Author: Staff Writer

LG Electronics (LG) today announced it has acquired South Korean electric vehicle (EV) charger solutions provider, AppleMango Co., Ltd., jointly with GS Energy and GS Neotek. The acquisition is expected to accelerate the growth of LG’s EV charging solution business and enable the company to take advantage of future business opportunities. This strategic move, combined with LG’s own expertise and wealth of experience in both B2C and B2B segments, will enable the company to create fully-featured charging stations boasting a user-friendly interface and real-time control/management. LG continues to strengthen its EV charging solution business leveraging its exceptional digital signage technologies…

Over the past 24 hours, Eskom experienced protests at nine of its power stations and other operating facilities, by some of its employees who have embarked on unprotected strike action following a deadlock in wage negotiations on Tuesday. These protests included incidents of intimidation of working employees and blockading of roads leading to power stations and other facilities, inhibiting the free flow of personnel and commodities required for the generation of electricity and smooth operations. The increased unavailability of plant has necessitated an extensive usage of emergency generation reserves, which are depleting faster than can be replenished. Eskom cautions the…

Vodacom, South Africa’s largest mobile phone operator, wants to connect a million unemployed South African youth to the gig economy. A gig economy is a free market system in which temporary positions are common and organisations hire independent workers for short-term commitments. The term “gig” is a slang word for a job that lasts a specified period of time. Traditionally, the term was used by musicians to define a performance engagement. In a bid to give youth a fighting chance in this tough economy, Vodacom said in a statement today that it has launched Get-a-Gig through NXT LVL with a three-year…

When the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) recently proposed linking biometric data to SIM cards, privacy concerns quickly cropped up. Would this mean constant surveillance or an increased potential for identity theft? A resounding no, and no, says Gur Geva, Co-Founder and CEO of iiDENTIFii, the leader in remote biometric digital facial authentication and automated onboarding technology. “Because biometric technology only started making its way into the mainstream relatively recently, consumers are still unsure of what the technology entails and how it may be used. This, naturally, leads to some misconceptions and fears. The reality is that opt-in…

The Shoprite Group has launched Shoprite Next Capital, a business division dedicated to capacitate and grow commercially-viable SMMEs to further the Group’s continued efforts to give small suppliers access to its consumer market.  As drivers of growth, job creation and innovation, SMMEs are crucial to the recovery of the South African economy, and Shoprite Next Capital is the formalisation of the key role the Group plays in the success of SMMEs by giving them access to its consumer market.   “With Shoprite Next Capital our aim is to further enhance the participation of small and emerging suppliers in our business.…

MTN is ranked first among South Africa’s mobile operators with a median 5G download speed reaching 213.37 Mbps in Q1 2022, followed by Vodacom, a report by speed test service Ookla revealed on Wednesday. Ookla, which owns and operates the popular speedtest.net Internet speed testing service, has published its latest Speedtest Global Index rankings for South Africa for the first quarter of 2022, said median upload speed suffered a nearly 40% decrease, going from 46.05 Mbps to 27.32 Mbps. “When we examined the State of 5G Worldwide in 2021, we concluded that it’s common to see new mobile access technologies…

BMW Group Plant Rosslyn, which builds the BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) for South Africa and around 30 export markets, has added 16 African countries to its portfolio. BMW Group Plant Rosslyn, situated outside Pretoria, has produced vehicles since 1968 and was established as the first BMW Group production facility outside Germany. Plant Rosslyn first produced the BMW X3 in April 2018, after a R6.2 billion investment to prepare it for production after close to 35 years of BMW 3 Series production. The investment – one of the biggest in the local automotive industry at the time – was…

MTN South Africa announced today that it is ramping up the rollout of 5G coverage to bring a seamless, fast and cutting-edge network experience to more South Africans. With over 1,000 active 5G sites across the country currently, MTN aims to have at least 25% of the population covered by the end of 2022. “We want to have 5G connectivity across almost every part of SA. Our aim is to bring the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to more people in an efficient and cost-effective way. This means expanding our 5G coverage every day, with a strong focus on…

Vodacom today pays tribute to its independent non-executive director David Brown, who tragically passed away on Sunday 19 June 2022. David was highly regarded and widely respected by his fellow Board members. Over a period of more than ten years, David made a significant contribution to the Board, having served Vodacom with impeccable measure and sound judgement. His leadership leaves an indelible mark on the Vodacom team and his generous advice and wise counsel will be sorely missed. Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub says “David was an invaluable member of the Vodacom family, who was held in great esteem by all who…

The artistic skills of most African youth lay latent, awaiting a trigger. So, amid the commemoration of Youth Month, it is apt to take an intensified note of the creative possibilities of the young ones. Such prospects could emerge from harnessing the deep-rooted ability of the youth to create. On that account, encouraged observation and learning from the journey of arts from elders is essential to spark the youth’s hidden talent. An inspiration standing tall and worthy of note among patriarchs is that of mama Noria Mabasa. Forming part of her numerous achievements is that Mabasa is the recipient of…

BMW South Africa has launched Charter products, a new an all-inclusive finance solution that offers the benefits of driving the latest BMW and MINI vehicles, without having to own a vehicle. The BMW Group Financial Services Charter solution allows consumers the use of a BMW or MINI vehicle, at a fixed monthly rental payment, without the need to consider a deposit, depreciating values, interest rate fluctuations or final balloon payments. BMW Group South Africa, in adapting to the changing needs of consumers, has meticulously designed the Charter finance solution for individuals who drive fewer than 20,000 km per year, prefer an…

Kyndryl, the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, has announced the appointment of Andreas Beck as the company’s Managing Director in the Middle East and Africa, with predecessor Vickram Nagi taking on a new role as vice president, Delivery Transformation Leader at Kyndryl. Beck returns to the region with a wealth of experience, working across numerous regions, industries and business units. Most recently, he served as Chief of Staff to Kyndryl’s Group president. Based out of the company’s headquarters in New York, Beck was leading strategic initiatives around the formation of Kyndryl and ensuring alignment of business strategy and priorities…

This month, commentators were abuzz after an exchange launched with a pan-African focus. MARA became the official partner of the Central African Republic with $23 million of funding, and commentators began speculating. So, what is the future of African cryptocurrency exchanges? “The CAR is the second country to make Bitcoin legal tender, but the conditions are all wrong for success. If you look at the demographics and the technological infrastructure, the move was symbolic more than economic,” said Richard Gardner, CEO of Modulus, a US-based developer of ultra-high-performance trading and surveillance technology that powers global equities, derivatives, and digital asset exchanges. “If you’re…

Vodacom has launched a follow-up to its stimulating #CodeLikeAGirl programme that will see 700 girls between the ages of 14 and 18 receive coding training from 27 June – 15 July 2022. The Vodacom #CodeLikeAGirl programme is aimed at inspiring more girls to explore careers that require coding skills to help them get a start in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields and industries. Often referred to as the jobs of the future, STEM drives innovation, social wellbeing, inclusive growth, and sustainable development the world over. Female participation is lagging in STEM fields in most countries. A report…

Africa Data Centres, part of the Cassava Technologies Group, a pan-African technology group, announced today is building a second data centre in Cape Town, South Africa. The new 20MW facility will cover 15,000 square meters in eight data halls and is situated on the northern periphery of Cape Town city centre. According to Tesh Durvasula, Chief Executive Officer of Africa Data Centres, there is a clear pipeline of demand for colocation space that cannot be served from the existing Diep River data centre. “The new Cape Town facility is a critical part of Africa Data Centres expansion drive in the area”.…

As part of Uber’s commitment towards safety, the company has initiated a Safety Sessions Programme in collaboration with South African Police Service (SAPS) to help address the safety concerns raised by drivers and delivery people on the Uber platform. During these sessions, held in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town over the past several months; SAPS officials were brought together with drivers on the platform to better understand the realities on the ground and how best to partner to assist in improving the safety of all. “We believe that e-hailing drivers should have regular engagements with SAPS officials in their…

South Africa’s digital systems aggregator and solutions provider, Nexio, a subsidiary of the Vodacom Group, has appointed Ed Gassner as the company’s CEO on an interim basis with immediate effect and until a permanent replacement is appointed. Gassner’s appointment follows last week’s resignation announcement of Mickey Mashale, who had been at the Nexio helm since August 2020. For more read: Mickey Mashale Steps Down As CEO Of Nexio, A Subsidiary Of Vodacom Gassner holds a B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering degree from WITS University and has extensive executive leadership experience spanning 30 years, specialising in technology companies. His most recent permanent role…

MTN Group today announced the appointment of Riaan Wessels as Chief Risk Officer: FinTech with effect from 1 July 2022. Riaan has 13 years’ experience at MTN. He first joined the company in 2004, as General Manager: Business Risk Management and returned in 2017 as Group Executive: Risk and Compliance. “As Chief Risk Officer: Fintech, Riaan will continue to add immense value at MTN by effectively managing risk exposures to the business and ensuring robust processes and controls,” said Serigne Dioum, Group Chief Fintech Officer. Over the past 20 years, Riaan has implemented complex programmes at multinational companies in the…

Ride-hailing services, such as Uber, are transforming the way we move around. A few clicks on a smartphone can have you on your way in no time, meeting the modern consumer’s need for on-demand, accessible and convenient services. According to a recent report by Genesis Analytics and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), data from the South African Police Services shows that carjacking incidents have increased across the country over the past three years (2018 – 2020), jumping by a 10% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). To provide quick and reliable private armed and medical response to riders and drivers…

Audi South Africa is pleased to announce the appointment of Mulalo Makungo (Ratshikhopha) to the role Audi National Sales Operations Manager, officially from 1 April 2022. She brings with her over ten years’ experience in the automotive industry and has worked with the Barloworld and McCarthy Groups at Head Office level and across various other brands in the automotive sector, including BMW, General Motors, Burchmores and Traders Online. More recently, Mulalo held the position of Business Manager for the Volkswagen Brand since 2017. During her career, she has gained a firm understanding and appreciation for the Dealer retail environment and…

The banks and financial services of the future will have several different manifestations due to the impact of financial technology and the Internet as financial providers can collect vast amounts of user data from various sources. However, the majority of this data gets unused or remains unstructured, or is not analysed. The data could be either valuable data or unnecessary, how can businesses tell? Iron Mountain, the global leader for storage and information management services enabling digital transformation, has released the Smart and Secure Data Management In A Circular Economy guide on how to answer this question as well as…

Backbase, the creator of the category-leading Engagement Banking Platform, raised €120 million or R1.9 billion in growth equity funding from Motive Partners. Having grown organically to over €200 million in revenue, Backbase is now partnering with a FinTech specialist private equity firm, to further strengthen its claim on the Engagement Banking category. This growth investment values Backbase at €2.5 billion. Motive Partners is a founder-friendly partner, fully supporting Backbase in remaining an independent force and driving the Engagement Banking strategy, by continuing to focus on customer-centric innovation that transforms the financial services industry’s siloed channels and legacy applications. Most banks…

As the fuel price hits historic highs, commuters are starting to feel the pinch in increasing transport fares. The typical South African commuter already spends up to 40% of their income on transport and the minibus taxi sector is still struggling from the impact of the last two years on their operations.  However, relief could be possible from an unlikely source – electric minibus taxis.  Privately-owned minibus taxis are ubiquitous in sub-Saharan Africa and carry more than 70% of daily commuters. A project team of companies and research institutions today announced a research partnership to investigate and advance the feasibility…

Cape Town-headquartered venture capital (VC) firm HAVAÍC this week announced the completion of its first investment in ShopEx, Nigeria’s leading omnichannel direct-to-consumer retailer. HAVAÍC has finalised investment of $400,000 from its U$20 million HAVAÍC Universum Core African Fund. The investment forms part of a $625,000 convertible note round alongside existing angel investors. ShopEx mobilises a combination of traditional and digital channels to market, sell, and distribute some of the world’s most successful ‘As Seen On TV’ brands in Nigeria and other African markets, including Nutri-Bullet, Copper Chef, Power XL, Dream by Genie, Myfit Jeans, and Contour. Founded by CEO Isi…

SA’s investment app Franc has announced its B2B offering Franc Business.  The announcement follows Franc’s recent seed extension raise of R8 million, which included investment from pan-Africa focused venture capital firm 4DX Ventures.  The capital injection will in part fund their B2B initiative aimed at businesses who want to entrench customer loyalty and their value proposition with a ‘plug and play’ investment and savings offering. Franc was launched in 2017 by varsity mates, actuary Sebastian Patel and engineer Thomas Brennan, who were frustrated by the complexity and high barrier to entry of existing investment offerings, and concerned by the poor…