Author: Staff Writer

Recently, Huawei’s Green Intelligent OptiX Network demonstrated its latest set of scenario-specific networking solutions at its Eco-Connect Johannesburg event. These solutions apply the concept “fibre to everywhere” to various industry scenarios and leverage innovative optical technologies to build secure, intelligent, ultra-broadband, efficient, reliable, and simple digital network infrastructure for various industries. The five solutions include: FTTO solution (Fibre To The Office) for campus scenarios: This solution harnesses the technical advantages of IP and optical products to build a green and simplified campus network. It simplifies the network architecture from three layers to two layers and eliminates the need for weak-current…

The massive surge in cybercrime, the ever-increasing number of threat vectors, and a critical skills shortage has left organisations feeling more vulnerable to cyberattacks than ever before. With exponentially more ransomware incidents being reported than there are skilled cybersecurity professionals available, progressive businesses are looking to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to close the gap. Every day more and more people and businesses are held to ransom as exposed vulnerabilities are exploited by criminals. Even those with robust cybersecurity strategies in place are concerned by the sheer number of business attacks, which increase in number every year. The…

Huawei has announced that its third data centre availability zone is set to go live three years ahead of schedule, as well as its R100 million Cloud Spark programme, which is set to provide support to more than 1000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) over the next three years. Both of these announcements were part of Huawei Cloud’s “Everything as a Service” approach, which is being adopted locally and globally. Speaking at the Huawei Eco-Connect event, held last week at the Sandton Convention Centre, Jay Zhou Managing Director, Huawei Cloud South Africa explained that the “Everything as a Service” approach…

Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC) today announced the launch of the second window of applications for investment through their R150 million Venture Capital initiative, MIC Khulisani Ventures. High growth potential, innovative, Black-owned businesses with ambitions of bringing innovative products or services to a bigger market are encouraged to apply. “Since inception, the initiative has allocated over R45 million in investment, to Black-owned businesses that are disrupting the Edu-tech and consumer tech industries. While the criteria for application does not significantly change this year, we are deliberate in targeting Black female-owned or led businesses” says Mary Bomela, CEO of Mineworkers Investment Company.…

FinTech-start-up MortgageMarket is the latest tech start-up to be involved in a major lifestyle residential development in South Africa; with its exclusive partnership with Orlando Towers Estates in Soweto, Johannesburg. JSE Listed construction company Raubex is the construction partner in the development with its 2800 apartments and set to break ground on 20 July 2022. MortgageMarket has utilised its state-of-the-art technology to pre-approve buyers, giving them access to their credit score and affordability in just 2-minutes. This technology enables customers to select the right apartment, based on their affordability, prior to signing a sale agreement. Over 30% of the phase…

AltX-listed 4Sight Holdings has launched an ambitious pilot programme to provide 50 young people with niche training in Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, plus guaranteed employment on certification. The total cost for this pilot will be close to R10 million, estimates Tracy Short, COO of 4Sight. It will be based in KwaZulu Natal in order, she says, to tap into a new reservoir of talent outside of Gauteng. Sixty percent of the participants will potentially be female. She says that if the pilot project is successful, 4Sight would likely triple the intake in 2023. “To realise the potential of the…

The Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) has launched a new mobile app to allow travellers to find their favourite restaurants, also pre-book parking and save your vehicle location. The ACSA App is available for free download on Apple, Google and Huawei App stores. The App was launched on 01 July 2022. Registration is easy and simple and we have taken into consideration the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and data privacy, and passengers can also unlock their ultimate airport guide by using their email address, Google details, Facebook or Twitter accounts to sign up. Once registration is complete, users…

Philip Morris South Africa (PMSA) is accelerating its transformation to a smoke-free company with key leadership appointments. 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 hence to global public health, are enormous.” “PMI’s vision is powered by the energy and passion from our people who work collaboratively to deliver positive change for adult-smokers who would otherwise continue smoking, and for the broader society. We are rapidly transforming our business and need a united team that drives purpose, creativity and…

Ring is a company on a mission to make families feel safe and allow them to watch over their most prized possessions. Cycling has become a hugely popular hobby in South Africa and more and more consumers are purchasing bikes for their weekend rides. Ring has sleek, smart cameras that allow car and bike enthusiasts to keep watch over their vehicles and garages even when they are not at home. A popular device used for this function is the Ring Spotlight Cam Battery. Positioned outside your garage, it provides you with a bright light for entering and leaving your garage.…

MyBroadband Insights has released the Q2 2022 Mobile Network Quality Report, which shows that MTN has the best mobile network in South Africa. The report is based on 325,863 speed tests which were performed by 9,386 MyBroadband Speed Test App users across South Africa between 1 April 2022 and 30 June 2022. The research shows that South Africa had an average mobile download speed of 49.92Mbps and an average upload speed of 14.84Mbps. MTN had the highest average download speed at 79.27Mbps, followed by Vodacom on 44.24Mbps, Telkom on 30.79Mbps, Cell C on 24.04Mbps and Rain on 14.55Mbps. MTN’s exceptional…

In partnership with chordCash, Digital Music and Commerce Exchange Limited (DMCE) announces the launch of a new product— Orin Fund. Orin Fund is an e-commerce marketplace holding various forms of financial products for artists across Africa. Its first product which has the name of the fund itself is in partnership with chordCash, an American company that provides a patented technology to help artists get advances on their streaming royalties. In three simple steps, any African artiste can acquire the funds they need for their project between 7-14 days. Within the next few months, Orin Fund is expanding its products to…

On 8 June 2022, the Minister of Home Affairs announced a complete overhaul of South Africa’s immigration system. The first area of change is long term visa applications by foreign nationals wishing to stay for over three months in South Africa. However, these changes have already caused a backlog in processing visa applications. Visa submissions by this group previously went through Visa and Permit Facilitation Centres (VFS Centres) or through South African Missions. Then, one of the two centres would process applications and send the outcomes directly to the foreign national. Going forward, these visa applications will be processed through…

A household food basket in South Africa currently costs South Africans R4 688.81. This is a year-on-year jump of R560.57 (a 13.6% increase from June 2022 vs June 2021) affirming how financially stretched many South Africans are feeling. Add that petrol and diesel have just recently shattered the R25 per litre ceiling for the first time, electricity woes and rising inflation across the board, pockets are being seriously pinched. In this climate, Capitec’s Live Better Programme is making a massive difference. As of July 2022, the bank has helped its clients save R639 million. By December 2022, it aims to help…

Standard Bank is launching a new virtual internship initiative to help students gain practical skills and experience that mirrors the work they will do in the world of banking. Through its investment in education and skills development, Standard Bank supports access to inclusive, quality education and lifelong learning opportunities, and helping Africa harness the opportunities of the fourth industrial revolution​. Standard Bank’s Virtual Experience Programmes provide access to critical components of workplace experience by way of content, case studies and assessments. There are no due dates to the programmes, registration is free for students, and they are open to all.…

South African businesses need to believe in broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) again if they’re going to make the most of their investments and the biggest impact on the country’s economy, says the founder of local venture builder and business incubator Aions Creative Technology, Mitchan Adams. For most businesses, B-BBEE has become about saving as much money as possible while getting the maximum points. That’s not surprising, as enterprise and supplier development (ESD) can comprise up to 40% of the B-BBEE scorecard. But in the rush to get their points and be compliant, they’re missing opportunities to be both cost-effective…

The Shoprite Group is offering all-inclusive bursaries for the 2023 academic year to high-performing students enrolled for degrees in Accounting, Information Technology, UI Design, Food Science and more. Every year the Group supports on average 300 students, at an investment of more than R17 million, with bursaries which cover tuition fees and on-campus accommodation. Bursary holders also have access to Shoprite’s employee wellness programme which includes access to medical advice, counselling services, financial coaching, legal advice and more. With a work-back agreement upon graduation, bursary holders are guaranteed employment and will benefit from invaluable practical experience and strong career growth…

The Spar Group has launched The Food Stall, which is rolling out across the deli service counters across many stores nationwide. The first Food Stall served customers in Ladysmith KwaZulu-Natal in April this year and since then, Greendale Superspar, Nqutu Superspar, Hillcrest KWIKSPAR and many more Spar stores have adopted this concept. According to Pianca Meintjies, Spar Group Home Meal Replacement Manager, The Food Stall will be a continuous focus for SPAR, with more being launched weekly. She adds that The Food Stall at Spar is community-focused and aims to provide customers with so many choices that they don’t have…

African insurtech aYo Holdings has launched a WhatsApp channel in its markets across Africa to make it easier for its customers to communicate with the company without the need for phone calls or in-person interactions. The new channel will allow aYo’s customers to submit documents as part of the claims process and access content like FAQs, videos, voice notes, and brochures using WhatsApp. Eventually, the company plans to build out the channel to the point where customers can sign up for cover and submit claims. The new WhatsApp channel is the result of a newly signed partnership with Clickatell, which…

How the customer is served has been one of the biggest evolutions in the retail industry’s digital transformation journey. Today’s customer wants omnichannel options, and each channel, whether in-store or online, must be a well-oiled machine delivering seamless, effective service. Today’s customer also prefers retailers to understand their needs and cater to them with greater personalisation than ever before. “Meeting these customer needs requires a connected, digitised supply chain,” says Lerato Motsoeneng, Managing Executive for Retail and Logistics at Vodacom Business. “Without the right digital infrastructure in place, retailers can’t evolve their user experience.” This infrastructure enables the creation of a…

The torrential floods that wreaked havoc in Kwa-Zulu Natal couldn’t have come at a worse time for the children of the Embo community in Hillcrest, whose nursery school was devastated by the rains that engulfed the province recently. Before the floods, the facility was already derelict and dilapidated due to shortage of funds to undertake regular maintenance. School Principal Ms Buyisiwe Ngongoma explains that the roof was caving in, the cupboards in the kitchen were mouldering, the only personal computer and printer were malfunctioning, the security doors were rickety, the playground was rundown, and the general appearance of the facility…

Companies looking for local software engineers might find they have lost them to Europe – without them leaving the country. This is because, while South African developers’ skills are increasingly in demand across Europe, they no longer need to emigrate to land these jobs. The past two years have been a massive learning experience for everyone, not least of all companies which have discovered that much of the work that they insisted could only be done from an office, could, in actual fact, be done remotely. Remote isn’t new, but it has changed things Europe has always been a popular…

Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound Level, a portable wireless home speaker that delivers impressive sound, unrivalled craftsmanship and a modular design that improves longevity. With its slim design and built-in recessed handle, portability is at the heart of Beosound Level. Whether standing upright in the kitchen, lying flat on a table or hanging gracefully on the wall, the speaker intelligently changes its tuning to deliver an exceptional music listening experience in any position, in any room. “Beosound Level is the ultimate speaker for people who want the flexibility and convenience of a portable speaker but don’t want to sacrifice on sound…

Audi South Africa has introduced the national availability of its new Audi connect plug and play device. This innovative technology solution is freely available to all customers whose vehicles have a model year introduction from 2008 onwards and that doesn’t currently offer Audi’s latest connected integrated technology. The Audi connect plug and play app (available on iOS/Android) lets your smartphone use Bluetooth and the Audi connect plug and play hardware to connect to your vehicle, turning it into a connected car in no time at all. “We understand that Audi customers are keeping their vehicles for a longer period of…

Volkswagen’s new T-Roc will retail from Volkswagen dealers on 5 July 2022. The T-Roc is positioned between the recently launched Taigo and the Tiguan in Volkswagen’s T SUV model range. Since market introduction in 2020, the Volkswagen T-Roc has sold 4 490 units in South Africa. The Design equipment line (available in the 1.4 TSI with 110kW and 2.0 TSI with 140kW) is offered with two-tone paintwork, chrome elements, background interior lighting and convenience seats. Standard features include LED headlights and taillights, a leather-wrapped multi-functional steering wheel (with paddle shift, Adaptive Cruise Control, High-Beam Control Light Assist and Autonomous Emergency…

Nkwe Platinum and South Africa Zijin Platinum, a wholly owned subsidiaries of mining company Zijin Mining Group, have joined hands with African telecommunications giant MTN and global ICT provider Huawei together, and signed a collaboration agreement to build the Southern Africa region’s first 5G-enabled smart metal mine. MTN and Huawei are to provide 5G-based ICT solutions for the smart mining requirements including, not only high-speed 5G broadband access, but also smart mining solutions like vehicle remote control, IoT, and enterprise digital transformation. Once complete, the mine will mark a significant step forward in the digital transformation of the local mining…