work, as rolling daily power cuts continue. The focus of the initiative has been to find some positive in the power crisis, by bringing small businesses closer to MTN. Two businesses – 24Solutions, SAMO Engineering – have stepped up and are now working with MTN as supply partners to provide additional generator capacity. Charles Molapisi, MTN SA CEO, says keeping MTN’s customers connected to SA’s best network is a critical focus, but so too is…
In the age of big data, the Shoprite Group is at the forefront of innovating with artificial intelligence (AI). As one of the world’s leanest and most advanced retailers here are three leading innovations which have had a marked impact on the Group’s operations as it continues to create the best possible customer experience. Ensuring Sixty60 arrives fast and fresh To further improve Checkers Sixty60’s delivery times, the Group developed a machine learning algorithm to dynamically define optimal delivery regions. The solution overlays a map with the spatial-temporal view of orders while using order data to determine the optimal delivery…
Starting with just one client and a workforce of 100 people across two floors of Webhelp’s Umhlanga Ridgeside office in October last year, this global consultancy and customer experience organisation has quickly shown the demand for Durban as a business hub. In just a year, the Durban location has brought in further clients and will employ 674 young individuals across the entire office of four floors – with big plans for further growth. “BPO [business process outsourcing] is one of the fastest-growing sectors in South Africa with significant year-on-year growth,” commented Tammy Chetty, Managing Director of Webhelp South Africa. “We’ve…
Shoprite’s mobile application, with the Money Market Account functionality at its core, is the winner of Most Innovative Solution and App of the Year at this year’s MTN Business App of the Year Awards. The app supports Shoprite’s Money Market Account, a fully-fledged, transactional bank account – the first by a SA retailer – and the lowest-cost bank entry-level account on the market. “The development of the Money Market Account has been driven entirely by customer needs and we are going to reinvest the prize money to continue to uplift the lives of our customers,” says Jean Olivier, General Manager for Financial…
Small businesses could experience some serious downtime, as result of a forced PHP upgrade that local hosting companies have started to rollout. PHP is a scripting language used to create dynamic webpages – as PHP versions reach their end-of-life, upgrading is encouraged to avoid the potential security risks that arise from vulnerabilities and bugs in older versions. “While upgrading your website PHP is important, it shouldn’t be forced on you. Choosing which PHP works for your business needs, and completing the upgrade, requires a lot of attention,” says head of local hosting company 1-grid.com, Thomas Vollrath. “For already cash-strapped…
Vodacom Central Region, encompassing Free State and Northern Cape, is spending R340 million this financial year on expanding broadband coverage in deep rural areas, upgrading base station sites and network resilience. This investment will drive inclusive digital access across the region, as part of the network’s commitment in ensuring connectivity for all. “Our network rollout programme last year brought internet to many communities in the region for the first time. This financial year we want to build on this achievement by extending broadband coverage and investing in network upgrades to increase access to connectivity. As a result, this can provide…
Following their successful training series on cloud computing, Huawei has run the second and third parts of their 2022 Women in Tech digital skills training for women entrepreneurs with sessions on Leadership Development and Digital Marketing. Says Vanashree Govender, Huawei’s Media Relations and Communications Manager, “Over and above the technical training on digital migration and how Huawei’s cloud computing infrastructure can greatly assist SMEs, the first of these additional sessions was designed to assist the women to look at how they integrate business into a balanced home/work life and the importance of taking care of one’s self. The second illustrated…
The EXPLORE Data Science Academy (EDSA), which started out training young data scientists in South Africa in 2018, has grown in just five years to become ExploreAI (EAI), a global solutions company with international reach across Europe, the USA and Africa. ExploreAI also has a new UK-based CEO Has Dosanjh, who is a seasoned executive in digital transformation and data collaboration applications. Commenting on his appointment at ExploreAI Dosanjh said, “I love taking organisations through complex transformations that involve the use of data, digital assets, and new ways of working. The CEO in me measures success by customer satisfaction and…
The six finalists were chosen following extremely strong competition from over 700 fintechs from 59 countries; Grand Finale to be held on 28 October at the Ecobank Group’S Pan African Centre in Lomé, Togo; Finalists will compete for the top price of $50,000 and admission to the ‘Ecobank Fintech Challenge Fellowship’ program. Ecobank Group, the leading private pan-African banking group, has announced the six finalists for the fifth edition of the Ecobank Fintech Challenge. The finalists come from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Togo. The six fintechs stood out from a highly competitive pool of…
MTN SA today announced the appointment of Wanda Matandela as Chief Commercial Operations Officer (CCOO), effective 1 October 2022. The appointment follows a recent announcement regarding the introduction of the CCOO role to the MTN SA Exco as the company gears up to deliver on its Ambition 2025 strategy. “As we strive to achieve our strategic objectives of driving business growth, transforming customer experience and overhauling employee engagement, it is important that we have the right individuals in place to achieve this. I believe that Wanda’s wealth of experience will have a notable contribution towards enhancing our commercial and operational…
ITHUBA Holdings are on a quest to ensure that South African youth receive the education they deserve and to bridge the social divides that exist in the country. ITHUBA is again awarding qualifying students 100% bursaries for the year 2023, and applications are now open. High achieving learners in Grade 12 and first or second-year students are invited to submit their applications to receive an all-inclusive bursary covering everything from academic tuition, technology equipment, stationery, lodging and even living expenses. The ITHUBA Bursary Programme welcomes applicants looking to pursue their dreams in Commerce, including; Accounting, Management Accounting & Finance and…
JSE-listed technology company Altron has appointed Collin Govender Managing Director of Altron Systems Integration with effect from 1 October 2022. Having joined Altron in June 2017 as Group Executive: Shared Services rising to the position of Group Chief Information Officer, Govender was appointed Managing Director of Altron Karabina in January 2021. Over the past 18 months, he has successfully managed to turn around this business. In his new role he will retain oversight of Altron Karabina, putting an operational structure in place to ensure the continued growth trajectory of the business. Altron Group Chief Executive Werner Kapp said, “Collin is…
In a bid to mitigate against soaring petrol and diesel prices and reduce its carbon footprint, facilities management company Servest is planning to convert 70 of its over 700 national fleet vehicles to be fuelled by compressed natural gas (CNG). The first vehicles operating with dual fuel are already in the field, and the positive results have built confidence with the company’s drivers, their operational teams and more importantly, its customers. Servest, which celebrates 25 years in business this year, expects to see a return on this investment of about nine months’ worth of fuel savings. More importantly, customers have…
The global launch of the new BMW M2 will get underway in April 2023. It will be built alongside the new BMW 2 Series Coupé at the BMW Group’s San Luis Potosí plant in Mexico. Compact dimensions together with powertrain and chassis technology adapted from the BMW M3/BMW M4 are at the heart of a vehicle concept that endows the new edition of the two-door model with beguiling agility and handling that remain easily controllable even as the driver explores the car’s limit. The new BMW M2 continues the brand’s tradition of ultra-sporty models with compact dimensions that began in 1973 with the…
Vodacom South Africa has announced that all new, existing and upgrading customers are now eligible to subscribe to Prime Video or Prime Video Mobile Edition, regardless of price plan, whether prepaid or post-paid. Vodacom is the first telecommunications company in Africa to offer Prime Video Mobile Edition. With Prime Video Mobile Edition, customers benefit from Prime Video’s full catalogue of thousands of movies and TV series and Amazon Originals on a single mobile device The Prime Video app allows for streaming and downloading of content in standard definition. At launch, Vodacom customers signing up for Prime Video Mobile Edition will…
Infobip, a global cloud communications company and a leader in omnichannel engagement, recently hosted a webinar on how digital transformation drives cross-border ecommerce in Africa. Entitled “Driving Cross-border eCommerce Through Digital Transformation”, the session included presentations by several speakers from Infobip, as well as other organisations, including a presentation by Konga, one of Africa’s top 5 ecommerce start-ups. Infobip Key Accounts Executive Loren Lubanga set the scene by outlining Africa’s thriving ecommerce markets – South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, with 22 million, 76.7 million and 13 million shoppers respectively, with ecommerce penetration of 37% in both South Africa and Nigeria…
Financial services group Discovery joins the ranks of 50 companies recognised in Fortune Magazine’s 2022 Change the World list, released today. The seminal list features organisations from around the globe that are positively impacting society through activities that form part of their core business strategy. Discovery ranked fourth on the list for the application of its disruptive shared-value banking model, helping people to adopt better financial behaviours – and rewarding them for it. This is in line with the Group’s core purpose of “making people healthier”. Fortune writers and editors, with help from the Shared Value Initiative, evaluate companies based…
The BMW Group sold a total of 128,196 fully-electric BMW and MINI vehicles in the first nine months of 2022 – more than double its BEV sales in the same period of last year (+114.8%). The company was thus able to translate strong interest in its fully-electric products into robust growth. “The dynamic growth of our fully-electric models reflects how the BMW Group’s electric lineup is winning over customers – as we continue to press ahead with the transition towards electromobility,” said Pieter Nota, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Customer, Brands, Sales. “With our attractive,…