Author: Staff Writer

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…

Most South Africans (89%) believe businesses would make more progress toward sustainability and social goals with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), according to a new study by Oracle and Pamela Rucker, CIO Advisor and Instructor for Harvard Professional Development. The study of more than 11,000 consumers and business leaders across 15 countries found that South Africans now want businesses to turn talk into action. They also believe technology can help organisations succeed where people have failed, with 60% of respondents even believing that bots will succeed where humans have failed. “Our study reveals that the events of the past…

 The .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) has published the draft .za registry and registrar licensing regulations that provide details on the requirements to be met by registries and registrars to be licensed by the Authority, the steps to be taken when applying for the renewal of the license, and how to address contraventions of the license conditions. The draft regulations are in accordance with the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECT ACT) 25 of 2002, Section 68 and 94 of the ECT Act, which authorises the Authority with the approval of the Minister to make regulations. According to Molehe Wesi,…

Bang & Olufsen today announced the launch of Beoplay EX, the latest addition to its wearable audio portfolio. With astounding sound, adaptive ANC and a fully waterproof design, Beoplay EX is the most versatile true wireless earphone model from Bang & Olufsen to date. Built to simplify personal sound, Beoplay EX offers an unparalleled combination of performance and style to create the perfect personal sound companion for amplifying all varieties of daily audio experiences. “Beoplay EX embodies the seamless blend of comfort, luxury and quality sound that threads the entirety of our legendary audio portfolio together. From our award-winning Beoplay…

The Buccaneers have teamed up with Vodacom Life Assurance Company to launch Orlando Pirates Funeral Cover to protect you against the unforeseen expenses during the toughest time for your family, and to help take care of the people that matter by offering affordable cover. From as little as R60 per month, Orlando Pirates Funeral Cover offers individual and family funeral cover underwritten by Vodacom Life Assurance Company. Supporters can sign up exclusively through the Orlando Pirates Official App and receive instant cover for up to 17 family members, with a maximum pay out of R50 000 when a loved one dies,…

The South African Post Office Amendment Draft Bill, which has been published for public comment, is seeking to position the Post Office in the logistics, e-commerce and financial services industry. The revised duties also empower the SAPO to position itself to be a strategic platform through which citizens and businesses can access value-added services including government services in line with the National Integrated ICT Policy White Paper. These services may include government services, agency, financial, e-commerce, logistics, retail, authentication services, warehousing services, serve as a digital hub for businesses and communities, serve as a logistics partner to other e-commerce providers.…

South African-founded venture builder The Delta has placed the African venture building on the map with participation in R490 million seed investment and international expansion. Founded in South Africa in 2018, The Delta is a venture builder with huge plans to become a world-class partner to startups and scale-ups, while also bringing more investment into Africa. After spending several years working with local founders and providing validation, design, development, and growth expertise to their startups, The Delta made a big international push in 2021, and now have offices in The UK, Spain, Switzerland, and Germany (their new HQ). This has…

The Sygnia Itrix New China Sectors exchange traded fund (ETF) has been approved for a secondary listing on A2X Markets. Sygnia’s newest ETF will be available for trade on A2X from 29 April 2022. The Itrix New China Sectors ETF joins 13 other Sygnia Itrix ETFs already listed on A2X. Sygnia is the largest international equity ETF provider in South Africa and offers investors the widest range of ETFs that track international equity markets. The objective of the Sygnia Itrix New China Sectors ETF is to provide an investment vehicle that gives easy access to investors who want to achieve…

A new era begins for Lexus Battery EVs and the Lexus Electrified vision The all-new RZ brings a unique Lexus driving experience based on the Lexus Electrified vision. Using a new all-wheel drive system called DIRECT4 RZ offers drivers a refined, human-centred driving experience. Lexus has unveiled the details of the new “RZ”, the luxury brand’s first globally available pure Battery EV (BEV) model. Since the launch of the RX400h in 2005, Lexus has been a pioneer of electrification within the luxury market. As with the first RX hybrid model, our engineers have imbued our hybrid vehicles with an excellent…

BMW is leading the luxury segment into a new era that will be shaped by innovations in the fields of sustainability and digitalisation. With the new BMW 7 Series, the world’s most successful manufacturer of premium vehicles is creating forward-looking ways to enjoy driving pleasure, unsurpassed long-distance comfort and a top-end digital experience. Central to this reinterpretation is the BMW i7. The all-electric luxury sedan is a fully integrated member of the model family and clearly demonstrates how an exclusive driving experience and the ultimate feeling of on-board wellbeing can be combined with an unwavering commitment to sustainability. In addition…

Nedbank has announced the launch of the new Nedbank American Express Platinum Card in South Africa. Both new and existing Nedbank American Express Platinum Card Members can now enjoy an extensive range of enhanced lifestyle, travel and service benefits and a sleek metal card. The new Platinum Card benefits include exclusive dining discounts of up to 20% at 30 premium restaurants across the country, 30% off at aha Hotels & Lodges, a range of discount offers of up to 50% off from home décor, food, liquor and beauty services providers, and up to R500 back annually in statement credits when…

Volvo Cars has made an investment in StoreDot, an Israeli company developing extreme-fast charging battery technology for electric cars, through the Volvo Cars Tech Fund, its venture capital arm. StoreDot is working on a pioneering technology that, according to the company, should result in batteries that can charge to 160km of pure electric range in just five minutes. The investment gives Volvo Cars the opportunity to collaborate closely with StoreDot on exciting new battery technology, as it aims to become a pure electric car company by 2030. By working together with Volvo Cars, StoreDot aims to accelerate the time to…

Today, for the first time, fans can register their interest to subscribe to Disney+ in South Africa, to take advantage of an exclusive introductory offer of R950. The offer means fans can enjoy 12 months of Disney+ for the price of 8. The streaming service will launch in South Africa on 18 May 2022. Standard pricing at launch is confirmed at R119 per month, or R1190 for an annual subscription. Subscribers will have access to Star Wars’ “The Book of Boba Fett” and “The Mandalorian” from executive producer and writer Jon Favreau and, from 27 May, the highly anticipated “Obi-Wan…

While there has been headway toward greater workplace diversity in recent years, there is still much more work to be done. In all businesses, there is undeniably a gender divide, and one of these historically male-dominated industries is technology. In fact, according to a PwC report, women presently hold only 19% of tech-related roles at the world’s top ten technology corporations, compared to men who hold 81 percent. Women have 28% of leadership roles at major worldwide technology organisations, while men hold 72%. Additionally, the report asserts that South Africa might achieve greater economic development by narrowing the gender gap…

In the post-COVID-19 environment, access to digital devices and the internet has become a must-have for school assignments, healthcare, communicating with friends and family, finding a job, or starting a business. Yet many South African families remain unconnected and are thus excluded from the opportunities that connectivity provides. According to The State of ICT in South Africa report, most South Africans cannot afford to connect online due to data costs, and lack of internet-enabled devices. Data costs in South Africa are notoriously high when compared to other emerging markets, with research showing that SA’s data costs are about six times…

Bosch and Amazon Web Services (AWS) aim to improve efficiency and sustainability in the transportation and logistics industry. Their plan is to offer logistics companies and freight forwarders across the globe quick and easy access to digital services through a platform powered by AWS. Going forward, they will offer support for topics ranging from capacity utilisation of commercial vehicle fleets to monitoring goods flows to order processing – all from a single source. To this end, Bosch and AWS have now entered a strategic collaboration. Bosch will be responsible for developing and operating the logistics platform, the core of which…

Online payment gateway PayFast has partnered with consumer finance business, RCS, to launch a new payment method that enables consumers to make purchases using a range of store cards within the RCS stable of finance brands. This includes store card products from brands like Game, Makro, Cape Union Mart, Builders, CTM, and more. The payment method will benefit both merchants, who will be paid upfront in full, and customers, who can pay off their purchases through flexible monthly instalments. “Alternative payment methods provide customers with convenience, enabling them to pay in a way that suits them,” says David Kusel, Head…

Luno, the crypto company founded by two South Africans, now has 10 million customers in over 40 countries. Luno’s latest one million customers were onboarded in just six months. South Africa is one of Luno’s strongest and most active markets. Customer growth in South Africa is almost 40% year-on-year.  Over 40% of the new customers added in the last six months are based in South Africa. On average South Africans deposit R480 when they open their Luno account and tend to hold for 10 months (the longest time of all Luno markets). 82% of new customers who bought crypto purchased…

The heavy rains in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has caused widespread infrastructure damage and power outages resulting in over 500 MTN sites down in the region. Due to the serious nature of the outages, MTN has activated contingency plans for site restoration, however, access to many of the impacted sites remains a major challenge. “The flooding in the KZN region has caused power outages at many of our sites and while we have battery back-up at many of the sites, these batteries have been depleted,” says Jacqui O’Sullivan, MTN SA’s Executive for Corporate Affairs. Our major challenge right now is gaining access…

MTN announced today that it is investing R749 million into the Western Cape as part of its Modernisation of Network South Africa project (MONZA). MONZA will see an additional 1,350 sites finalised across South Africa, with total 5G coverage set to reach 179 sites in the Western Cape alone. “Our top three targets for the province in 2022 are improving availability of the network, increasing data throughputs, and expanding our 5G footprint,” says Paul Newman, MTN’s General Manager for Western Cape Operations. “With improved access to data changing lives, our aim is to make significant inroads into plugging existing data gaps…

Capitec Bank reported today 84% growth in group headline earnings to R8.4 billion for the 2022 financial year, boosted by digital solutions. The bank said it increased its active client base by 14% to 18.1 million, which translates to nearly 190 000 new clients per month. Active digital banking clients (app, internet banking and USSD) grew by 17% to 10.1 million, of which 6.6 million clients use the banking app, up 25% since 2021. Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, several hard lockdowns and the civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, Capitec’s accessible product offering continues to resonate with all…