As we approach June 2024, we’re on the brink of commemorating three decades of fostering connections and driving meaningful value,” shares Mcebisi Jonas, Group Chairman. He wrote in the group’s latest annual report published today, stating: “As we continue to navigate the macro-challenges in our trading environment, we reflect with both pride and humility on the progress of the business over the past three decades. “This has been powered by the dedication and resilience of MTNers, as well as the support of so many different people and institutions, including customers, governments and regulat ..read more

Google has announced the opening of applications for the 8th cohort of its Google for Startups Accelerator Africa programme. This cohort will have a strong focus on startups leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to address critical challenges and unlock new opportunities across the continent. Startups are the lifeblood of innovation, driving economic growth, creating jobs, and solving some of society’s most pressing challenges. In Africa, digital transformation is accelerating rapidly and startups play a vital role in shaping the continent’s future. from fintech an ..read more

Phos, the global leader in software point-of-sale (SoftPoS) orchestration for businesses, has partnered with the leading cloud platform for global card processing, Silverflow, to help businesses leverage a best-in-class solution for accepting contactless payments directly to mobile devices.  “This partnership marks a significant step forward for our business. By combining our expertise with Phos, we’re providing a comprehensive and ready-to-deploy solution that streamlines the go-to-market process for our clients,” said Anne Willem de Vries, CEO and Co-founder of Silverflow. ” We’re conf ..read more

The South African Breweries (SAB) today announced the first edition of the SAB Talent Challenge. The programme seeks to turn traditional talent attraction practice on its head through this progressive challenge, as a recruitment tool. Participants will engage in a multi-phased journey solving real-life business problems. All young graduates between the ages of 18 – 30 years are invited to take up the challenge and apply. The country is currently experiencing high levels of unemployment, which predominantly affects the youth. The StatsSA Quarterly Labour Force Survey from Q4 2023 indicates tha ..read more

Jaguar will offer enthusiasts and collectors in South Africa an opportunity to own one of two exclusive limited-edition F-TYPEs, inspired by iconic 1960s racing E-TYPES. Just 150 examples of the F-TYPE ZP Edition will be the last internal combustion-engined sports cars designed by Jaguar. These 423kW supercharged petrol V8 F-TYPEs feature specially curated interior and exterior details by the personalisation experts at SV Bespoke. Janico Dannhauser, Product and Pricing Manager, JLR South Africa, said: “The E-TYPE has captivated drivers and fans for decades, securing iconic status with its pro ..read more

IBM unveiled the 2024 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index shedding light on a burgeoning worldwide identity crisis as cyber adversaries intensify their focus on leveraging user identities to infiltrate enterprises on a global scale. This pervasive trend extends to the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, where the predominant method of cyber assault against organisations involves the exploitation of valid local and cloud-based accounts, as reported by X-Force. This underscores the imperative for robust user access and control measures within enterprises. In 2023, cybercriminals increasingly fa ..read more

In 2023, the salary of MTN CEO Ralph Mupita experienced a noteworthy surge, reaching a staggering R80.3 million. This increase amounted to an additional R11 million compared to previous earnings, marking a significant development in his compensation package. Mupita received dual salaries, one in US dollars and the other in rands, as explained by MTN. This arrangement stemmed from his dual contract split between MTN Dubai and MTN Group Management Services South Africa. The telecommunications group listed on the JSE disclosed in its integrated annual report, released today, that Mupita’s tota ..read more

In 2023, Sungrow – the global leading PV inverter and energy storage system provider – saw a remarkable surge in operating revenue, soaring by 79.5% to reach an impressive $10.2 billion. Simultaneously, its net profit attributable to shareholders surged significantly by 162.7% to $1.3 billion. These figures highlight Sungrow’s outstanding performance and substantial growth during the year. This robust growth was primarily attributed to the company’s expanding customer base and increasing market share in key regions. The company experienced a remarkable surge in PV inverter shipments, surpass ..read more

Something must be done to solve South Africa’s social ills but the country cannot afford nor sustain a Basic Income Grant (BIG). This was the position of Business Unity South Africa’s CEO, Cas Coovadia, during GroundUp and Black Sash’s BIG Debate in Cape Town on Thursday. The proposed Basic Income Grant (BIG) would be a cash transfer from the government to citizens aged 18 to 59. The South African government has expressed support for this, and has indicated that the existing R370 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant that was introduced during Covid, could be the start of a more comprehensiv ..read more

Just 10 or 15 years ago, launching a new ecommerce business built for high transaction volumes and robust security was a complex undertaking. If you wanted a scalable site with customised functionality, integrations with enterprise systems like inventory management, and a bespoke look-and-feel, you would probably have needed to spend millions of rand just to get started. Today, the barriers to entry have crumbled. Consider the example of Ollie Health, an online mental health platform for global enterprise teams that offers video consultations, a customised calendar and booking system, and sec ..read more