Author: Staff Writer
Vodacom has launched its Store of the Future, which bridges the physical and digital retail gap. The Store of the Future takes inspiration from Vodacom World in Midrand, which was transformed into the first digitally connected mall in Africa. “Our consumer research and insights show that 52% of consumers avoid stores not appealing to the eye. Key to this ground-breaking ‘phygital’ store of the future is the physical expression of our journey from a telco to a techco as we expand our range of products and services while making them easy to access, purchase and use by customers. The new…
JSE-listed The Foschini Group buys digital, on-demand shopping platform and last-mile delivery provider, Quench. Quench is an on-demand app that has been delivering from selected retailers and partners to homes and businesses since 2016. The addition of Quench to The Foschini Group’s existing portfolio of brands will further position TFG as the leading omni-channel retailer in Africa. The acquisition is expected to give the Group access to fast, reliable delivery across South Africa and to proprietary software and engineering capability that brings a scientific approach to planning, least-cost routing and asset utilization. The acquisition is a key step to enabling…
An online software platform developed by Hyrax Biosciences, a company that spun out of the University of the Western Cape (UWC), has played a critical role in South Africa’s early detection of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. South Africa has been recognised both for the expertise of its scientists who were responsible for identifying the new variant and for swiftly sharing information with authorities around the world. What is less well known is the role played by Hyrax Bioscience’s software platform (called Exatype) in enabling the scale-up of genomic surveillance that led to the detection of Omicron. Exatype…
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…