Author: Staff Writer
Agriculture remains one of South Africa’s most strategically important sectors. But to future-proof it, we need to change the story young people hear about farm work and match that with real pathways into modern, tech-enabled roles. More than compliance, this is about securing food systems, rural livelihoods, and export competitiveness by building a larger, more intelligent talent pipeline. “Too many young people still picture agriculture as low-skilled manual work,” says Sandra Pretorius, General Manager at Afri Training Institute (ATI). “On the ground, the work has changed with soil analysis, sensor-driven irrigation, quality data, biosecurity, and cold-chain logistics becoming an integral…
OpenAI today announced the roll out of ChatGPT Go across Africa. ChatGPT Go is a new tier of subscription plan designed to give more people access to ChatGPT’s advanced capabilities at a more affordable price. The launch comes as Africa continues to adopt AI at a rapid pace. ChatGPT Go subscribers gain access to ChatGPT’s most popular features, including higher message limits, image generation, file uploads, and memory – all powered by GPT-5, OpenAI’s most-advanced model. The subscription reflects a 75% reduction in price on average compared to the next tier of ChatGPT subscription. Compared to OpenAI’s free plan, ChatGPT…
Vodacom Limpopo region has announced a major investment of more than R500 million in network infrastructure for the current financial year (FY26). Building on last year’s R414 million commitment, this substantial investment reaffirms Vodacom’s commitment to empowering communities and driving economic growth throughout the province, using broadband connectivity. This year’s capital expenditure brings the total investment in radio and transmission infrastructure to R3,1 billion over a period of seven years in Limpopo province alone. “At Vodacom, our vision is to connect every individual and community, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the digital economy and reaping the…
Salesforce, the world’s #1 AI CRM, announced the general availability of Agentforce 360, the culmination of a year of transformation, redefining how work gets done in the age of AI. While others are just beginning to showcase what’s possible with agentic AI in the enterprise, Salesforce has spent the past year delivering it — with four major releases, thousands of customer deployments, and Salesforce itself as Customer Zero, proving how the Agentic Enterprise comes to life. The Agentic Enterprise represents a new model for work — where AI elevates people rather than replacing them. In an Agentic Enterprise, every team operates with 24/7 intelligence: sales…
Westbrooke Renewable Energy Alternatives, an alternative investment strategy managed by Westbrooke Alternative Asset Management has acquired a portfolio of operational solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) assets located at 91Shell Downstream South Africa (SDSAs) owned service stations across South Africa. The portfolio was purchased alongside one of Westbrooke Real’s partners, CVE South Africa, an experienced independent power producer. The assets were acquired from Thebe Solar Energy, which exited its position as part of a strategic realignment. The portfolio is fully operational and produces approximately 7.8 GWh of renewable power annually. The acquisition forms part of Westbrooke Real’s…
African founders are invited to apply for exclusive pitch days taking place in Cape Town this November, where a total of R25 million in early-stage capital will be deployed into exceptional startups operating across the continent. Driven by entrepreneur and investor Alexandria Procter and a collective of early-stage investors, the initiative aims to discover and back Africa’s next wave of standout startups. Over a series of exclusive pitch sessions in Cape Town, founders at the pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages will have 10 minutes to make their case for a share of R25 million in early-stage funding. “Africa’s founders…
Knight Piésold Southern Africa is proud to officially launch the 2025 Bokamoso Creative Essay Competition, an initiative designed to empower Grade 10 and 11 learners from under-resourced public high schools across Gauteng through creative expression and engagement with real-world sustainability challenges. First introduced in 2019, the Bokamoso Creative Essay Competition forms a core part of Knight Piésold’s Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programme, which is focused on advancing access to quality education, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Following the successful revival of the competition in 2024, the 2025 edition aims to deepen impact within the Gauteng province by…
WeThinkCode_, South Africa’s leading software engineering academy, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Collective X, a national coordinating intermediary committed to unlocking scalable, demand-driven digital skills development. This collaboration marks a pivotal step in building a more inclusive, outcomes-based tech talent pipeline for South African youth. The partnership is anchored in a shared commitment to digital ecosystem building, bringing together government, industry, and training providers to co-pay and co-design pathways that align with real employer demand. As a partner, Collective X’s financial support enables WeThinkCode_ to expand access to work-integrated learning opportunities and long-term employment, ensuring that graduates…
As emotional bonds with Artificial Intelligence (AI) raise ethical concerns worldwide, customer engagement consultancy Khumbula Tech has taken the lead locally by committing itself to an ethics-centred approach in its AI consulting. While the most recent Global Index on Responsible AI ranked South Africa as the highest-performing country in Africa*, reflecting the country’s strong legal foundation underpinning its approach to AI, KPMG** found last year that a substantial 77 percent of SA CEOs were concerned about ‘ethical issues’ in AI adoption locally. “From blue chips to start-ups, local business leaders always want to know how they can roll out AI…
Broadband Infraco (BBI), in collaboration with Huawei, launched an upgraded intelligent backbone network at Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg. The upgraded backbone network directly supports the goals of SA Connect and will bring high-capacity, affordable broadband to millions of South Africans. The launch was witnessed by over 200 leaders from the public and private sectors in South Africa and other SADC countries. As a state-owned enterprise mandated by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) to expand South Africa’s broadband infrastructure, BBI is implementing the upgrade as part of its Backbone Network Expansion Strategy. The investment aims to extend electronic…