Author: Staff Writer

A South African business outsourcing provider has announced the appointment of a new director who will be responsible for bringing in new clients and delivering growth across the country’s domestic market. Sigma Connected South Africa, which offers expertise in customer contact and collections across South Africa’s utilities, retail, financial services and telecommunications sectors, has appointed Nompumelelo Nyawo as New Business Development Director based in Johannesburg. Reporting to Managing Director David Neale, Nompumelelo’s role will be to identify new business development opportunities, support the growth of the company’s product offering, and expand Sigma’s presence across South Africa’s public and private sectors…

Africa Day was established to celebrate and acknowledge the progress that Africa has made in the last 58 years. It’s an important milestone on the South Africa calendar, and with good reason. Although the continent doesn’t have as many unicorns and successful businesspeople and ideas as the developed world can claim, South Africa’s entrepreneurs are ahead of the fray when it comes to promoting economic growth and building platforms that increase access to Africa’s vibrant and promising markets. Two South African Fintech businesses that have scaled, or are planning to, beyond our borders and into the continent are MFS Africa…

Volvo Car SA reported its highest ever premium segment share in April 2022, demonstrating the local market’s growing appetite for electrified vehicles from the Swedish marque. In March 2022, Volvo Cars South Africa  announced all model ranges within its local line-up had gained some option of electrification – comprising mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric variants – in line with Volvo’s global ambitions of transforming into a fully electric car company by 2030. The very next month, Volvo Car SA achieved a record of over 12% share of South Africa’s premium segment, up from the 10.7% figure reported a year prior…

Tyme Group has announced a series of leadership changes as it embarks on the next chapter of its growth strategy. This follows TymeBank’s rapid growth in South Africa, where the bank is becoming entrenched as the credible alternative to legacy banks as it continues to make a real difference in the lives of consumers with its low-cost banking offering, high levels of customer satisfaction and the successful introduction of several products and services since launching in February 2019. At the same time, Tyme Group, which has always aspired to be a multi-country business, is strengthening its position as an international…

Swift action by the Shoprite Group following the July 2021 unrest and the April 2022 floods in KwaZulu-Natal meant its supermarket operations were back up and trading in record time – and Shoprite Technology played a critical role in making this happen. After last month’s devastating floods, Shoprite Technology managed to get stores and the Group’s distribution centre – critical to its operations in the area – back online within hours. A field technician even braved extreme conditions to successfully install a 3G link after the Group lost all connectivity when its fibre and wireless links were both destroyed. Swift…

TinSky Connect has successfully completed the installation of 15 OneWeb antennas and customer provided equipment at a Satellite Network Portal (SNP) or gateway facility in Accra, Ghana. OneWeb is a global communications network powered through space, enabling connectivity for governments, businesses, and communities. Tinsky Connect was selected as OneWeb’s technical engineering partner for its first west African SNP. The gateway is located in Tema on the outskirts of Accra, Ghana on a site of six hectares. The site is owned and run by ComSys who will continue to host the gateway on behalf of OneWeb. Alan Geldenhuys, Executive Director of…

Distributed Power Africa (DPA), a business of Cassava Technologies, and Électricité de France (EDF), a world-leading electricity company, entered into a partnership to develop hybrid energy solutions for businesses in South Africa. Through a 50% shareholding in DPA operations in South Africa, EDF will fuel the development of distributed energy solutions, starting with a pipeline of more than 75 MW, and enable DPA to provide an improved offering to its Commercial & Industrial (C&I) customers in South Africa. In addition, this investment will allow DPA to generate hundreds of new construction jobs in the country, adding a much-needed boost to…

Cash is still king in South Africa. But according to Anton van der Merwe, COO of leading pan-African fintech enablement partner, Ukheshe Technologies,  its long reign is increasingly under threat as businesses and consumers begin counting the real, hidden costs behind cash transactions. Whether its via cash, credit card, QR, crypto, or a smartphone wallet, financial transactions all take place within a complex system. Some parts of that system make use of coins, notes, or physical cards, while other parts of the system digitally move money between buyers, sellers, banks and other parties. Every payment method comes with its own…

The pandemic has created a Covid-19-apocalypse of unemployment. In the first quarter of 2021, Statistics South Africa reported these alarming figures for youth unemployment: • Youth account for 60% of total unemployment • 46.3% of youth aged 15-43, and over 63% aged 15-24 are unemployed • 40% of graduates aged 15-24, and 15% of graduates aged 25-34 are unemployed • 32.4% of youth aged 15-24 are not in employment, education or training At the same time, the youth population in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to double to over 830 million by 2050, bringing unprecedented opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation. With…

Johannesburg based FinTech company, Bitventure, a provider of state-of-the-art real-time automated verification and payment solutions, has acquired industry leading smart payment provider EasyDebit. The acquisition is set to bolster the company’s efforts to protect businesses against fraud while facilitating payment collections to increase cashflow and optimise onboarding processes. Bitventure CEO Junior Biola points out that fraud has become a growing concern in the post-pandemic world. “With online commerce growing significantly, cybercrime and fraud has become a real challenge for many companies. Consider, for example, that according to the 2022 PWC Global Economic Crime and Fraud survey, 46% of companies interviewed…

African insurtech aYo Holdings has taken the next step in its ongoing technology transformation by rolling out a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to underpin its ambitious growth plans across the continent. aYo, which is 100% owned by MTN, has more than 16 million enrolled customers using its microinsurance products across Uganda, Ghana, Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire, with a vision of growing into the largest financial services technology platform in Africa by providing a range of affordable and accessible micro financial services products. The company’s new Oracle NetSuite ERP system replaces its previous on-premise solution, which was battling to…

South African tech start-up Enlabeler has closed its funding round with venture capital firms Kingson Capital and E4E Africa, as well as the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. Started in 2019, Enlabeler is a data labeling provider that offers high-quality data services, including data classification, annotation and data labeling for businesses globally. Enlabeler is taking aim at the local youth unemployment crisis by providing contract-based employment and growth opportunities for young unemployed people in South Africa and Kenya. The spark of inspiration behind Enlabeler was ignited when Founder and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Esther Hoogstad wrote a research paper on…

MTN has announced price reductions and more value to customers on its MyMTN Home Fixed LTE and 5G home portfolios. The MyMTN Home Fixed LTE and 5G offers are available until 31 July 2022. “At MTN we are committed to providing connectivity at affordable rates for all South Africans to enable more people to enjoy the benefits of a modern connected world with as little impact on their pockets as possible”, says Mapula Bodibe, Chief Consumer Officer at MTN South Africa. The MyMTN Home Uncapped Fixed LTE and 5G internet promotional deals are shown below: In order to offer even…

Nedbank has made an equity investment into industry-leading technology led emergency response platform, RapidDeploy. The bank is the first South African firm to invest in RapidDeploy, which was established in South Africa after its founders Steven Raucher and Brett Meyerowitz experienced the antiquated, legacy technology that was available within the country’s public safety sector. Raucher experienced a personal tragedy when his brother drowned at sea and, to honour him, he volunteered for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) of South Africa. This is where he came to realise that the emergency tools available could not achieve what was needed to…

Naspers, through its early-stage tech investment vehicle Naspers Foundry, announced a R40 million ($2.5 million) investment in Nile, an AgriTech company that connects farmers to buyers of fresh produce. The investment is part of a R83 million equity round led by Naspers Foundry, alongside new investors, Platform Investment Partners, Raba Capital and Base Capital. The transaction marks Naspers Foundry’s tenth investment since its launch in 2019 and forms part of Naspers’s R1.4 billion commitment to grow South Africa’s tech ecosystem. Nile was founded in 2020 to provide farmers with digital solutions that can address various pain points inherent to food…

Global Startup Awards Africa regional winners from across the continent with world changing UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)- aligned solutions will come together for the first ever Global Startup Awards Africa Summit in Cape Town on the 14th and 15th June. Hosted by the Global Innovation Initiative Group (GIIG), the event is a culmination of a 6-month long process of extensive and rigorous research, networking, and collaborations across the globe, with the aim of finding Africa’s most promising innovators. With the help of 30 Country Partners, 50 Ambassadors and 250 innovation hubs, the Global Startup Awards Africa found close to…

The new Volkswagen Taigo (pronounced ‘tie-go’) will join the Volkswagen T SUV model range in South Africa from June 2022. The Volkswagen Taigo, which is manufactured in Pamplona, Spain, is positioned between the T-Cross and the T-Roc in the Volkswagen T SUV model range. The retail pricing of the Volkswagen Taigo will be announced closer to the launch date. Customers who want to Pre-Order the Taigo before it officially goes on sale in June 2022 may do so on the Volkswagen website: https://forms.vw.co.za/app/pre-order/taigo With the new Taigo, Volkswagen has produced its first SUV coupé in this segment. Digitalised interior.  The entire…

Vodacom Financial Services has launched VodaLend Compare, a financial services marketplace aimed at offering unsecured personal loans for customers. Available exclusively through the VodaPay super app for now, with the web version launching soon, the proposition allows customers to compare personal loan quotes in three simple steps, enabling them to apply for the best option that suits their lifestyle needs and budget. “VodaLend Compare is designed to respond to consumers who may need a financial boost quickly for personal use, such as emergency medical expenses, unplanned relocation costs or home renovations, without a tedious application process. Through one journey and…

Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH), the Remgro and New GX-controlled parent company of fibre infrastructure operators Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) and Vumatel, announced that effective 1 May 2022, its two fibre network assets would be managed under a new infrastructure company. The infrastructure entity’s name has not yet been announced. CIVH says this decision is a strategic step to meet ongoing customer and business requirements and increase open-access offerings across the networks. Although its two most significant operating subsidiaries (DFA and Vumatel) will be incorporated into this new infrastructure company, CIVH says each business will initially continue to operate separately.…

With demand for data rising as much as 45% in Gauteng, MTN South Africa is ramping up investment to meet demand, maintain network excellence and extend reach into township areas. The fight against battery theft and vandalism remains a key priority in 2022. The investment budget for Gauteng in 2022 amounts to R2.2 billion, as MTN continues to ensure more people are connected to and benefit from the digital world. “Gauteng remains SA’s economic hub, with half of all national 5G traffic generated from the province. MTN also saw a 45% increase year-on-year in data volume growth in February,” says…

MTN Group has linked the remuneration of senior executives with the Group’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets. This supports the delivery of our Ambition 2025 strategy, and in particular the strategic priority to ‘create shared value’, with ‘ESG at the core’. The variable elements of executive compensation – both short-term incentives (STIs) and long-term incentives (LTIs) – now depend on progress on three ESG goals: reaching Net Zero; enhancing diversity and inclusion; and extending rural broadband. “Effectively managing our environmental, social and governance impacts is critical to reaching Ambition 2025,” said MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph…

South Africans just can’t seem to catch a break. As we grapple with rising crime, the post-pandemic economic slump, increases in the fuel price and destructive weather, the last thing the country needs is more bad news. However, recent crime statistics released by the police ministry paint a bleak picture, particularly when it comes to kidnappings, which are on the rise. Between October and December last year, 2 605 kidnapping cases were reported, which is 686 more cases compared to the previous reporting period. The last four months of 2021 showed the highest number of reported kidnappings in five years.…

The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) has announced that it has acquired a 30% equity stake in the mobile security service CASi as part of its 2030 strategy to diversify and enhance its offering. The Vision 2030 strategy of the AA is supported by five pillars: Providing conventional roadside assistance, AA armed response services, and emergency medical response services, Providing financial services through short-term insurance and the provision of warranties and life assurance products, The expansion of the AA Auto Centre network and the promotion of the AA Technical College as a vehicle for job creation and providing opportunities…

Sitho Mdlalose has been appointed as the Managing Director (MD) of Vodacom South Africa, effective 01 July 2022. Mdlalose is currently the Managing Director of Vodacom Tanzania, a position he has held since August 2021. Vodacom Group said he returns to Vodacom South Africa to assume the role held by Balesh Sharma, who leaves the company at the end of June to pursue an external career opportunity. Mdlalose will report directly to Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub and will join the Vodacom Group executive committee. Mdlalose’s successor in Tanzania will be announced in due course. Mdlalose is a qualified Chartered…

South Africa’s Tafari Capital recently launched a COVID-19 management app in collaboration with the Lesotho government. The app is designed to empower and strengthen the Government’s efforts to end COVID-19 transmissions. In less than 3 weeks since launch, the app has registered over 50 000 users and is growing. “The Citizen App is a tool that government and businesses can use to open up economic activity in the country including movement across the borders safely by identifying people who have vaccinated fully and those who are unvaccinated but have negative COVID-19 tests to openly engage in economic activity,” says Dr…