Author: Staff Writer

Liquid C2, a business of Cassava Technologies, a pan-African technology group, opened the doors of its first Cyber Security Fusion Centre (CSFC) in Nairobi, Kenya, making this the second centre of its kind in Africa. “Kenyan businesses have seen increased digital adoption, and the country’s connected population in early 2021 was nearly 22 million. The increased number of digitally transformed businesses and individuals means that the target pool for malicious entities is also becoming wider. As a result, we have witnessed immense interest from customers wanting to partner with us to benefit from the services our Fusion Centre offers in…

Forge Academy & Labs is looking for 30 young adults between 18 to 28 years old from Johannesburg; and 20 youths between 18 and 28 years old from Saldanha Bay to partake in a paid-for learnership programme hosted in Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape. The programme includes a 5G Foundations and Networking course developed by Nokia Bell Labs introduced post-launch of the Forge/Nokia 5G Future Lab in June this year, a first of its kind in Africa. The programme will lay the foundations for critical 5G and Cloud computing skills in high demand in the ICT sector. Furthermore, Forge…

With the national unemployment rate hovering at around 40%, it’s clear quality education is a necessity in South Africa, but despite the dire need higher education remains out of reach for millions of young people.  With the aim of providing individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds with the financial assistance they need to pursue a degree, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and its partners are working towards securing a better, more economically secure future for as many students as possible. In 2022 alone, the NSFAS allocated funding to over 690 000 students. With thousands of monthly payments needing to be disbursed,…

Kenyan financial product Spark Money, built by wealth management startup Dvara, walked away with the first prize at the Huawei Developers Competition (HDC) beating off rival teams from South Africa, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Its winning solution aims to improve financial wellness among both corporates and individuals. The Huawei Developers Competition (HDC) is one of the company’s global flagship events for ICT development and innovation. Themed Spark Infinity, this year’s competition encouraged African cloud developers to find novel solutions to real problems. More than 130 teams participated in the first phase which ran for four months and drew from enterprises, college…

State-owned entity Broadband Infraco announced the appoitment of Gift Zowa as acting CEO. Zowa’s appintment follows the end of term of Andrew Matseke. Zowa appointment is effective 16 November 2022. He is a seasoned Executive that is proficient in Telecommunications (Switching, Transmission Mobile (2G, 3G, LTE) and IP), IT, Strategic Management and Business Management. Zowa holds a BSc Hons in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and an MBA from the University of Pretoria. He is a Member of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers, a Member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (UK) and is registered as a Professional Engineer…

SAP announced at the SAP TechEd conference the launch of a powerful new offering to drive the next wave of business transformation by unleashing the expertise of those who know best – business users. Drawing on the unique depth and breadth of the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), SAP Build is a low-code solution that puts SAP’s world-class enterprise technology in the hands of business users, giving them direct, secure access to the end-to-end processes, data and context they need to make smarter decisions and drive innovation quickly. The offering empowers business users with minimal technical expertise to create and…

Vodacom is launching a real-time Specific Needs and National Relay Service (NRS), which expands its offerings for Deaf, hearing- and speech-impaired customers. This further strengthens the techco’s support to persons with disabilities and its commitment to building an inclusive digital society. “For almost two decades, Vodacom has championed the communication needs of persons with disabilities by providing access to products and services that address their challenges and help to improve their lives. The Specific Needs and NRS Centre offers an inclusive technology solution that advances our goal of empowering all South Africans and ensuring no one is left behind in…

MTN SA has lined up a series of winning deals for new and existing customers this Black Friday. From 18 November 2022 until 04 December 2022, MTN customers can save up to 60% on a number of PayAsYouGo, MyMTN Home, MTN Business and MTN contract deals. MTN is already offering exceptional summer deals to ensure customers stay connected to everything they love on South Africa’s best mobile network. And now, with big Black Friday deals, MTN customers can save even more with low-price points and best-value product offers. “After another long, hard year, everyone needs a win – and we are…

South Africa’s leading online retailer Takealot is anticipating its biggest Black Friday yet – a culmination of months of business-wide tech and operational focus to prepare for predicted increased traffic and shopper volumes. Black Friday was first introduced to South Africa by Takealot in 2012 and has since become a landmark shopping event in South Africa’s annual retail calendar. Year-on-year it has been a record breaker for Takealot. This year the business expects no different, expecting to ship millions of boxes to Takealot shoppers across the country in November alone. Its iconic five-day Blue Dot Sale famously kicks off 1…

A R300 million-turnover entity serving over 19 000 business clients across ten and counting South African cities. That’s how Dr Marius Oberholzer of Huge sees the near-term future of the newly-enlarged entity following Board approval of a Business Combination involving Huge Networks and Huge Telecom. Dr Oberholzer has been appointed to lead the new entity aimed at achieving scale, unlocking revenue growth and accelerating the delivery of increased shareholder value while preserving as many jobs and roles as possible. “The primary goal right now is to establish a stronger, more capable business with a combined turnover of some R270m and…

Africa’s youth prefer using local innovations and believe that the next tech billionaire could come from the continent, according to the recently launched Africa – innovator or imitator? Exploring narratives around Africa’s technological capabilities report by Africa No Filter. The research was done in Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The report interviewed 4500 people aged 18 to 35 to find out their perceptions of African-led innovation and if they are influenced by dominant narratives that promote the Global North as superior innovators. While the image of Africa as an innovator appears to be overshadowed by stereotypes…

To address Africa’s digital skills gap, MTN Group, through some of its operating companies, is partnering with SAS Training, Courses & Classes to train up to 100 young people in data analytics. This is part of the MTN Skills Academy’s work to promote digital skills for digital jobs, in turn supporting MTN Group’s strategic intent of providing digital solutions for Africa’s progress. Polaris Market Research puts the 2021 value of the global data science platform market at $95 billion and expects it to expand at a compound annual growth rate of more than 27% through to 2030, driven by the…

JSE-listed 4Sight Holdings today announced that all resolutions required to be passed by 4Sight shareholders to approve the share repurchase were passed by the requisite majority of shareholders. As such, the share repurchase will be implemented and the repurchase shares delisted from the JSE. 4Sight entered into the share sale and repurchase agreement to repurchase 125,521,898 ordinary shares of no par value in the Company at approximately 12.75 cents per share which represents a discount of 41.83% for a total cash consideration of R16 million. This represents 19% of the total 4Sight shares in issue at the time of purchase.…

As part of its annual Black Friday promotion, mass retailer Game becomes the first retailer of its kind in SA to join the metaverse – through a Game-branded Roblox game. The game, which is unlike anything consumers have seen from the retailer before, launches on 21 November, and will give gamers the opportunity to win their share of over R70 000 in vouchers leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The Black Friday Game game mixes South African culture and the fantastical in a challenge to race around a downtown city neighbourhood. Players will use potholes as portals, party…

Vodacom customers travelling overseas this festive season can now save on international roaming costs by taking advantage of the best international roaming bundles on South Africa’s leading network. Vodacom has launched the 1GB and the 5GB Travel Data bundles with a 7-day validity, available to connect in more than 200 destinations. The 1GB data bundle is available for as little as R99, whereas the 5GB data bundle is available for R349. For customers who want the best of both worlds, data and minutes, Vodacom has introduced the ‘All For You’ bundles, available to all prepaid, top-up and contract customers.  With…

Arno Daehnke, chief finance and value management officer at the Standard Bank Group, has been named South Africa’s CFO of the Year at the 2022 CFO Awards. The CFO of the Year was announced on Wednesday 16 November at the conclusion of the annual gala event for finance executives, held at the spectacular Polo Room at the Inanda Club in Sandton, Johannesburg. Arno was the big winner during the “Oscars of the finance profession”, which celebrated its ninth edition this year. He walked away with three of the ten prizes, including the CFO of the Year, the Strategy Execution and…

Telkom has announced the handover of its video and audio streaming platform TelkomONE to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) effective on 17 November 2022. Telkom and the SABC have had a successful partnership since the launch of TelkomONE in late 2020. The platform has now matured and ready to scale under the management of the SABC’s broadcasting expertise. “Their expertise in sourcing and curating relevant content will enrich the current content library for existing and new customers, said Telkom CMO, Gugu Mthembu. The broadcaster will migrate all TelkomONE’s existing customer base. Subscribers will be notified and transferred to the…

Checkers Sixty60 customers are in for a bumper early Black Friday between 17 and 20 November, with 40% off a 4.3L air fryer and plenty more discounts.   The early Black Friday deals will be available exclusively on the Sixty60 app, and only for Xtra Savings members. Customers can easily link their Xtra Savings rewards card to their Sixty60 profile. Singing up for Xtra Savings is also super easy and paperless, which customers can do online in minutes.  Some of the early Black Friday deals* on Sixty60 include:   Platinum digital air fryer 4.3L for R849.99 (save R650);  2 x 56 per pack Finish regular dishwashing tablets for R220 (56% saving); …

Dis-Chem Pharmacies has introduced a shopper personalisation and targeting offering that will elevate its ability to develop shopper insights to provide significant benefits for customers and suppliers. Dis-Chem will be able to expand and scale its ability to power engagements across its media channels and deliver benefits for its customers, its brand partners and suppliers, and its business. Saul Saltzman, executive director at Dis-Chem says the further development of the group’s customer-focused personalisation programme will allow it to achieve personal customer engagements at scale, across channels and in real-time, and will increase the impact of its joint marketing activities with…

Pick n Pay will deliver its biggest and strongest Black Friday deals as it moves to offer deals perfectly suited to its customers under its two supermarket brands and growing online presence. Added into the offering this year will be deals offered by its new homeware online shop. Black Friday has become Pick n Pay’s single largest trading day, with R800 million in sales on the actual Black Friday alone last year. Pick n Pay has used extensive customer research and its Smart Shopper data to organise into two brands that deliver a tailored product to serve customers better. This…

ORT SA hosted its 48th annual Golf Fundraiser charity golf day at the Killarney Country Club in November. Now in its 48th year, the golf day raised funds for ORT SA’s various programmes to empower and support communities through education. The day’s champions were David Melman, Greg Veffer, Cameron Veffer, and Dean Katz, who won first prize. The fantastic prizes ranged from B&B vouchers from Anew Hotel Hluhluwe & Safaris, Cellini Trolley Duffle Carry On’s, to various vouchers for restaurants, stores, and jewellery.  The hole in one prize was a VW Polo and was kindly sponsored by Hatfield Motors. All…

Checkers is rolling out new shopping trolley baskets made from 100% recycled plastic – mostly old milk bottles – thereby diverting more than 40 tons of recyclable material from landfill. The retailer’s trolleys have contained at least 35% recycled content since 2018. Now it is the first major South African retailer to have trolley baskets made from 100% recyclable material. The new trolley baskets come in classic and mini sizes, each made from 180 and 110 old milk bottles respectively. “We’ve set ambitious targets to reduce our environmental impact and will continue to step up our efforts to reach these…

Pan-African EdTech company Snapplify is expanduing into West Africa, as part of its commitment to increase access to digital education. The company, established in South Africa in 2012, has already had hundreds of registrations by educational institutions in the region. “Schools and tertiary institutions are looking for high-quality education tools that are relevant and appropriate for their region,” said Snapplify CEO Wesley Lynch. “Snapplify is offering them just that.” To support its expansion in the region, Snapplify is growing its local team, having recently hired Doyin Shonubi (previously Pearson) as Sales Manager. The company also has offices across South Africa, as…

After two years of virtual gatherings, the prestigious annual AfricaCom event – Africa’s largest technology conference – made its in-person return this year. Taking place at the Cape Town International Conference Centre (CTICC) from 7 to 11 November, the event brought together African operators, industry elites, and opinion leaders. As a leading industry player, Huawei had a big presence at the event. With the theme “Lighting up the Future,” it shared insight on cutting-edge trends in the telecom industry, including 4G/5G co-development, FMC intelligent connectivity, digital operations transformation, and green development leading the future of digital networks in Africa. During…

Nokia today announced it is providing its 7250 IXR (interconnect router) platforms with 400G-enabled interfaces to Africa Data Centres, the continent’s largest provider of interconnected, carrier- and cloud-neutral data center facilities. The solution will enable Africa Data Centres, a business of Cassava Technologies, a pan-African technology group, to offer cost-effective, high-capacity interconnection services to its customers in multiple African countries. “Connectivity is the bedrock of the digital economy, and our customers expect the very best interconnection services between our data centre locations. We selected Nokia because its solution provides MEF 3.0-compliant connectivity, giving our customers scalable, reliable and secure access…