Author: Staff Writer
inq., a Convergence Partner’s company, is set to acquire Syrex, a provider of hyperconverged cloud technology solutions in South Africa. The strategic acquisition bolsters an already robust business offering from Syrex to provide innovative, reliable, and industry-leading solutions to the South African market. inq. a leading Edge computing company has today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Syrex for an undisclosed amount. The agreement is subject to customary conditions including approvals by the Competition Authority of South Africa and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA). Syrex is a hyperconverged solutions provider that delivers the full…
SA’s Voucher System, mybux, has seen its growth reaching new heights while adding more countries to its system. Founded in Cape Town, mybux is currently operating in over 14 African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, and more, the company has been experiencing a steady monthly growth of 25% and processing over 20 million vouchers a month. As it continues to grow, by the end of 2022, mybux is anticipated to process double the amount. Today, it processes on average between six to ten transactions a second, 24 hours a day, and services the biggest sports betting platforms…
In a little over a year since its launch, Africa’s fastest-growing video-on-demand streaming platform Wi-flix has passed the 1 million-plus paid subscriptions and 300 000 plus customer milestone. The online streaming platform has grown quickly in recent months with more content and distribution partnerships and more titles being added to its library resulting in major customer attraction. To celebrate this milestone, Wi-flix is offering the first 1000 customers to use the code WIFLIX1MILLION, a FREE access for 48 hours to binge all their favourite movies, series, kids content and live tv shows. Co-Founder and Chief Commercial and Technology Officer at…
Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), the corporate and investment banking business of FirstRand Limited, today announced that Emrie Brown has been appointed chief executive effective 1 October 2022. Brown will take over from current chief executive, James Formby, who will hand over the role after seven years as RMB CEO. Said current RMB CEO, James Formby: “I am delighted to be able to pass the baton to someone of Emrie’s talent and experience. The time is right to hand over and I have the right person to hand over to.” Brown began her career with RMB in 2001 as a transactor and…
Vodacom’s pledge to halve its environmental impact by 2025 is well underway with a target set to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. Within the next three years, Vodacom aims to diversify its energy mix which includes buying electricity needed for its operations from 100% renewable-energy sources. This target will have a huge impact on Vodacom’s pledge, as electricity consumption is the primary source of the TechCo’s GHG emissions. Furthermore, by actioning this target, Vodacom will contribute nationally to a transition to a low carbon economy thereby helping government achieve its Paris Agreement goal, which requires countries to cut…
The Shoprite Group is fighting food waste by adopting various technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). South Africa wastes up to 10.3 million tons of food each year – and this is a problem the Shoprite Group is tackling from multiple angles. Food waste is not just a front to the hungry in a country where 2.5 million people experience hunger weekly. It also has significant environmental and economic implications. Food is wasted across the supply chain, from farm to fork. It is a complex issue, which is why Africa’s largest food retailer has adopted systematic and comprehensive…
Fairvest has been approved for a secondary listing on A2X Markets and will be available to trade on A2X Markets from 11 May 2022. This follows the merger of Arrowhead Properties Limited and Fairvest Property Holdings, creating the largest SA-focused REIT. Fairvest will retain its listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and its issued share capital will be unaffected by its listing on A2X. Both A ordinary shares and B ordinary shares will be available for trade on A2X. Fairvest Property Holdings Limited and Arrowhead Properties Limited merged on 31 January 2022 setting the stage for the creation of a mid-sized…
World Password Day is a reminder of the increase in cyber threats affecting South Africans and the country’s businesses. For example, a recent TransUnion study revealed that 37% of South Africans admitted that they had been targets of COVID-19-related digital fraud. Furthermore, the rate of digital fraud against the country’s businesses went up by 44%,” says Carlo Bolzonello, country lead for Trellix South Africa. “While passwords may be a critical part of everyday life, they aren’t adequately protecting personal and business data against these growing threats. Instead, individuals and organisations should use biometric or phone message multifactor authentication (MFA) wherever…
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and an ongoing semi-conductor shortage, Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) reached a momentous milestone when the plant in Kariega built its 1-millionth Polo for export. The plant has been building Polos since 1996 and began exporting Polo models in 2002. VWSA currently exports the Polo built in Kariega to 38 countries, building this vehicle for all right-hand-drive markets and supplementing production for left-hand-drive markets. The Kariega plant is also the sole manufacturer worldwide of the Polo GTI, and builds the popular Polo Vivo for the local market. By the time the 1-millionth export Polo rolled off…
MTN SA is investing R624 million into the Eastern Cape to drive upgrades and deploy new network infrastructure across the region this year. As part of MTN’s “Modernisation of Network South Africa project” (MONZA) project the investment will expand network reach into rural communities, drive 5G expansion and work to restore vandalised network infrastructure. “We are working across the country to modernise the entire MTN network. Just over 68% has already been completed nationally, and the Eastern Cape is our next focus area. While we have invested in improving data speeds and connections in the short term, this plan is…
Independent mobile payments, insights, loyalty and rewards platform, Zapper, has announced that their merchants will now be able to accept tap-on-phone payments. The new functionality gives them access to virtually all digital payments without the need for any additional point of sale hardware and irrespective of whether consumers have the Zapper app. “After a successful pilot phase, we have rolled out new functionality available to all Zapper merchants which enables them to accept physical card payments as well as mobile wallet payments, such as Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Garmin Pay and others. The consumer simply taps the physical card or…
FIFA has teamed up with blockchain technology company Algorand to agree a sponsorship and technical partnership deal. The agreement means Algorand will become the official blockchain platform of FIFA and provide the official blockchain-supported wallet solution. As per the sponsorship agreement, Algorand will be a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Regional Supporter in North America and Europe, and a FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ Official Sponsor. Blockchains allow non-editable data to be permanently recorded and distributed on digital networks, while also facilitating innovations and ensuring safe, untampered exchange of value and assets such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and…
Green hydrogen will be one of the largest economic opportunities over the next 30 years. Driven by international actions to combat climate change, it has the potential to revolutionise numerous value chains in the energy industry and across both the mobility and manufacturing sectors. With rapidly improving technology and decreasing costs for fuel cells, green hydrogen is becoming a more appealing fuel alternative in Africa. At the core of green hydrogen production is the availability of renewable energy that is not being utilised for its prime role as electricity supply. For Europe, the lack of spare renewable energy capacity will…
As Vodacom and CIVH approach the regulatory and competition authorities to approve a transaction pooling their fibre network assets, SA’s Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) seeks reassurance that the mobile operator’s historical closed access culture will be swept aside should the deal succeed. ISPA’s 205 Internet Service Provider (ISP) members have, to date, struggled to obtain wholesale offerings from Vodacom for on-selling to consumers. Conversely, Vumatel and DFA have been pivotal in fostering fierce competition amongst ISPs by historically providing wholesale, fibre-based deals. Promised cash injections to advance the rollout of high-speed fibre in South Africa are to be welcomed,…
MetroFibre’s Dr Steve Booysen will hand over the reins of CEO to Jan-Jan Bezuidenhout, the current Deputy CEO of MetroFibre, effective from 1 June 2022. Booysen will step down as CEO and director of MetroFibre on 31 May 2022, and continue to provide support on a consultancy basis to the executive leadership team until the end of August 2022. “It’s been an incredible 12-year journey as a founder member and provider of seed capital back in 2010, when we founded MetroFibre. I’m extremely proud of what we have achieved, and excited at what is still to come for the business. …
MTN has joined forces with large telcos from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America to create an alliance develop startups and aid innovation in new telco technologies, such as 5G and Fibre. The alliance is known as Alaian, consisting of global telcos to reach 50 countries and 700 million customers. The members of Alaian are Bouygues Telecom, Cellnex, KPN, MTN, Telefónica and WINDTRE. The alliance is also committed to global open calls to attract companies that are aligned with its strategic innovation priorities. In this context, they are taking the opportunity to announce a global call for start-ups,…
Cybercrime is on the rise globally and Africa is not immune. In fact, South Africa has amongst the top most cybercrime incidents in the world and a lack of sufficient investment in cybersecurity has led to this crisis. This is particularly true for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) who simply don’t have the same human capital, technology assets, and financial resources as larger businesses. What these businesses need is a tailored approach to their cybersecurity needs, so that the necessary solutions can be acquired on a modular basis. This is what the Vodacom Managed Security Services by Vodacom Business and…
Clickatell, a CPaaS innovator and Chat Commerce leader, has been selected by South African retailer, Dis-Chem Pharmacies, to enable WhatsApp as its customer communication channel to engage with its customers. Dis-Chem customers can now quickly and easily access various services through WhatsApp by sending “Hi” to 0860 347 243. The easy to navigate menu then allows shoppers to choose which action they want to perform. Utilising a conversational approach through WhatsApp, Dis-Chem’s millions of customers can: register for a Benefit Card and existing members can update their personal details; check their loyalty points balance; report lost or stolen cards and…
MTN announced further progress in its efforts to drive gender equality by partnering with United Nations (UN) Women and joining the HeForShe Alliance in a drive to enhance its gender efforts. The HeForShe Alliance aims to develop the largest set of scalable and shareable solutions for gender equality’s most pressing challenges. Convening global trailblazers from across sectors, these HeForShe Alliance members will spearhead transformative change across countries, companies, campuses, and communities, inspiring many other to follow suit and demonstrating the value of allyship in accelerating progress. “At MTN, we are clear that a diverse and inclusive culture will be critical…
Disney+ announced FX’s “The Old Man,” the riveting new drama starring Jeff Bridges, will be coming soon to Disney+ under the Star banner in South Africa. The series will premiere with the first two episodes of its seven-episode season. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Thomas Perry, “The Old Man” centers on “Dan Chase” (Jeff Bridges), who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past. With Dan…
Ticketmaster, the global leader in live event ticketing, is bringing its advanced digital ticketing technology to South Africa, with headquarters in Cape Town. The launch sees Ticketmaster deliver its advanced ticketing technologies, client solutions and world-class service to the market for the first time. Sporting teams, artists, promoters, festivals and venues will be able to take full advantage of Ticketmaster’s suite of industry-leading products and digital ticketing tools designed to improve the fan experience. The official announcement follows Ticketmaster’s highly successful onsale for Justin Bieber’s Justice World Tour, the first ever major international tour to sell all tickets online in…
The digital content sharing and streaming app SHAREit has hit another growth milestone by being ranked the No.4 media source globally in volume and power rankings in non-gaming categories, and No.7 in all categories on the In-App purchases (IAP) index. It also ranked at No.8 on the global retention index across all categories for driving huge volumes. The app has almost 20m users in South Africa. In Africa, SHAREit maintained its volume ranking at No. 4 for life and culture, but slipped one position to No. 5 in power. However, it entered the top 10 in the casual group and…
SA Corporate Real Estate has been approved for a secondary listing on A2X Markets (A2X) and its shares will be available for trade on A2X from 3 May 2022. SA Corporate will retain its listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and its issued share capital will be unaffected by its listing on A2X. SA Corporate is a JSE-listed REIT and, together with all its subsidiaries, owns a diversified portfolio of quality industrial, retail, commercial and residential buildings located primarily in the major metropolitan areas of South Africa with a secondary node in Zambia. SA Corporate’s portfolio of 165 properties (excluding…
Logicalis, a global IT solutions and managed service provider, today announces the launch of Intelligent Connectivity, a solution designed to empower digital-first customers to improve business performance and user experience by operating with connectivity as a managed service. “Connectivity is critical to success in the digital-first economy. Organisations need to have confidence in their network as the key enabler for their digital transformation efforts.” comments Michael Chanter, COO of Logicalis Group. The Logicalis Intelligent Connectivity solution is a modern managed service, architected for user experience and provides a consumption-based, insights-driven approach to networking. The solution is built on Cisco SDWAN…
DigsConnect, SA’s founded student accommodation marketplace, has received an investment from international venture builder, The Delta, as part of their current funding round. Founded in 2018, the PropTech startup has become the largest student housing platform in Africa, boasting over 1.3 million beds listed worldwide. The startup is currently expanding its operations into the UK, US, Singapore, and Europe to support local students pursuing overseas opportunities. “Hundreds of thousands of African students are electing to study abroad, and housing remains one of the primary obstacles for them”, says co-founder and CEO Alexandria Procter. “We will be focusing on providing safe…