Author: Staff Writer

MTN Group’s commitment to improve our environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance has led to a significant upgrade in the Group’s ESG rating by FTSE Russell, and the inclusion of MTN in the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Top 30 Index. Noting an improvement across each of the ESG pillars, FTSE upgraded MTN’s overall rating to 4.3 at the end-December 2021 from 2.9 previously. The ratings are scored out of 5.0. In the telecoms sector, MTN moved from the 34th percentile in December 2019 – the last time such a ranking was performed – to the 97th percentile in December 2021. MTN…

Wamly, the one-way video interview software startup has secured a second round investment from South African venture capital firm, Knife Capital. The deal sees Davey Gant, Knife Capital partner based in UK, joining the Wamly board of directors. Wamly is one-way video interview software that connects great companies to talented people and helps the world hire better people faster. It allows companies to recruit vacant positions without the need for one-on-one interviews, allowing them to interview more people and better candidates, faster. The software allows them to filter through applications quicker, review in their own time, and shortlist the best…

Huawei South Africa’s Seeds for the Future class of 2021 has been placed in the top ten of the organisation’s global Tech4Good programme competition, winning recognition for their project aimed at protecting the country’s endangered rhino population from ongoing poaching. The South African project, called “SA-Tech – South Africa’s Intrusion Detection System”, beat out entries from 79 other countries around the globe and placed in the top 10 alongside those from Argentina, Thailand, Brazil, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Poland, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Additionally, it was placed in the top three in the Tech4Good’s Audience Award, which is voted for by social…

Keeping kids safe online is one of the greatest anxieties of modern parenting.  Trying to create limits, impose restrictions and constantly monitor your child roaming free across the uncontrolled, and often dangerous digital landscape is fraught, time-consuming and exhausting.  Yet, it must be done in the name of responsible parenting.  It’s not enough to apply a parental control app and make a few rules about screen time limits. Online or offline, parents have the same responsibility to keep their children safe.  From being groomed by sex predators and easily connecting with drug sellers to being victimised through cyberbullying or coming…

Huawei has earned its place as a Top Employer in South Africa, for a fifth year running, as determined by the Top Employers Institute, the global authority on excellence in people practices. At the Top Employer Awards Ceremony held this week, Huawei also received accreditation as Continental HQ Top Employer for 2022 in Sub Saharan Africa. In addition to South Africa, Huawei also received the prestigious award in Zambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, Botswana, Mauritius and Uganda. Through the Top Employers Institute certification programme, participating companies are annually assessed, surveyed, and accredited as leading employers in respect of their Human…

Mercedes-Benz announced today the introduction of five full Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) for South Africa in 2022. Through the introduction and inauguration of Mercedes-EQ to the South African market – the all-electric world of Mercedes-Benz and the brand which represents all electric-powered vehicles, Mercedes-Benz provided further proof that the age of electric mobility has arrived. Five new models from the global Mercedes-EQ range will be launched during the course of 2022 in South Africa as part of a clear strategic push to position the brand as a global and local leader in the electric vehicle market. The range for 2022…

Orderin, SA’s B2B delivery-as-a-service platform, has raised $4.7 million (R71 million) in a recently closed pre-series B funding round. The funding will allow the business to scale up infrastructure and enhance last-mile delivery, which continues to be a pain point for many businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs). The money raised in this latest round of funding brings total investment to R303 million, having raised R6.5 million in pre-seed funding, R38.5 million in seed funding and R285 million in operational capital between 2018 and October 2021. This supplements the delivery network’s biggest round of funding, which raised R102 million…

Ithala Bank-backed FinTech startup BlackPay announced the launch of a number of loan products tailored for traditionally black festivities. From the product names – Lobola Loan, Mcimbi (traditional ceremony) Loan, etc. – BlackPay has carved out features that address the specific needs of its market, powered by its alternative credit scoring technology which is approved by its licensed banking partners. Last year, Ithala Bank and Black Pay created a partnership aimed at financing township and rural development across the country. The alliance, valued at $15 million or R250 million, will finance township and rural development through home loans, backyard flats, and…

Invenfin, the venture and growth capital division of South African investment group Remgro, announced the acquisition by Aleph of South African media sales business, Ad Dynamo. The acquisition by Aleph, global partner to the world’s biggest digital media players, will accelerate Ad Dynamo into its next phase of growth — scaling its services to more platforms and more countries across the African continent. Ad Dynamo is the exclusive media sales partner for Twitter, Snap, Spotify and other platforms across Sub-Saharan Africa, and is viewed as the continent’s leading digital media sales business. Based in Cape Town, South Africa, the company has…

Tiger Brands has appointed Barati Mahloele as the company’s Venture Capital Fund Director. She joins the business from Zebu Investment Partners where she was vice president Investments. In her new position at Tiger Brands, Barati will be responsible for leading the company’s Venture Capital Fund which was launched in mid-2021. The fund’s mandate is to invest in startup businesses that align to Tiger Brands’ consumer-relevant growth platforms of health, nutrition, snackification, and economical food options, and to grow these businesses alongside the entrepreneurs running them. “Through the Venture Capital Fund we are looking to expand our participation in new product…