Author: Staff Writer
South Africa’s universities are transforming their offerings to be future-ready, according to Altron Systems Integration. The company has surveyed the state of digital transformation in higher education institutions in South Africa and identifies how institutions are changing. Universities and colleges are heavily reliant on government funding. But they face rising costs of providing education while fees and grants remain under pressure. They need to attract new students, optimize costs and find new revenue streams in order to be sustainable. As an example, earlier this year, the University of Cape Town announced a new virtual high school, extending its brand into…
Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) today announced the appointment of Dr Heydon Hall as its Chief Information Officer. The key focus of his role at DFA is to develop and oversee the implementation of a robust and integrated information-technology strategy, as well as the company’s overall digital transformation and enterprise architecture. With over 20 years’ senior IT-leadership experience, Hall has led teams in digital transformation and business re-engineering turnarounds for numerous large organisations and has been involved in several successful technology start-ups. DFA CEO, Andries Delport, welcomed Hall’s addition to the company’s executive leadership. “Heydon joins DFA at a time when…
As demand for world-class digital solutions expands exponentially, MTN SA is on the lookout for 150 digital experts to ensure it keeps pace with growing demand. The move ties in with MTN Group’s 2025 ambition to become Africa’s leading digital platform business by 2025. “We intend to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world and are therefore looking to expand our teams to ensure we keep challenging what we do to always do better,” says Tebogo Maenetja Chief of Human resources at MTN South Africa “As we recover from the devastation of COVID-19, exciting job openings for young…
The ability for local businesses, NGOs, call centres and others to finally be able to port their heavily-advertised and much-valued 0800, 0860 and 087 phone numbers to new service providers from the ICASA-stipulated date of 7 March 2022, in fact, presents a golden opportunity for them to adopt a completely new telecoms technology entirely. “The traditional model of signing onerous contracts just to be supplied with business phone numbers is dead in the water, and the finalisation by ICASA of number portability after 16 years is in fact too late. That ship hasn’t just sailed, it’s sinking because you can…
MTN Business today launched the MTN Made for Skhokho prepaid packages tailored for small and informal businesses. The MTN Made for Skhokho prepaid plans, which are the first prepaid bundles to launch in South Africa targeted specifically for business in the informal sector, provide greater value and flexibility to help businesses navigate the current tough economic conditions. “Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and business in the informal sector play an important role in South Africa’s economy by providing employment opportunities as well as driving much-needed growth. Added to the recent negative impact brought on by COVID-19, SMEs continue to face…
Seacom, the pan-African telecommunications service provider, today announced it will acquire selected infrastructure assets from Africell in Uganda. The acquisition marks a significant step for Seacom and is a testament to the company’s commitment to providing, competitive end-to-end connectivity and ICT solutions across the region. “East Africa has been an important market for Seacom ever since we first arrived on the shores of Mombasa in 2009,” explained Tejpal Bedi, Managing Director and Regional Head of Sales for Seacom ENEA. “By officially establishing ourselves in Uganda through proprietary facilities and resources, we are prioritising widespread connectivity and opening up opportunities to…
South African online retailers have learned to meet the demands of Black Friday and the Christmas season, with nine out of ten saying they coped with extra staffing demands and more than two-thirds saying their technology could handle the increased traffic at the end of 2021. The single biggest challenge facing the sector was managing customer queries and challenges, cited by just over half (53%) of respondents. These were key findings of the second phase of the Online Retail in South Africa 2021 study, conducted at the end of last year by World Wide Worx, with the support of Mastercard…
At a virtual Google for South Africa event today, Google unpacked its support for startups, SMMEs and nonprofits in a bid to accelerate digital transformation and help South Africa’s economy recover. This follows announcements made at the virtual Google for Africa event in October last year where Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, announced Google’s plan to invest $1 billion over five years to support Africa’s digital transformation. The focus of these investments is on enabling fast, affordable internet access for more Africans; building helpful products; supporting entrepreneurship and small business; and helping nonprofits to improve lives across Africa. As…
When I was a recently qualified chartered accountant stepping onto the JSE floor on 1 February 1972 as a runner, I didn’t dare to dream of the amazing career I’ve had, the incredible people I’ve worked with, and of the dramatic ebbs and flows of the markets as they’ve responded to history in the making each day. I still choose to learn new things every day, but in the last five decades of working in what’s got to be one of the most exciting jobs around, I’ve learned a few key things that have stayed true through the years, no…
TopAuto has launched a new Driving Cost Calculator, which makes it easy to work out how much you will pay in fuel and toll fees to drive between two towns or cities in South Africa. To calculate the total driving cost, users only have to fill in three fields – their starting point, their destination, and their vehicle. The calculator then provides the user with detailed information for their trip, including: The distance to their destination How long the journey will take The fuel cost How much they have to pay in toll fees The total cost of the trip…