Author: Staff Writer

Microsoft announced today that HoloLens 2 is now available in South Africa, bringing the capabilities and value of mixed reality solutions to local enterprises across various key sectors. Mixed reality blends the physical and digital worlds – covering the spectrum from augmented reality to virtual reality – so that these worlds can co-exist and interact in real time. This augments the jobs of first-line employees in sectors such as manufacturing, automotive, healthcare and education, and unlocks significant benefits for these businesses and industries. Businesses in critical job and growth-creating sectors worldwide have already felt the value and benefits of investing…

Carry1st, Africa’s leading mobile games publisher, today announced it has partnered with online payments pioneers PayPal and Chipper Cash, a cross-border payments company recently valued at $2B, to enable people across Africa to easily and securely purchase virtual goods and services online. Thanks to the partnerships, consumers across Africa can purchase digital essentials in the newly launched Carry1st Shop — from pre-paid electricity and mobile data, assets in their favorite games (like PUBG, ROBLOX, and SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off — which Carry1st recently launched in Africa), and subscriptions to platforms like Xbox Live, Tinder, and Uber. Consumers can browse products, select…

The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Aerospace Systems Research Group (ASReG) has successfully tested a powerful liquid-propellant rocket engine as the first step towards developing a launch vehicle for placing satellites into Earth orbit. The Ablative Blow-down Liquid Engine (ABLE) was designed by mechanical engineering students in the masters and doctoral programmes at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). ASReG is developing designs for a commercial launch vehicle capable of placing satellites weighing up to 200 kg into orbit for communications, environmental monitoring, agriculture and Earth observation purposes. The successful operation of ABLE will enable the group to begin work on a flight-weight…

South Africa could introduce a new COVID-19 vaccine passport system at the start of 2022 after the discovery of a new variant. Business Day reports that South Africa’s exclusion from international travel brought further urgency to debates about mandatory vaccination. Talks between the government, business and labour on the introduction of a form of Covid-19 vaccine passport system are at an advanced stage. A passport system would restrict access to certain events and would not involve people being forced to take jabs against their will. The word “mandate” implies compulsion, but in the SA context, it is roughly equivalent to…

Standard Bank has partnered with internet service provider Webafrica to expand the provision of high-speed internet and access to financial services for its customers. The partnership, which will come into effect during the first quarter of 2022, will allow Standard Bank to meet a wider array of client needs, deepen customer relationships, and fulfil its purpose of driving Africa’s growth and uplifting its people. The initial focus of the partnership will be on making high-speed internet access available to Standard Bank customers and making the Standard Bank flexible funeral product accessible to the Webafrica customer base. “This partnership forms part…

JSE-listed technology company Altron has appointed Andrew Whittaker as Managing Director of Altron Security with effect from 1 December 2021. Previously Executive: Services and Business Development at Altron Security, where he was responsible for sales, business development, marketing, and services management, Whittaker takes over from Marius Agenbag, who is retiring. Whittaker has been with Altron Security (previously Ubusha) since 2001 and has over 26 years of technical, management and industry experience. This positions him well to drive the long-term growth strategy of Altron Security which recently acquired LAWtrust from Etion. Altron Group Chief Executive Mteto Nyati said, “Security is one…

South Africa’s biggest and best digital bank, as rated in the SITEisfaction 2021 report, is changing the way South Africans do small to medium sized cash-based transactions. Capitec is expanding its digital offering with the launch of Capitec Pay Me, enabling its clients to generate a personalised QR code on the bank’s app to receive payments immediately and securely from other Capitec clients. Making and receiving payments is free, championing affordability for clients. With over 9 million digital banking clients, Capitec’s Francois Viviers, Group Executive of Marketing, explains how the solution will advance South Africa’s digital economy. “Carrying cash is…

Have you ever fancied going on a shopping spree in the company of your favourite celebrity? Now is the time to do just that. Avon will be hosting its first-ever live streaming event where A-list celebrities and media personalities will take customers and Representatives through a virtual tour of the most desirable products at the best pricing without having to leave the comfort of their homes. This event will feature multiple award-winning designer and Avon fragrance collaborator, David Tlale, former Miss South Africa, Radio host and A new Brand Ambassador, Liesel Laurie and YouTube super star, Lasizwe. We also have…

After 21 successful years in the South African PropTech industry, digitalisation specialist e4 is expanding into European markets. Having recently launched a new group in the UK, a long-standing executive director from South Africa, Simon Slater, has relocated to the UK to head up the venture. Slater’s focus will be on building e4’s relationship with various mortgage lenders, conveyancing firms and other partners in the UK. He will be supported by a global team of analysts, developers and staff to help build out the new group. “Having worked on international opportunities remotely now for the past two years, we are…

2021 marks five years in SA since the #DataMustFall campaign which saw the President order the Communications Ministry to bring down the cost of mobile data by 50%. Still, however, the country remains ranked at number 136 for the price of a gigabyte of mobile data*. “Almost a third of South African households own a car while nearly 90% have access to a cellphone** and yet the petrol price per litre is a more familiar topic of conversation than the price per gigabyte of mobile data,” says Anton Potgieter, co-founder of NoPBX™, a locally developed, smartphone-based cloud PBX system. Potgieter…