https://techcentral.co.za/ The TechCentral Show (TCS, for short) is a tech show produced by South Africa's leading technology news platform. It features interviews with newsmakers, ICT industry leaders and other interesting people. Technology en Tue, 23 Aug 2022 15:54:33 +0200 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:46:08 +0200 30 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss iono.fm 2.5.2.0 NewsCentral Media no Daily feeds@iono.fm (Feed Manager) https://cdn.iono.fm/files/p186/logo_7522_20250909_211150_1400.jpeg https://techcentral.co.za/ The TechCentral Show (TCS, for short) is a tech show produced by South Africa's leading technology news platform. TechCentral episodic TechCentral duncan@techcentral.co.za false ZA https://iono.fm/e/1662031 https://iono.fm/e/1662031 In this episode of the TechCentral Show, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod talks to Divyesh Joshi, chief commercial officer at MTN South Africa, about the thinking behind the launch and what it signals about the direction of the local telecommunications market.
Pi’s pricing is aggressive: R79/month for 500 voice minutes and R199/month for 20GB of mobile data, for example, alongside home fixed-wireless broadband plans.
McLeod asks whether Pi is essentially MTN’s fightback against Telkom, which has been quietly gaining prepaid market share with competitive data pricing – and whether the launch is also a response to mobile virtual network operators like Melon Mobile.
The conversation explores what Pi means for MTN’s margins, particularly on voice, and whether the aggressive pricing on calls is an admission that voice has become a commodity in a market where many consumers have shifted to WhatsApp for calls.
McLeod also asks whether Pi represents MTN’s attempt to get ahead of a structural shift in how people consume telecoms services – drawing a parallel with MultiChoice’s failure to adapt quickly enough to changing market demands in the video entertainment space.
A key question is what happens to MTN’s existing SuperFlex product, which targets a similar customer base. Is Pi going to cannibalise MTN’s own subscribers?
Finally, McLeod and Joshi discuss MTN’s new eSim-based roaming deals, which offer data at R12/GB in markets like China and France – though curiously, roaming in eSwatini, where MTN has a subsidiary, costs R85/GB.
Don’t miss the conversation! ]]> Technology Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:46:00 +0200 0 0 MTN’s Divyesh Joshi on the strategy behind Pi 0 0 TechCentral full 21:46 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1660795 https://iono.fm/e/1660795 With some 5 500 jobs on the line, the big question is: is the Post Office worth saving? Rooplal spoke to TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu and was asked that question.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Rooplal talks about:
• The case for the bailout: The business rescue practitioners have already received R2.4-billion from government, while bailouts for the Post Office over the past decade amount to nearly R10-billion. Rooplal attempts to answer why this latest funding request is worth it.
• The current state of the Post Office: Rooplal outlines what the R2.4-billion tranche was used for and what the R3.8-billion request would do, if provided. He also details what the future state of the entity might look like and how, without much in terms of income, salaries are currently being paid.
• The need for a state-owned postal service: Even if national treasury were to agree to save the Post Office, does it have a place in a modern digital economy?
• External funding and asset sales: If the business case for the Post Office’s revival is so strong, why have the businesses rescue practitioners not sold or rationalised assets or gone to the open market for funding?
• Social grants and Post Bank: Rooplal explains what would happen to the many grant recipients processed via the Post Office should it not survive business rescue.
• Private sector partnerships: The department of communications & digital technologies in November issued a request for information seeking private sector partnership proposals. Rooplal explains the “chicken and egg” problem at the core those discussions.
• No more options: Chapter 6 of the Companies Act compels business rescue practitioners to file for liquidation if they see “no reasonable prospect” of rescue. Rooplal explains why he and his associate, Damons, are close to pulling the trigger.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:50:00 +0200 0 0 Anoosh Rooplal on the Post Office’s last stand 0 0 TechCentral full 27:32 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1652687 https://iono.fm/e/1652687 In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Antony Makins, acting CEO at TForge and chair of the special group on AI and robotics at the Institute of IT Professionals South Africa, unpacks the skills revolution unfolding alongside the AI one.
Makins delves into the patterns emerging across organisations and the broader labour market as AI adoption accelerates.
He also explores the mindset shift it’s imposing on the workforce, and which roles are being hit hardest by AI-driven changes to how we work.
He delves into the opportunities that exist despite the very real threat AI poses to jobs – and what government can do to create an enabling environment for workers to adapt to a labour market increasingly shaped by AI, machine learning and data analysis.
Don't miss it the conversation! ]]> Technology Thu, 05 Mar 2026 13:38:00 +0200 0 0 Sink or swim? Antony Makins on how AI is rewriting the rules of work 0 0 TechCentral full 40:08 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1644418 https://iono.fm/e/1644418 The episode opens with the latest EV news, including fresh import duty statistics from Donald MacKay of XA Global Trade Advisors and a closer look at BAIC’s claims of local manufacturing – with the hosts questioning just how “made in South Africa” its vehicles really are, given a reported seven-to-one difference factor in jobs created.
Also in the news segment: Zero Carbon Charge's latest fundraising efforts, the launch of Uber Go Electric – a notably affordable option powered by Valternative – and the latest developments in autonomous driving technology.
The show features two review segments this week. First up is the Riddara RD6 electric bakkie, followed by a hands-on driving experience with one of Valternative’s electric Uber vehicles – Duncan McLeod plays Uber driver and gives a lift to a grumpy Prince William. The Valternative segment is complemented by an interview with the company’s CEO, Mahomed Jeewa, who discusses the firm’s ambitions in the electric ride-hailing space.
A major talking point is the announcement of the 2026 Car of the Year semi-finalists. The hosts run through the full list, highlighting the growing presence of Chinese brands among the contenders – a notable shift in a competition won last year by the BMW X3. They close by pondering who might take the 2026 Car of the Year crown.
The episode wraps up with the popular Hot or Not segment, in which the hosts give their verdicts on the Riddara, Uber Go Electric and the Volvo EX60, which has been confirmed for a South African launch later this year. ]]> Technology Tue, 10 Feb 2026 13:44:00 +0200 0 0 Watts & Wheels S1E4: ‘We drive an electric Uber’ 0 0 TechCentral full 1:21:49 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1636907 https://iono.fm/e/1636907 South Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure.
He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a century ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility.
Van Binsbergen also discusses the rise of imported vehicles in the sales mix in South Africa – including the rapid expansion of Chinese brands. China is a market he knows well, having spent three years there with BMW.
In the interview, TechCentral Show viewers will also hear about:
• The state of the local automotive manufacturing industry;
• What South Africa needs to implement in policy reform to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa – and why this is urgent;
• How the country must adapt to the global shift to electric mobility;
• The role of BMW’s IT Hub in South Africa;
• BMW’s global EV strategy, and what that means for South African EV buyers; and
• BMW’s Neue Klasse vehicles, which run the company’s next-generation EV platform, and why they are significant to its future.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion! ]]> Technology Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:51:00 +0200 0 0 BMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa’s automotive industry 0 0 TechCentral full 30:00 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1623292 https://iono.fm/e/1623292 Telkom’s resurgence has put pressure on both MTN and Vodacom, with MTN acknowledging it has “discernibly” lost prepaid market share.
This is one of the topics covered in this wide-ranging and exclusive TechCentral Show interview with MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita, who sat down earlier this week with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod to discuss this and other major topics, including:
• The impact of online gambling on the telecoms sector;
• The need for further consolidation in South African telecoms, and why Mupita won’t completely rule out a deal with Telkom, provided the “stars align”;
• Vodacom’s acquisition of a co-controlling stake in Vumatel parent Maziv and how MTN will respond;
• The impact of low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity on the telecoms industry and how MTN plans to work with companies like SpaceX/Starlink and Amazon Leo – and whether he sees them as competitors or partners (or both);
• The spectacular turnaround in Nigeria and whether it’s durable;
• The future of MTN’s involvement in Iran, and the lessons learnt from the group’s exit from other Middle Eastern markets;
• Plans to shift MTN Group’s focus to East Africa in the coming years; and
• Why he’s fascinated by the impact that AI could have on telecoms in Africa.
Don’t miss a great discussion on the future of MTN and telecoms in Africa! ]]> Technology Fri, 28 Nov 2025 12:22:00 +0200 0 0 MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita on competition, AI and the future of mobile 0 0 TechCentral full 57:23 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1620775 https://iono.fm/e/1620775 Cull says there is a discernibly different tone from Malatsi compared to his predecessors: more openness, more willingness to engage stakeholders and a stronger focus on evidence-based policymaking. However, while the intent is encouraging, South Africa’s ICT policy environment remains inconsistent, slow and fragmented.
In the podcast, Cull discusses:
• Malatsi’s policy colloquium and what came out of it
• The state of ICT policy and regulation in South Africa
• The biggest policy bottlenecks holding back growth in the ICT sector
• Why government doesn’t fully grasp the economic impact of digital infrastructure
• The latest on the next spectrum auction
• The EU’s decision to hand much of the 6GHz band to mobile operators – and why South Africa shouldn’t blindly copy it
• What’s needed to fix the Rica legislation
• Why Starlink isn’t coming to South Africa anytime soon
Cull also shares the top priority areas he’d focus on in 2026 if he was minister of communications.
It’s a great discussion – don’t miss it! ]]> Technology Fri, 21 Nov 2025 09:21:00 +0200 0 0 Dominic Cull on fixing South Africa’s ICT policy bottlenecks 0 0 TechCentral full 1:04:43 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1615387 https://iono.fm/e/1615387 He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a centry ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility.
Van Binsbergen also discusses the rise of imported vehicles in the sales mix in South Africa – including the rapid expansion of Chinese brands. China is a market he knows well, having spent three years there with BMW.
In the interview, TechCentral Show viewers will also hear about:
• The state of the local automotive manufacturing industry;
• What South Africa needs to implement in policy reform to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa – and why this is urgent;
• How the country must adapt to the global shift to electric mobility;
• The role of BMW’s IT Hub in South Africa;
• BMW’s global EV strategy, and what that means for South African EV buyers; and
• BMW’s Neue Klasse vehicles, which run the company’s next-generation EV platform, and why they are significant to its future.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion! ]]> Technology Thu, 06 Nov 2025 11:15:00 +0200 0 0 BMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa’s automotive industry 0 0 TechCentral full 30:00 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1612028 https://iono.fm/e/1612028 In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Altron Group chief technology officer Bongani Andy Mabaso explains the rationale for the investment, what building the factory entailed and what the anchor tenants are using the platform to do.
Mabaso tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod:
• What an AI factory is exactly and why Altron has decided to build one;
• What’s involved in deploying AI infrastructure, especially from a power and cooling perspective – and why Altron decided to locate its AI factory at Teraco;
• What companies like Lelapa AI, MathU and Dataviue are using the Altron AI Factory to do;
• Why Altron partnered with Asus and HPE on the project;
• How the infrastructure can be used; and
• The advantages of hosting an AI factory in South Africa, as opposed to an offshore data centre – it’s not only about better network latency.
Don’t miss the conversation! ]]> Technology Tue, 28 Oct 2025 11:47:00 +0200 0 0 Why Altron is building an AI factory 0 0 TechCentral full 26:32 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1610679 https://iono.fm/e/1610679 The rise of generative AI has put hardware at the epicentre of the next wave of economic growth, with chip makers such as Nvidia and AMD reaching record valuations as demand for advanced chips far outstrips supply.
But as AI data centres expand, so, too, does their consumption of resources, with their demand for water and electricity rising exponentially.
FinalSpark is a Swiss biocomputing company exploring more efficient ways of computing – and it’s turned to human neurons as a potential solution.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Fred Jordan, co-founder and co-CEO of FinalSpark, gives insight into “wetware” (in effect, living hardware) and what it means for the future of computing.
Jordan delves into:
• What inspired him turn to living neurons as a means of processing;
• Parallels between his training as a signal processing engineer and his work with living neurons;
• Why FinalSpark uses human neurons and not any other like those from a cat on an octopus;
• How skin cells are used to “create” the neurons;
• How the neurons are fed, stored and kept alive;
• How long the neurons live for and the sort of computations FinalSpark has made them perform; and
• His views on the future of computing.
Don’t miss this intriguing discussion! ]]> Technology Thu, 23 Oct 2025 14:06:00 +0200 0 0 The company building a ‘living computer’ with human cells 0 0 TechCentral full 19:31 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1610151 https://iono.fm/e/1610151 Crypto payments specialist MoneyBadger recently signed a deal with fintech Scan to Pay allowing crypto wallet users pay at more than 650 000 stores nationwide.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, MoneyBadger CEO Carel van Wyk and Luno country manager for South Africa Christo de Wit tell TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about what the partnership means for crypto platforms, their users and the broader economy.
Van Wyk and De Wit delve into:
• The mindset shift that happens when users move from being crypto investors to day-to-day users of digital currencies;
• How crypto payments allow for immediate settlement in rands and what that means for merchants and users;
• How merchants benefit by supporting crypto payments at their stores;
• Why a crypto investor might want to consider using it to make payments;
• The tax implications that must be considered before investing in or using crypto for payments;
• The role cryptocurrencies play in promoting financial inclusion; and
• The role cryptocurrencies will play as the Reserve Bank modernises the National Payment System.
Don’t miss an interesting discussion! ]]> Technology Wed, 22 Oct 2025 11:43:00 +0200 0 0 Why South Africans are starting to spend crypto, not just trade it 0 0 TechCentral full 29:47 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1604382 https://iono.fm/e/1604382 That’s the view of Frederik Zietsman, CEO of Naspers-owned Takealot Group – South Africa’s largest online retailer – who was speaking to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show.
In the interview, Zietsman unpacks what’s driving the rapid adoption of online shopping in South Africa – Covid-19 was a key trigger – and what the future holds as international e-commerce giants step up their investments in the country.
He also discusses:
• How the competitive dynamics of the market have changed in recent years;
• The impact of the entry of international giants such as Amazon and Walmart and how this will reshape the market in the coming years;
• The decision to expand subsidiary Mr D’s focus from fast food to include new product categories;
• The township opportunity and how Takealot is working to crack that market;
• Takealot’s plans to move to electric vehicles in its logistics fleet, including a look at what’s needed to introduce electric motorbikes at scale;
• The challenge of crime in the logistics chain and what’s being done to fight it;
• Why Takealot is getting into the home loans business; and
• What’s going to drive the company’s growth in the next few years.
Don’t miss a fascinating conversation! ]]> Technology Mon, 06 Oct 2025 11:43:00 +0200 0 0 Takealot CEO Frederik Zietsman on township growth, EVs and the future of online retail 0 0 TechCentral full 35:15 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1603797 https://iono.fm/e/1603797 Dubbed Seacom 2.0, the cable system – which will have an expected design capacity of a staggering 2 000Tbit/s – will be larger than the company’s original system, which brought high-speed connectivity to Africa’s eastern coastline when it was launched in 2009.
The new system, which will include an “express route” from South Africa to Singapore and leg around South Africa to Lobito in Angola – and which will also cover much of the same East African coastline as the first system – will use the latest fibre-optic technology and 48 fibre pairs to deliver its extreme total capacity.
Alpheus Mangale, CEO of Seacom, sat down with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod for an exclusive first interview with the TechCentral Show to unpack the announcement and provide much greater detail about the deployment – including its timelines and the technology that will be used.
In the interview, Mangale touches on a range of topics, including:
• What’s involved in building a submarine cable system of this magnitude;
• Why Seacom has chosen the routing for the cable that it has;
• The need for great redundancy around the African continent, and how this fed into Seacom’s planning for Seacom 2.0;
• The commercial model for the new system and what this means for the region;
• The assumptions Seacom is making about future internet demand and how that feeds into its return-on-investment forecasts;
• How the system will be funded and who is backing it;
• The risks inherent in building telecommunications infrastructure at this scale; and
• The terrestrial infrastructure that will be deployed to support Seacom 2.0, including landing stations and edge data centres.
Don’t miss a fascinating interview! ]]> Technology Fri, 03 Oct 2025 12:04:00 +0200 0 0 Seacom 2.0: Alpheus Mangale unpacks all the details about the giant new subsea system 0 0 TechCentral full 44:03 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1600700 https://iono.fm/e/1600700 In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Stephen Linnell, CEO of PayInc, tells TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu about the strategy behind the rebrand to PayInc and how that fits into the utility’s vision of the payments ecosystem in South Africa and the broader Southern Africa region.
Linnell delves into:
• PayInc’s new ownership structure with the Reserve Bank taking over 50% ownership from the private banks;
• How the Reserve Bank’s participation will help PayInc achieve its goals;
• An assessment of PayShap since its 2023 launch and what comes next;
• What the proposed inclusion of non-bank players including fintechs, retailers and telecommunications operators in the national payments and settlements system means for the economy;
• The efforts PayInc is making to implement instant payments at a regional level; and
• Emerging payment technologies like central bank digital currencies and stablecoins.
Don’t miss this informative discussion. ]]> Technology Thu, 25 Sep 2025 09:06:00 +0200 0 0 PayInc CEO Stephen Linnell on South Africa's payments revolution 0 0 TechCentral full 25:18 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1600040 https://iono.fm/e/1600040 In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Nicolas Riemer, co-founder and CEO of The Invigilator, joins TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu to discuss how the start-up is going to use the cash injection to take on international markets.
He also gives insight into the app’s software and the company behind it.
In this episode, Riemer delves into:
• How The Invigilator app got started during the Covid-19 lockdown;
• The markets it plans to expand into internationally;
• The challenges of developing an app like The Invigilator in the South African market and why this may have set the company up for international success;
• How the app uses AI to minimise network and storage demands while improving outcomes;
• Barriers to The Invigilator’s adoption, like resistance from students, and how they were overcome; and
• The future technologies Riemer is most excited about in the ed-tech space.
Don’t miss the conversation! ]]> Technology Tue, 23 Sep 2025 09:14:00 +0200 0 0 From lockdown idea to global player: The Invigilator bags $11-million funding 0 0 TechCentral full 35:09 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1593533 https://iono.fm/e/1593533 Paratus started life in Angola in 2003, evolving from a local internet service provider into a pan‑African telecoms powerhouse. Co-founded by Harmse with Schalk Erasmus, Rolf Mendelsohn, Martin Boese and Miles October, it grew rapidly and now has infrastructure across the region, including in Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, the DRC and Namibia.
This week, it officially launched the first privately owned mobile network operator in Namibia, which will compete directly with the state-owned incumbents.
Today the business works closely with the likes of Starlink, Google and Meta Platforms and plays a significant role in long-distance, metropolitan and access networks across the region. It also helped land Google’s Equiano cable on the Namibian coast.
In this lively interview with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, Harmse unpacks the Paratus story, touching on:
• What building telecoms infrastructure across the vast reaches of Southern Africa has entailed, including memorable moments along the way;
• The company’s financial backers, and its capital-raising plans – including a possible future listing in New York;
• Why it built a network of long-distance fibre across Southern Africa;
• Paratus’s relationship with Elon Musk’s Starlink, and why it’s a key role player in the launch of the low-Earth orbit satellite provider’s offering across the region;
• The launch of the mobile network in Namibia and why it’s a significant development in the Paratus story; and
• The opportunities still ahead for Paratus Group.
Don’t miss a great interview! ]]> Technology Wed, 03 Sep 2025 15:19:00 +0200 0 0 Barney Harmse on building Paratus Group – and working with Starlink 0 0 TechCentral full 56:37 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1590606 https://iono.fm/e/1590606 Poised for a big injection of cash and assets from Vodacom, which is buying a 30% co-controlling stake in the business, it has unveiled big plans to deploy fibre in townships and other underserved parts of the country.
In this exclusive podcast interview, CEO Dietlof Mare unpacks Maziv’s ambitious plans with the TechCentral Show, telling TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about:
• The painful three-and-a-half years it took to get the deal over the line with the competition authorities and how these delays undermined investment in new fibre builds in South Africa;
• Why regulators need to reflect on the time it took to conclude the transaction, and why they need to be quicker in adjudicating M&A activity to grow the economy;
• How the merging parties eventually secured the approval of the Competition Commission, which had initially recommended that the transaction be blocked on competition grounds;
• Vumatel’s deployment plans – where it’s going to focus next with its new fibre builds and why;
• The economics of rolling out fibre into townships and into low-income communities, a key focus for the business over the next five years;
• What the conclusion of the deal means for the sector, including the potential for further consolidation of fibre network operators;
• The policy and regulatory changes Maziv would like to see to help it speed up the deployment of fibre in South Africa; and
• How the Maziv business is expected to change in the coming years.
Don’t miss a great discussion about the future of broadband internet infrastructure in South Africa! ]]> Technology Tue, 26 Aug 2025 14:57:00 +0200 0 0 Maziv goes massive: CEO Dietlof Mare on Vumatel’s big roll-out plans 0 0 TechCentral full 52:01 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1589535 https://iono.fm/e/1589535 Nedbank described the deal as a “significant milestone” in its strategy to target small and medium enterprises.
iKhokha co-founder and CEO Matt Putman is TechCentral’s guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show. He unpacks the deal with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, explaining how it came about and what it means for the company’s further growth.
Founded in Durban in 2012, iKhokha provides mobile point-of-sale solutions to SMEs. Its products include card machines and a mobile app that allows merchants to accept card payments, with added business management tools.
It was founded by Putman, Ramsay Daly and Putman’s father Clive.
Putman tells the TechCentral Show about:
• How the deal with Nedbank happened;
• The origins of iKhokha and its growth over the past 13 years, leading to the sale to Nedbank – a deal that is still subject to regulatory approval;
• How iKhokha will work with Nedbank (it will remain an independent brand within the banking group), including a possible expansion into new markets in Africa; and
• The exit of iKhokha’s backers, including Crossfin Technology Holdings, Apis Partners and the International Finance Corporation.
Don’t miss a great discussion! ]]> Technology Fri, 22 Aug 2025 11:11:00 +0200 0 0 The story behind Nedbank’s R1.65-billion iKhokha deal 0 0 TechCentral full 26:43 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1587070 https://iono.fm/e/1587070 Speaking to the TechCentral Show this week, Knott-Craig – who has led a range of well-known tech businesses, including Mxit, World of Avatar, Project Isizwe and iBurst – talks about why he believes there’s money to be made in wiring up townships with fibre and how Fibertime (stylised as “fibertime”) hopes to reach millions of data-poor South Africans who, until now, have had to rely on expensive mobile data for connectivity.
In the interview, with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, Knott-Craig also chats about:
• What’s been involved in building Fibertime;
• The Fibertime business model and the economics of township fibre;
• The network’s footprint and where the company plans to build next (it is currently deploying infrastructure in Alexandra in Johannesburg);
• Why fibre beats wireless for township internet services;
• The difficulties of working in township settings, including the threat posed by crime;
• Plans to list the business, possibly in 2027; and
• The recently approved Vodacom/Maziv deal, and what that means for the telecoms sector.
Don’t miss a fascinating interview! ]]> Technology Fri, 15 Aug 2025 11:36:00 +0200 0 0 Alan Knott-Craig unveils Fibertime’s big bet on township fibre 0 0 TechCentral full 22:19 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1586744 https://iono.fm/e/1586744 Enrico Ferigolli, who co-founded the liquor delivery app Bottles – which was later acquired by Pick n Pay to form the basis of its online shopping push with asap! – joins the TechCentral Show to unpack the journey Pick n Pay is on, and how the e-commerce market is likely to develop in the coming years.
Ferigolli tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about:
* Why and how technology has become fundamental to modern retail;
* The launch of Bottles and what led to the Pick n Pay acquisition;
* The dynamics of on-demand delivery and what it takes to be a successful player;
* How Pick n Pay is working to convince people to try asap! for their grocery needs;
* The role of AI (and AI agents) in future omnichannel retail environments;
How online shopping is likely to change the way Pick n Pay designs its physical stores;
* Pick n Pay’s relationship with Takealot Group, and where that alliance is headed;
* Pick n Pay’s plans to expand into townships and other underserved markets with on-demand deliveries; and
* The threat posed by international e-commerce companies that don’t have a presence in South Africa but which ship goods to local consumers.
It’s a great interview about the future of e-commerce in South Africa – be sure not to miss it! ]]> Technology Thu, 14 Aug 2025 14:59:00 +0200 0 0 Pick n Pay’s Enrico Ferigolli on building asap! and taking on Shoprite 0 0 TechCentral full 49:30 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1581316 https://iono.fm/e/1581316 In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Duncan McLeod chats to Britehouse executive chairman Graham Parker about the MBO of Britehouse Mobility and what it means for the future of the business.
Dimension Data acquired the 60% of Britehouse it didn’t already own in a 2015 transaction, buying out shareholders that included Remgro and Convergence Partners. The IT group had held a 40% stake since 2007 before buying out other shareholders eight years later.
“Britehouse is embarking on a new era of innovation and independence following a management buyout transaction that effectively acquired the business from NTT Data,” a statement at the time said. “The acquisition from NTT Data marks a pivotal moment in Britehouse’s journey.”
Following the deal, Britehouse Mobility will operate as a fully independent company. The Britehouse brand will cease to exist inside NTT Data, but the latter will retain the enterprise applications business, with specific focus on SAP and Microsoft, it said.
“After several successful years of operating as part of the global NTT Data group, Britehouse is excited to return to its roots as an independent, South African-led business,” said Parker at the time.
Parker tells the TechCentral Show about:
• His history with Dimension Data and Britehouse;
• The story of Britehouse; and
• What the business looks like today, and management’s plans for growth.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Wed, 30 Jul 2025 10:45:00 +0200 0 0 Britehouse MBO: Graham Parker on what’s next for software firm 0 0 TechCentral full 25:17 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1573741 https://iono.fm/e/1573741 Founded by a group of well-known businesspeople, The Lekker Network was launched in March and offers members access to a business directory, a jobs portal (for employers and job seekers), a social platform with “likeminded individuals” and events around the world for people, including non-South Africans, to meet up.
Renier Lombard, a co-founder of The Lekker Network, is our guest on this episode of the TechCentral Show. He said the platform, whose ambassadors include well-known journalist and speaker Bruce Whitfield and former Springbok and now businessman Bob Skinstad, is designed to “forge connections between South African businesses and businesspeople, regardless of their location”.
In this episode of TCS, Lombard unpacks:
• Who founded The Lekker Network and why;
• Who it is aimed at and who can join;
• How much it costs and what members get for the fee;
• The markets where The Lekker Network is focused – not surprisingly, the attention is on countries where there are a large number of South African expats;
• How (and why) non-South Africans can join the network; and
• The importance of the tech sector, including start-ups, to The Lekker Network community.
Don’t miss the interview! ]]> Technology Mon, 07 Jul 2025 16:11:00 +0200 0 0 Connecting Saffas – Renier Lombard on The Lekker Network 0 0 TechCentral full 20:39 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1568861 https://iono.fm/e/1568861 South African-made social media platform Sociable hopes to solve this problem by combining online engagement with in-person meetups, connecting people based on shared interests.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Sociable co-founder and CEO Jason van Dyk tells TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about the importance of community and how Sociable is helping drive its development.
In the show, Van Dyk delves into:
• How community builders benefit from using the Sociable platform;
• The features Sociable provides to communities and their members to enhance engagement;
• How meeting spaces including coffee shops, bars and restaurants benefit from the in-person component of Sociable’s community meetups;
• Sociable’s approach to safety for its users;
• How Sociable positions itself against large social media platforms like Facebook;
• Some of the most popular communities on the platform; and
• The impact of AI on the social media landscape.
Don’t miss the conversation! ]]> Technology Mon, 23 Jun 2025 14:42:00 +0200 0 0 TCS | South Africa’s Sociable wants to make social media social again 0 0 TechCentral full 23:32 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1567727 https://iono.fm/e/1567727 Speaking to the TechCentral Show, Blake Raubenheimer took the publication’s editor, Duncan McLeod, through the retailer’s plan to compete directly with the likes of Shoprite Holdings’ Sixty60, which gained an early market lead during the Covid lockdowns.
Spar has every intention of becoming a meaningful player in app-based on-demand deliveries, according to Raubenheimer, who unpacked the retailer’s plan to gain market share in the increasingly competitive but fast-expanding segment with Spar2U.
South Africa’s grocery sector has become increasingly competitive as price-conscious consumers look for value, convenience and distinctive products.
Shoprite and Woolworths are keeping their rivals on their toes as they continue to sign up customers. Pick n Pay, which is also coming from behind, is aggressively targeting the space, too.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Raubenheimer discusses:
* How Spar’s business model – the vast majority of stores are run by franchisees – has complicated its move into the on-demand grocery game, and how it's working to turn this to its advantage;
* How Spar is working to convince consumers to try Spar2U over other on-demand services;
* The group’s broader omnichannel strategy, where the retailer is positioned in the market, where it wants to get to, and how it plans to do it;
* Its focus on the township and rural markets through partnerships with companies like KasiD and Delivery Ka Speed – and why it’s important;
Spar’s partnership with Uber Eats;
* How Spar’s SAP enterprise software implementation in KwaZulu-Natal went awry and how it impacted the retailer; and
* What Spar is working on from a technology perspective.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion about how technology is transforming the retail industry in South Africa. ]]> Technology Thu, 19 Jun 2025 10:47:00 +0200 0 0 Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U 0 0 TechCentral full 22:36 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1563831 https://iono.fm/e/1563831 To make sense of these developments – and others – TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod sat down this week with Nomvuyiso Batyi, CEO of the Association for Comms & Technology (ACT), an industry body that represents South Africa’s six largest telecommunications operators: MTN, Telkom, Vodacom, Rain, Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Cell C.
In the interview, for the TechCentral Show, Batyi unpacked communications minister Solly Malatsi’s draft policy directive to communications regulator Icasa on so-called “equity equivalents” and why ACT believes there needs to be fairness in the licensing process. If the new rules apply to satellite operators, she said, they should apply to all licensees in the sector equally, including the big telecoms operators ACT represents.
In the show, she also discussed:
• Whether Starlink – and other low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite internet companies pose a threat or an opportunity for South Africa’s network operators;
• The role of LEO satellite operators in South Africa’s future telecommunications mix – and can they help bridge the digital divide?;
• The latest on the planned switch-off of 2G and 3G networks in South Africa, and why 3G will be the first to go;
• Whether national treasury’s recent move to cut ad valorem tax on basic smartphones goes far enough – and what other measures ACT would like to see to get smartphones in the hands of everyone in South Africa; and
• What is happening regarding the next spectrum auction.
Don’t miss a great discussion! ]]> Technology Fri, 06 Jun 2025 12:59:00 +0200 0 0 Nomvuyiso Batyi on Starlink, BEE reform and spectrum 0 0 TechCentral full 50:39 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1562391 https://iono.fm/e/1562391 Sha and Du Toit are our guests in this episode of the TechCentral Show, where they tell TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the acquisition and their growth plans for the business.
As part of the acquisition – which is still subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions, which should be concluded by the end of June – Altron Nexus will be rebranded as Sentiv, a portmanteau of “sentient” and “intuitive”.
Sha will serve as Sentiv’s executive chairman while Du Toit will be CEO.
“Together they will steer Sentiv’s transformation into a future-orientated technology partner offering intelligent, context-aware, mission-critical communications and industrial internet-of-things solutions,” according to a statement from the acquiring parties.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Du Toit and Sha tell McLeod about:
• How the deal came about;
• The assets and businesses housed in Altron Nexus; and
• The plan to turn the business around.
Don’t miss a great conversation! ]]> Technology Tue, 03 Jun 2025 11:59:00 +0200 0 0 Sentiv, and the story behind the buyout of Altron Nexus 0 0 TechCentral full 23:49 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1560439 https://iono.fm/e/1560439 Philip Short, global portfolio manager at Flagship Asset Management – which counts Blue label as its sole South African investment – and Dylan Bradfield, portfolio manager at Sharenet, tell TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod that they believe the turnaround taking place at Cell C is real, and will have a meaningful impact on Blue Label shares.
Blue shares, which have already rallied strongly – which have more than doubled in the past six months – could still have plenty of room to run, according to Short.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Short and Bradfield unpack:
• Blue Label’s announcement earlier this month that it is considering a JSE listing for Cell C;
• Why Cell C’s restructured operating model and strategy makes sense, and why that’s good news for Blue Label shareholders;
• The role of Cell C CEO Jorge Mendes in the turnaround – and what the opportunity is for the mobile operator with its new “asset-light” model of running its network – management of its radio access network has effectively been outsourced to partners (and competitors) MTN and Vodacom;
• Which operators would be most vulnerable to a resurgent Cell C;
• The importance of Cell C’s strategy around mobile virtual network operators and the significance of its relationship with Capitec;
• The move by Blue Label to sell Comm Equipment Company to Cell C – good move or not?
• Whether Cell C can compete with Telkom, Vodacom and MTN in the business market, something Mendes has signalled his desire to do;
• What the listing of Cell C could look like, what management’s focus should be before the listing and what kind of valuation the business could attract; and
• How much more value could be unlocked for Blue Label shareholders.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion! ]]> Technology Wed, 28 May 2025 08:37:00 +0200 0 0 Signal restored: Unpacking the Blue Label and Cell C turnaround 0 0 TechCentral full 35:59 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1559729 https://iono.fm/e/1559729 CEO Tertius Zitzke is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show. He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the turnaround he’s leading – not to mention the mess he inherited when he took over leadership of the business in December 2019, months before Covid hit.
4Sight has been operating largely below the radar, but the investment community has begun paying attention – and, although the shares been moving sideways for the past year, over three years they have climbed by 250%.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Zitzke unpacks:
• What motivated the decision to move to the JSE’s main board;
• His background, including his leadership AccTech Systems, its acquisition by 4Sight and how he became CEO of the group;
• Why the business was listed originally, and how its focus has changed under his leadership;
• How the turnaround was achieved – and what still needs to be done;
• Where 4Sight fits into the ICT market in South Africa;
• The recent acquisition of XFour Group and plans for more acquisitions; and
• What’s next for 4Sight.
Don’t miss an interesting discussion! ]]> Technology Mon, 26 May 2025 12:34:00 +0200 0 0 Tertius Zitzke on 4Sight’s big turnaround 0 0 TechCentral full 39:12 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1558710 https://iono.fm/e/1558710 The South African Reserve Bank is hosting this year’s TechSprint in collaboration with the Bank for International Settlements.
Lyle Horsley, head of fintech at the Reserve Bank, joined TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu on the TechCentral Show to talk about the competition and other initiatives spearheaded by Bank under the G20 banner.
In this episode of the show, Horsley delves into:
The history of the G20 TechSprint and some of the solutions developed in previous iterations of the competition;
The problem statements entrants are required to centre their solutions on;
How central banks balance the often-opposing concerns of innovation on one hand and strong regulation on the other;
How digital identity and the principles of open finance are critical to digitised financial systems;
How the global central banking community will help winners develop and scale their solutions; and
Details about the format of the TechSprint, how to participate and the prizes up for grabs.
Don’t miss an interesting discussion! ]]> Technology Thu, 22 May 2025 11:39:00 +0200 0 0 Reserve Bank fintech head Lyle Horsley on the G20 TechSprint 0 0 TechCentral full 28:20 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1558244 https://iono.fm/e/1558244 Dalene Steyn, head of Capitec Connect, tells the TechCentral Show (TCS) that the MVNO – or mobile virtual network operator – market in South Africa is poised for further expansion as banks, retailers and other brands muscle into the mobile business through wholesale partnerships with network operators.
According to Steyn, although Capitec Connect is not a loss leader for the bank, the focus for now is building a critical mass of subscribers from Capitec Bank’s customer base – Capitec Connect users must be bank clients to sign up for the service.
In the interview, Steyn tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about:
• Why Capitec Connect recently cut its prices, matching another MVNO, Afrihost AirMobile, as the cheapest MVNO provider in South Africa – spoiler: it’s all about building scale;
• Why Capitec is pulling ahead in the MVNO market and how big the bank wants to be in mobile – and why it’s so important to its business;
• Capitec Connect’s plans to introduce post-paid contracts later this year and how this aligns with its push into business banking services;
• The company’s plans for device financing;
• Its relationship with Cell C, whose network it uses to provide mobile services to its clients, and why it’s pleased with the relationship; and
• The unconfirmed market talk that Capitec might buy a strategic equity stake in Cell C.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Wed, 21 May 2025 10:54:00 +0200 0 0 Dalene Steyn on Capitec’s ambitious mobile gameplan 0 0 TechCentral full 18:52 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1553459 https://iono.fm/e/1553459 Co-founder and CEO Kiaan Pillay is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show, where he tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the funding round, which was led by QED Investors with participation from a range of new and existing investors.
The latest round brings Stitch’s total funding to date to nearly R2-billion, or $107-million.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Pillay unpacks:
• His background and why and how Stitch was founded;
• How well-known South African comedian Trevor Noah became one of the participating funders in the latest funding round;
• What Stitch is doing differently to other fintech and payment start-ups that has allowed to raise the quantum of funding that it has;
• The significance of Stitch’s recent acquisition of Exipay – and why it’s important for Stitch to be a player in the in-person payments market;
• Stitch’s plans in the cryptocurrency space; and
• Why the company is focused (for now) on the South African market.
Don’t miss a great discussion! ]]> Technology Wed, 07 May 2025 13:41:00 +0200 0 0 Kiaan Pillay on fintech start-up Stitch and its R1-billion funding round 0 0 TechCentral full 37:50 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1551203 https://iono.fm/e/1551203 Dunsdon did not feel the deal made much sense for Adapt IT – a fast-growing enterprise software services provider whose share price, like many others at the time, had been knocked lower by the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
The Huge Group approach was opportunistic, said Dunsdon.
So, instead of entertaining the approach from Huge Group, she set about engineering a very different deal: one involving Canadian-listed Constellation Software: Constellation subsidiary Volaris Group would buy out Adapt IT and delist it from the JSE.
Dunsdon, who was recently appointed as acquiring group leader at Omegro – a portfolio company within Volaris Group that houses Adapt IT – joins Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show for an update following the conclusion of the sale.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Dunsdon also discusses:
• Adapt IT’s performance since its acquisition and delisting;
• The Huge Group hostile approach and how that played out inside Adapt IT;
• The timeline of events that led to the acquisition by Volaris Group; and
• What’s next for Adapt IT and Omegro.
Don’t miss the conversation! ]]> Technology Wed, 30 Apr 2025 12:53:00 +0200 0 0 How Covid sparked a corporate tug-of-war over Adapt IT 0 0 TechCentral full 38:03 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1549857 https://iono.fm/e/1549857 To unpack the details of the new fund and why it’s being established, New GX Capital founder and CEO Khudusela Pitje joined TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod in the latest episode of the TechCentral Show for a wide-ranging conversation.
In the interview, Pitje chatted about the fund – called the Airnegize Capital Fund – and its plans to invest in renewable energy and water and gas infrastructure across Africa.
New GX Capital and RMB Ventures have described the fund as “one of the largest of its kind on the continent”.
The fund has secured R2.4-billion in initial commitments, with the companies targeting a further R1.6-billion before financial close in the coming months.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Pitje expands on:
• His career background and the formation of New GX Capital;
• The role his father, the late HM Pitje, a businessman and former mayor of Mamelodi, played in his life and career choices;
• His role in helping build Dark Fibre Africa and CIVH;
• Why he feels the decision by the competition authorities to block the acquisition by Vodacom of a 30% co-controlling stake in Maziv – a subsidiary of CIVH that houses Vumatel and DFA – was wrongheaded;
• The role New GX Capital plays today, as well as its investment philosophy;
• What led to the creation of the Airnegize Fund with RMB Ventures; and
• The role and future of black economic empowerment in South Africa.
Don’t miss a fascinating conversation! ]]> Technology Fri, 25 Apr 2025 11:59:00 +0200 0 0 From fibre to clean tech: Khudu Pitje on New GX Capital’s next chapter 0 0 TechCentral full 48:23 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1541010 https://iono.fm/e/1541010 The company, Milkor, is a South African defence equipment and cybersecurity specialist that was founded all the way back in 1981.
Its newly developed Milkor 380 System unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) – in essence, a giant drone – has a cruising altitude of 10 000ft, a wingspan of 18m and a maximum payload of 220kg.
The drone has a flight time of up to 35 hours and can be used for border surveillance, maritime surveillance, strategic reconnaissance and information gathering operations, among other things.
To talk about the UAV, Milkor communications director Daniel du Plessis sat down with Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show recently and shared more details about its capabilities.
Other than the Milkor 380, the interview also covers topics including:
* Milkor’s founding in the 1980s, and how the company shifted focus in the democratic era – it got its start, and may still be best known for, manufacturing the world’s first six-shot 40mm grenade launcher, which is widely used around the world;
* The company’s other products – for land, air and sea operations – as well as what’s involved in conducting advanced R&D and manufacturing in a market like South Africa;
* The people who work for Milkor, and the sort of skills the company is looking for (and how it’s finding them);
* The role of UAVs in modern warfare and defence operations; and
* Why Milkor has entered the cybersecurity space.
Don’t miss a fascinating interview! ]]> Technology Fri, 28 Mar 2025 08:14:00 +0200 0 0 TCS | How South Africa's Milkor became a global player in drone innovation 0 0 TechCentral full 59:19 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1539266 https://iono.fm/e/1539266 Kallner, an actuary who joined Discovery in its early days as a medical insurance company and who has held various senior leadership roles over the years, tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the group’s decision to launch a bank when it did. He shares how the business is doing – spoiler: it’s trending well ahead of schedule – and what comes next.
He tells the TechCentral Show about:
• How Discovery Bank is doing financially and how it’s tracking against its business plan;
• Its client base – who they are and who the bank is targeting as its clientele (the answer may surprise you);
• Why Discovery launched a bank into what was already a competitive market and what it’s doing differently to its rivals to attract people to switch;
• The learnings from Discovery Health and Discovery Vitality, and how Discovery Bank has leveraged these in its products and services;
• Discovery Bank’s technology stack, why it chose the IT solutions it did, and why it built much of its banking solution in-house;
• What’s next from Discovery Bank in terms of solutions; and
• The bank’s plans with AI – and why it believes AI could be a gamechanger.
Lastly, Kallner, a prolific reader, shares two of his favourite non-fiction books with the TechCentral audience.
Don’t miss a great discussion! ]]> Technology Sun, 23 Mar 2025 16:30:00 +0200 0 0 Discovery Bank CEO Hylton Kallner on tech, AI and the future of banking 0 0 TechCentral full 37:06 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1536541 https://iono.fm/e/1536541 Charging infrastructure along South Africa’s national routes is now so commonplace that a cross-country trip in an EV is a daily occurrence.
But this was not always the case, and drivers in the early days of EVs in South Africa often had to rely on their wits and the kindness of strangers to keep their batteries charged on long-distance trips.
Maidment is one of South Africa’s original EV enthusiasts.
As the proud owner of what was once officially recognised as the highest-mileage BMW i3 in Africa – it now has 365 000km on the clock – he dared to travel across the length and breadth of South Africa long before charging infrastructure was commonplace.
Maidment tells the TechCentral Show’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu about:
• What inspired him in 2017 to take his first drive from Johannesburg to Cape Town in an EV;
• How he planned the trip, knowing that at the time there were not enough charging stations along the way;
• Some anecdotes from his travels, including the interesting people he met along the way;
• What his travels have taught him about the best way to drive an EV;
• How much mileage he is getting out of his i3 compared to when it was new; and
• His thoughts on the future of electric mobility in South Africa.
Maidment’s insights on EVs are based on years of personal experience. This episode of the show is not to be missed. ]]> Technology Thu, 13 Mar 2025 14:23:00 +0200 0 0 TCS | Across South Africa in an EV: how one man did it before charging stations 0 0 TechCentral full 40:35 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1531647 https://iono.fm/e/1531647 To unpack the provisional report, which was published on Monday, Competition Commission senior analyst and technical lead Donnavan-John Linley joined the TechCentral Show to discuss on the findings.
He chats about how the commission is attempting to assist local publishers deal with the rise of competing social media platforms owned by US tech giants and why the regulator is determined to intervene in the market to support the funding of journalism in South Africa in the digital age.
Linley tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about:
• Why the Competition Commission decided to initiate its probe into digital platforms and their impact these platforms are having on South Africa’s news media;
• The findings contained in the provisional report and why the commission reached the conclusions it did – including its recommendation that Google pay as much as R500-million/year in “compensation” over a three- to five-year period in an effort to level the playing field;
• The likely reaction from Big Tech to the commission’s proposals, and what might happen if they don’t agree to play ball;
• The risk of provoking a backlash from the Donald Trump administration – already Trump has accused the EU of using antitrust fines levied on US tech companies as a form of taxation and threatened retaliation in response;
• How the proposed compensation of the local news media might work, and who would be eligible to receive the funding from Google;
• The impact of artificial intelligence on the South African media industry and how the commission has dealt with this in its provisional report; and
• Whether the commission’s findings amount to regulatory overreach – are the proposals it has made really warranted, or is the media industry simply experiencing capitalism’s “creative destruction” that will ultimately drive innovation in news media?
Don’t miss a great interview! ]]> Technology Thu, 27 Feb 2025 10:59:00 +0200 0 0 Why the CompCom wants Google to pay up 0 0 TechCentral full 23:38 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1527584 https://iono.fm/e/1527584 CEO JP Schmidtke joined the TechCentral Show earlier this week to share exclusive details about the company’s growth plans and to talk about the business opportunity for fibre companies in South Africa’s vast township economy.
Schmidtke said Wire-Wire Networks – like other industry players such as Vumatel, Fibertime and Frogfoot – believes townships present the next big expansion opportunity for fibre network operators, though the business model is rather different to the one used to deploy infrastructure in the suburbs.
Wire-Wire is offering uncapped fibre – delivered over a meshed Wi-Fi network from fibre endpoints in each home or dwelling, starting at R5 for an hour of uncapped internet access at 100Mbit/s (limited to a single device). Other price plans, which are all uncapped and offer 100Mbit/s, include:
• R9 for a one-day plan that connects one device
• R39 for a one-week plan that connects one device
• R119 for a one-month plan that connects one device
• R449 for a one-month plan that supports eight devices
• R1 120 for a one-month plan that supports 12 devices
Subscribers can connect anywhere in Thembisa where Wire-Wire has coverage and so are not confined to connecting to the network in the vicinity of their own homes.
There are no contracts or connection charges, and Wire-Wire provides a “free-to-use” Wi-Fi router and UPS (designed to keep the internet working even during load shedding and other power outages). The fibre is trenched, not delivered aerially, as it the case in many township deployments.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Schmidtke unpacks how Wire-Wire was formed, talks about its future plans and explains how it hopes to make low-cost fibre broadband profitable in township settings.
Wire-Wire’s leadership team consists of Schmidtke as well as fibre industry expert Hendrik Opperman, head of projects (external) Succeed Bvuma, head of technical David Radebe and head of projects (internal) Susan Hattingh.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Fri, 14 Feb 2025 10:58:00 +0200 0 0 New player in township fibre market offers 100Mbit/s for R9/day 0 0 TechCentral full 22:25 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1526869 https://iono.fm/e/1526869 Working with Stellenbosch-based EV charging and software company Zimi Charge, Bakers’ deployment points a potential future in South Africa in which planet-warming trucks are replaced with electric alternatives.
Michael Maas, CEO of Zimi Charge, recently joined Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show to talk about the company’s solutions, its deployment for Bakers SA and its expansion plans.
In this episode of the show, Maas unpacks:
• The projects with Bakers SA, what Zimi Charge supplied and how it works in practice;
• The background to Zimi Charge and its focus on deploying both EV charging stations and building the software stack around them;
• The current state of EV charging infrastructure in South Africa and what more needs to be done to support the growing number of EVs on South African roads; and
• The market opportunity for Zimi Charge.
Don’t miss a great discussion! ]]> Technology Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:05:00 +0200 0 0 Zimi Charge CEO Michael Maas on electrifying SA's logistics fleets 0 0 TechCentral full 25:34 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1525456 https://iono.fm/e/1525456 Stocks like Nvidia, Google and Microsoft cratered on the news as it raised serious questions about whether the tens of billions – if not hundreds of billions of dollars – that Big Tech is pouring into AI infrastructure makes sense and whether China is further ahead than many people had realised.
To unpack the potential implications of DeepSeek and the rise of Chinese AI models, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod spoke to South African AI expert and keynote speaker Dean Furman to unpack the subject is greater detail – including what it could mean in the South African context.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Furman discusses:
• Whether China – and DeepSeek specifically – just upended the economics of AI;
• Whether American Big Tech firms should be worried;
• DeepSeek’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to AI tools from the likes of Google, Meta Platforms and OpenAI;
• Chinese government censorship of DeepSeek’s results and whether this matters to users outside China;
• The significance of DeepSeek’s models being released using an open-source licence and what this means for the future development of AI; and
• How far the world is from AGI, or artificial general intelligence.
It’s a fascinating discussion – be sure not to miss it! ]]> Technology Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:50:00 +0200 0 0 Deep impact: Dean Furman on the implications of China's DeepSeek 0 0 TechCentral full 48:30 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1524248 https://iono.fm/e/1524248 --
Enviro Automotive has launched South Africa’s most affordable electric car yet, the Dayun S5 Mini SUV – and TechCentral has taken the vehicle for a test drive.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, we are joined by Environ Automotive executives Gideon Wolvaardt and Francois Malan to unpack the new Chinese EV and why they believe the S5 Mini is a gamechanger for South Africa’s motoring industry.
The four-seater compact SUV features a 31.7kWh ternary lithium battery, offering a range of about 300km and a top speed of 115km/h, making it ideal for urban commuting.
The vehicle has a modern interior equipped with a touchscreen infotainment system, multifunction steering wheel and a digital instrument panel. Convenience features include central locking, electric windows and air conditioning that can be operated remotely via an app, allowing drivers to start the vehicle before entering.
In this episode of TCS, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod takes the car for a test drive and shares his views on the build and ride quality – and much more! ]]> Technology Tue, 04 Feb 2025 14:49:00 +0200 0 0 We test drive South Africa’s cheapest electric car 0 0 TechCentral full 34:24 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1522257 https://iono.fm/e/1522257 The CEO of iqbusiness, a digital integrator in the Reunert stable formed recently though the merger of IQbusiness and +OneX, is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show.
Craker – whose career has seen him working for the likes of Accenture, Merchants, Dimension Data and Super Group – tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about his plans for iqbusiness post-merger, how it fits in with Reunert’s overall growth plans and why the transaction made sense.
He also unpacks:
• His take on the government of national unity and why he remains bullish about South Africa’s prospects;
• The news that government is considering listing some of South Africa’s state-owned enterprises on the JSE;
• His biggest concerns about the country’s future; and
• What needs to be done to save Joburg – and the role of the Jozi My Jozi initiative.
Don’t miss a great conversation! ]]> Technology Wed, 29 Jan 2025 10:08:00 +0200 0 0 'Activist CEO' Adam Craker on iqbusiness, the GNU and fixing Joburg 0 0 TechCentral full 35:56 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1513245 https://iono.fm/e/1513245 In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Matric Live CEO Kagisho Masae and chief technology officer Lesego Finger tell TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about their journey as a start-up and the growth Matric Live has gone through in the last few years.
They delve into:
• The inspiration behind the Matric Live app and the problem it seeks to solve for students;
• The journey from app idea to full-fledged live system and the challenges faced along the way;
• How the application is being monetised while keeping access to the platform free for its users;
• The impact Matric Live has had on South African students;
• Some success stories about students who have used the app;
• Upcoming features to look forward to on the application;
• The vision Masae and Finger have for the future of their business; and
• The significance of winning the App of the Year award.
Masae and Finger tell an inspiring story of battling against the odds and succeeding at solving one of the most foundational problems confronting South African society: the dissemination of quality education to all corners of the country. Don’t miss a great conversation! ]]> Technology Wed, 18 Dec 2024 12:17:00 +0200 0 0 Meet the team behind Matric Live, South Africa’s App of the Year 0 0 TechCentral full 27:14 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1511788 https://iono.fm/e/1511788 Masie, who chairs JSE-listed Altvest Capital – a key player in the consortium making the bid – joins the TechCentral Show with Altvest CEO Warren Wheatley to unpack the plan and what spurred it, and to explain why tech is central to the bid.
The bid comes after member unions of SA Rugby last week rejected a plan to sell a 20% in the commercial rightsholder to US-based Ackerley Sports Group for US$75-million. Ackerley has until the end of the year to submit a revised offer, but Wheatley and Masie told TechCentral that they do not expect a deal with the American firm will succeed.
The South African consortium is made up of Altvest as well as EasyEquities, RainFin and 27four Investment Managers.
In a statement, the consortium explained that if its bid is successful, it will list the special purpose vehicle that has been created to do the deal on the JSE and allow investors to buy shares.
This is not dissimilar to Altvest’s business model, which sees it taking stakes in companies on behalf of public shareholders who participate in the economic benefits thereof.
“Worth thinking about for the tech community is that our platform allows for ‘crowdfunding’ in a regulated environment that allows for participation in a funding round to anybody with disposable income – from first-time users or customers, all the way through to regulated institutions and pension funds,” Wheatley explained.
In this episode of TCS, Masie and Wheatley unpack:
• The background to their consortium’s Springboks bid – and why the consortium members came together;
• How the bidders will work with SA Rugby to commercialise the rights, assuming their bid is successful;
• How the deal could affect broadcast partners; and
• Why they believe the deal could be used as a platform for technology innovation in South Africa.
It’s an interesting discussion – don’t miss it! ]]> Technology Thu, 12 Dec 2024 19:56:00 +0200 0 0 Springboks rugby deal: the tech plan behind the audacious bid 0 0 TechCentral full 49:25 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1511248 https://iono.fm/e/1511248 In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), Tim Masela, head of the National Payments System department at the Reserve Bank – he has been with the Bank for the past 30 years – tells TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about the efforts it is making to create a “cash smart” society not only in Southern Africa but across the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) region.
Masela unpacks:
• Why the introduction of non-bank fintechs into the national and regional clearance and settlements systems is important;
• The importance of designing “fit for purpose” regulations that allow fintech to remain nimble and innovative;
• A detailed explanation of how the payments and settlements system worked historically, including how it has evolved in the digital era;
• The efforts the Reserve Bank and its regional counterparts are undertaking to standardise financial legislation and regulation across Sadc;
- The importance of the Transactions Cleared on an Immediate Basis (TCIB) platform, which facilitates PayShap-style instant payments across borders;
- The challenges that currency conversion poses in facilitating instant payments across borders;
- Findings from the National Payments Study conducted by the Reserve Bank and released in September;
- What a “cash light” and “cash smart” society are and why the Reserve Bank believes this is desirable; and
- Where the Reserve Bank stands on crypto assets and the road to their incorporation into South Africa’s National Payments System.
Do not miss this insightful and informative episode. ]]> Technology Wed, 11 Dec 2024 14:05:00 +0200 0 0 Reserve Bank’s big payments shake-up – an interview with Tim Masela 0 0 TechCentral full 50:22 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1508870 https://iono.fm/e/1508870 In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), Datafree chief commercial officer Kruben Pillay tells Duncan McLeod about the company’s plan to build a software-as-a-service-based APN – or “access point name” – to sell to businesses. An APN is a gateway that allows a mobile device to connect to the network and the internet.
Datafree describes itself as a specialist in “mobile data optimisation” that “identified the opportunity to empower inclusive mobile connection by removing the data cost barrier to engage mobile audiences”.
To do this, it uses reverse-billing technology for data, not dissimilar to the way toll-free numbers work for phone calls.
Although many people use or are at least aware of MoyaApp, much less is known about Datafree. In this episode of TCS, Pillay tells McLeod more about the business. He also unpacks:
• His history in the telecommunications industry, including his time at Vodacom and Telkom;
• How MoyaApp is doing;
• Datafree’s R1-billion/year APN opportunity; and
• How APNs work, why companies use them (and why they sometimes run into issues) and Datafree’s APN services for business.
Don’t miss the interview! ]]> Technology Wed, 04 Dec 2024 08:52:00 +0200 0 0 Datafree’s plan to make R1-billion/year from ‘free data’ 0 0 TechCentral full 24:18 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1498197 https://iono.fm/e/1498197 And David Meintjes and Rob Lith of Telviva, a South African company specialising in cloud-based unified communications solutions for businesses, has been at the forefront of the technology changes that have swept through the industry in that time.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, the pair tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the journey from the early days of the business – when it was known as Connection Telecom – to the cloud-based telephony specialist it is today, as Telviva.
In the interview, Meintjes and Lith chat about:
• The evolution of Connection Telecom, its original mission, and how the business evolved into the unified communications as a service (UCaaS) provider it is today;
• How the telephony market in South Africa has changed beyond recognition over the past 20 years; and
• Telviva’s international expansion plans and its strategy around acquisitions.
There’s plenty more in this interview with two ICT industry legends – don’t miss it. ]]> Technology Fri, 01 Nov 2024 10:38:00 +0200 0 0 The story of Telviva, with David Meintjes and Rob Lith 0 0 TechCentral full 41:28 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1497784 https://iono.fm/e/1497784 That’s according to Andrew Middleton, co-founder and CEO of GoSolr, one of South Africa’s largest rooftop solar installation companies, who spoke to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) earlier this week.
According to Middleton, citing figures from Eskom, 749MW of rooftop solar capacity has been installed in South Africa this year, taking the total to 5.9GW. Some 162MW of new rooftop solar was added in the third quarter, down 267MW from the same three months in 2023, when load shedding was frequently at stage 4 or higher.
The figures are contained in the latest quarterly report published by GoSolr on the state of the industry.
In his interview with TCS, Middleton unpacks:
• The impact of the suspension of load shedding on the rooftop solar industry;
• What’s driving consumers to consider solar at home today;
• The impact of the adoption of electric vehicles on the demand for home solar – and what sort of solar installation consumers who own or are thinking of buying an EV need to consider;
• The state of play in the municipalities around feed-in tariff structures – an update on Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay and more;
• The future role of embedded generation systems in communities – the way forward and the hurdles that might be encountered; and
• Why government was wrong to withdraw the tax rebate on solar panels and to impose higher taxes on their importation.
Don’t miss this insightful conversation about the state of South Africa’s rooftop solar industry. ]]> Technology Thu, 31 Oct 2024 10:42:00 +0200 0 0 Andrew Middleton on the state of rooftop solar in South Africa 0 0 TechCentral full 27:57 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1495048 https://iono.fm/e/1495048 The company’s South African MD, Sandile Dube – a former country manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and a former executive at Dimension Data (now NTT Data) – tells TechCentral Show host Duncan McLeod about the new Johannesburg data centre, which is located in Isando on the East Rand, and what type of clients it’s hoping to attract.
In the interview, Dube chats about:
• Equinix’s African investment plans and where it intends to build data centre facilities and why;
• The Isando data centre and what it offers;
• The Equinix company and its investment focus – including its investments in West Africa;
• Whether there is an overbuild of data centres taking place in South Africa. Can market demand sustain the level of investment taking place?; and
• How Equinix differentiates itself in an increasingly crowded market.
Don’t miss a great interview! ]]> Technology Wed, 23 Oct 2024 13:51:00 +0200 0 0 Sandile Dube on Equinix and South Africa’s data centre boom 0 0 TechCentral full 21:12 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1494928 https://iono.fm/e/1494928 One of his main tasks has been to turn the company’s finances around by reigning in business units that were haemorrhaging cash in the past. Lesaka’s latest set of financial results suggests it’s making progress.
In this episode of TechCentral Show, Mali speaks to TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about:
• Lesaka’s latest financial results, breaking down each of the group's key business units;
• The resilience of Lesaka’s loans business;
• The importance of data analytics in driving Lesaka’s merchant lending business;
• The impact of the interest rate cycle on business;
• How the digitisation of cash is progressing in the informal market;
• Lesaka’s acquisition strategy, including the recent blockbuster purchase of Adumo; and
• The rationale behind Lesaka’s primary listing on the Nasdaq in the US (it has a secondary listing on the JSE).
Don’t miss this fast-paced episode of the TechCentral Show. ]]> Technology Wed, 23 Oct 2024 09:49:00 +0200 0 0 Lesaka’s Lincoln Mali on the fintech opportunity in South Africa 0 0 TechCentral full 22:16 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1490458 https://iono.fm/e/1490458 In this first interview with the TechCentral Show, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod asks Malatsi a range of questions about the sector, including his views on how he plans to address some of the more intractable problems in his inbox.
The interview, which was recorded on Friday, 4 October – shortly before he announced he was issuing a policy direction to communications regulator Icasa that could see a big change to empowerment rules governing licensing in the sector – covers a wide range of topics, from Elon Musk’s Starlink to the ongoing feud between the SABC and Sentech.
Other topics covered in the interview include:
• The minister’s engagements with Starlink and the recent meeting in New York between Musk and President Cyril Ramaphosa;
• His views on black economic empowerment and why his top priority is reducing the cost of data and ensuring more South Africans can connect affordably to the internet and online services;
• His plan for private sector participation in the Post Office, and whether the company is really worth saving;
• The war between the SABC and Sentech, and how it can be resolved;
• Future funding models for the SABC and the future of TV licences in South Africa;
• The problems at the State IT Agency, and what the focus should be of government’s central IT procurement and services provider;
• The planned merger of Sentech and Broadband Infraco and why he believes it needs to happen;
• Government’s 40.5% stake in Telkom and what should happen to it;
• The road to digital migration and whether there is still a need for terrestrial television in 2024;
• 2G and 3G switch-off in South Africa and whether this should be mandated by the government; and
• The legislative programme for the department of communications & digital technologies.
Don’t miss the interview! ]]> Technology Wed, 09 Oct 2024 14:12:00 +0200 0 0 The Solly Malatsi interview - BEE, SOEs and Starlink 0 0 TechCentral full 43:00 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1488124 https://iono.fm/e/1488124 It even went on to help Shoprite Holdings launch the Checkers Sixty60 app.
Zulzi was founded in 2013 as an “aggregator” of various shopping outlets to help consolidate online shopping for customers.
Today the company provides support to Sixty60 and continues to operate as a separate entity through seven of its own “dark stores”, or warehouses.
Zulzi founder Valoyi joins the TechCentral Show to chat about the company's journey, which began with his exit from corporate South Africa into entrepreneurship.
He shares his views on the innovations reshaping the e-commerce sector and how South African businesses should equip themselves to handle competition from international players.
Valoyi also chats about:
• His entrepreneurial ambitions and why he chose e-commerce as his focus;
• The early days of Zulzi, and how he built the business;
• How Zulzi’s relationship with Shoprite and the Checkers Sixty60 app came about;
• Why Valoyi believes the Post Office is key to driving e-commerce growth in South Africa;
• Why the medical sector is ripe for e-commerce disruption; and
• How technologies like artificial intelligence are changing the online shopping experience.
Don’t miss the interview! ]]> Technology Wed, 02 Oct 2024 10:26:00 +0200 0 0 Donald Valoyi: South African on-demand e-commerce pioneer 0 0 TechCentral full 48:53 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1483674 https://iono.fm/e/1483674 Bruce Mellado, professor of particle physics and director of the Institute for Collider Particle Physics at Wits University, is one of the key people behind the new initiative, which is aimed at improving air quality in South Africa and eventually other markets around the world. He recently joined Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show to discuss the project.
Mellado, who also director at the iThemba Laboratories for Accelerator Based Sciences – a unit of South Africa’s National Research Foundation – takes TechCentral through the devices, how they were built and how they’re being deployed in South Africa to detect reportable problems with air quality.
“We decided to create, for the first time in South Africa, a cost-effective air-quality monitoring system based on sensors, IoT and AI. We have named this system Ai_r.,” Mellado wrote in a recent article for The Conversation and published on TechCentral.
“Our team of 25 people includes more than 20 years of experience as particle physicists in working with sensors, communications and AI,” he wrote.
“There are only 130 big air-quality measuring stations in South Africa. They only measure the air quality in the vicinity of the station. This is why we need cost-effective, dense networks made up of Ai_r systems set up all around these stations, to measure air quality in a much wider area. Our vision is to place tens of thousands of these devices all over South Africa.”
In this episode of TCS, Mellado chats about:
• The latest developments in particle physics, some of the work he is involved in and how a particle physicist got involved in an air-quality monitoring project;
• Where the idea for the Ai_r device came from, its development and how it works;
• The role of IoT and AI in the device, and why the development team made the technology choices it did;
• The data that’s been collected so far, and what it can be used for;
• How much the solution costs, and how you can buy one to monitor your air quality at home.
Don’t miss a great conversation! ]]> Technology Wed, 18 Sep 2024 14:52:00 +0200 0 0 Bruce Mellado on the tech-led fight against air pollution in South Africa 0 0 TechCentral full 35:03 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1480799 https://iono.fm/e/1480799 In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), Mendes sits down with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod for a detailed interview in which he provides an update on what’s happened in the past year at Cell C, paints of a picture of the state of the business today, and sets out what comes next for the mobile operator.
To signal the management team’s intentions, and to declare the business is on a new strategic footing and is in the market for the long term, Cell C recently refreshed its brand identity and signalled its intention to take back market share from its bigger rivals.
In this episode of TCS, Mendes tackles a range of questions, including:
• Why he left what seemed to be a plum job at Vodacom to take on the difficult challenge of turning around Cell C;
• What went through his mind in the first few days on the job;
• Cell C’s plan to recapture the title of third largest mobile operator from Telkom – and to take the fight to MTN and Vodacom;
• Why Cell C has struggled to compete, how it accumulated huge amounts of debt and why the new strategy is its best but last chance of success;
• The state of Cell C’s finances – and especially its balance sheet – following the recent recapitalisation led by its largest shareholder, Blue Label Telecoms;
• His relationship with Blue Label founders and co-CEOs Brett Levy and Mark Levy;
• The role of regulatory support, especially in call termination;
• Why Cell C handed back the spectrum it secured in the 2022 spectrum auction, and its plans for participation in future auctions;
• The role of mobile virtual network operators and wholesale services in Cell C’s recovery plan; and
• Cell C’s strategy to capture more of the lucrative contract market.
There’s plenty more in the interview with Mendes – don’t miss the conversation! ]]> Technology Fri, 13 Sep 2024 14:56:00 +0200 0 0 TCS | Rebooting Cell C: Jorge Mendes sets out his strategic plan 0 0 TechCentral full 56:45 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1478768 https://iono.fm/e/1478768 That’s the view of Dominic Cull, a leading specialist South African ICT lawyer and regulatory adviser to the Internet Service Providers’ Association (Ispa), who was speaking to the TechCentral Show (TCS) in an interview (published below).
Cull’s criticism of Fair Share – at least in the form being advanced by the large telecoms operators – comes as the Association of Comms & Technology (ACT), a lobby group that represents the country’s largest telecoms providers, agitates for its adoption by policymakers in South Africa.
Fair Share is an idea that has gained traction among operators in Europe, where margins have been pressured in a competitive market. They argue that so-called OTT – “over the top” – companies, which include streaming video providers such as Netflix, Disney+ and TikTok, should contribute a “fair share” to the development of broadband infrastructure.
Critics have said this is simply a move by infrastructure providers, which have experienced margin compression with the move from voice to data services, to try to claw back lost profits.
Speaking at last month’s Datacentrix Showcase 2024 event in Sandton, ICT industry stalwart Andile Ngcaba – who founded Convergence Partners – said the move by ACT to pressure policymakers and regulators over “Fair Share” is not needed or wanted in the South African context.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” said Ngcaba, who is a previous policymaker in South Africa and who served as director-general of communications in the Nelson Mandela administration.
In the interview with TCS, Cull echoed this view and said ACT’s lobbying for Fair Share is partly aimed at “catching the ear” of newly appointed communications minister Solly Malatsi and influencing what is included in forthcoming amendments to legislation that governs the ICT sector in South Africa.
In this episode of TCS, Cull chats about:
• Whether ACT has a point about Fair Share;
• How big content players impact smaller operators and internet service providers, and why the call for Fair Share is coming from the industry’s biggest players;
• The investments by the OTT players in both terrestrial and subsea fibre infrastructure, including Google’s investment in the Equiano cable and Meta Platforms’ involvement in 2Africa;
• Whether mobile network operators doomed to become low-margin “dumb pipes” like other utility industries. Can they somehow avoid that fate?
Don’t miss the discussion, and if you enjoyed it, check out our December 2023 interview with Dominic Cull on Starlink in South Africa. ]]> Technology Mon, 09 Sep 2024 10:16:00 +0200 0 0 Dominic Cull on why 'Fair Share' is a non-starter in South Africa 0 0 TechCentral full 26:45 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1476896 https://iono.fm/e/1476896 Gibson, who also previously headed Dimension Data’s (now NTT Data’s) global digital practice, tells TCS about his appointment and why he decided to join Pragma, which develops a software platform in South Africa that it exports to companies around the world. Gibson plans to step up that internationalisation effort as CEO.
“Pragma’s software competes comfortably with the world’s top brands, such as SAP, Maximo and IFS Ultimo. I plan to use my experience growing software businesses to help Pragma achieve its international expansion goals,” he says.
Co-founder and outgoing CEO Adriaan Scheeres, who led Pragma for 34 years, will remain a shareholder and member of the board.
In the interview, Gibson chats about:
• Pragma’s history and what it does;
• The size of the business, and the opportunities he sees abroad for the company;
• The firm's clients;
• The trends in the enterprise software market; and
• The application of artificial intelligence.
Don’t miss the conversation! ]]> Technology Tue, 03 Sep 2024 11:41:00 +0200 0 0 Scott Gibson on his new role as Pragma CEO 0 0 TechCentral full 24:28 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1469759 https://iono.fm/e/1469759 Maritz, who returns to the TechCentral Show (TCS) – he was last a guest in 2021 – reflects on the past four-and-a-half months without load shedding, and what that’s meant for ESP – apart from giving himself and his business partner, Dan Southwood-Wells, to focus on other projects.
In this episode of TCS, Maritz unpacks the impact of the suspension of load shedding, what that’s meant for advertising and subscriptions on the platform, and what’s next for ESP.
He also chats about:
• How ESP is helping communities with load reduction;
• How they’re using generative artificial intelligence in the app; and
• The opportunities to launch the software in new markets.
Lastly, he reveals a few interesting statistics about ESP, including the number of times the app has been downloaded (it’s a staggering number). ]]> Technology Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:03:00 +0200 0 0 ESP's Herman Maritz on Eskom's miraculous turnaround 0 0 TechCentral full 28:32 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1465086 https://iono.fm/e/1465086 Apteker woke up early that morning – as millions of others did – to the sound of bombs and missiles raining down. After months of military build-up along Ukraine’s eastern flank, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin had ordered a full-scale invasion.
In this special edition of the TechCentral Show, we chat to Apteker – a pioneer in South Africa’s internet industry – about his life in Ukraine amid the ongoing war.
Apteker has a storied career as co-founder of Internet Solutions, one of South Africa’s first and most successful internet service providers. He is also well known as a producer and promoter of movies, including Material and Beyond the River.
In 2015 Apteker bought an apartment in Kyiv and started a new life in the city, attracted by the country’s diverse tech scene and its incredibly beauty.
He had established a new and promising life for himself in Ukraine – he married a local woman, Marta, with whom he has a young boy (affectionately called “the Bunster”). Both Marta and the Bunster are now refugees from the war, living in Poland.
Never in a million years did Apteker expect he would be caught up in a major conflict, never mind the biggest land war in Europe since World War 2.
Today his life involves moving between Poland and Kyiv, where he has friends as well as business interests in the tech sector which he continues to nurture despite the chaos caused by Putin’s aggression.
In this sometimes emotionally raw interview, Apteker tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about why he left South Africa to go and live in Ukraine, how the war started (he woke up early one morning to missiles raining down on Kyiv), what it’s like to live in a warzone, and how he’s coping with the daily hardships caused by the conflict.
Apteker, who is known for his wicked sense of humour – in a previous life he was even briefly a stand-up comedian – admits it’s been exceptionally difficult to stay positive about the future, but that he’s managed to keep going even us Putin’s war machine grinds on.
In the interview, Apteker chats about his daily life now and what it entails; the US election, and why Ukrainians fear another Donald Trump presidency; the new documentary film about the war that he’s been working on; his passion for moviemaking; and why love is the most important thing in the world.
Don’t miss the interview. ]]> Technology Sun, 28 Jul 2024 16:52:00 +0200 0 0 The Ronnie Apteker interview - his life in Ukraine 0 0 TechCentral full 1:19:47 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1463965 https://iono.fm/e/1463965 The vehicle, whose price starts at R792 000, offers a combination of price, performance and luxury tweaks that has attracted considerable appeal among South African consumers interested in making the switch to electric mobility.
But what is the Volvo EX30 like to drive?
TechCentral recently had the opportunity to spend time with the twin-motor version of the EX30 to put it through its paces. Apart from a few minor niggles, including the quality of materials used in the dashboard, we can confidently say this is a very compelling option for those interested in buying an EV in the sub-R1-million price category.
While it’s not as affordable as more entry-level EV models from the likes of China’s BYD, the vehicle offers many luxuries usually reserved for more expensive EVs, including a panoramic (non-opening) sunroof, high-end Harman Kardon audio and well-thought-out software features.
It’s easy to see where Volvo has compromised to get the price down, but the decisions it has made in this regard have mostly been carefully considered.
As for the driving experience, the power underfoot is extraordinary. The twin motor version TechCentral tested accelerated from 0-100km/h more quickly than a Porsche 911 – it really is a thrill to drive!
This is a sentiment shared by Greg Cress, who owns the EX30 and has been driving it since March, when he took delivery from Volvo. Cress joined TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) recently to review the vehicle and to talk about the state of the EV market more broadly in South Africa.
Cress, who works for Accenture – where he is principal director of automotive and e-mobility – told TCS about his experiences with the vehicle and what he likes about it and what he doesn’t.
He unpacks his experiences so far, including with the regular software updates that Volvo has issued and why he settled on the EX30 over other EV options available in the South African market. He also shares details about a recent long-distance return trip he did from Pretoria to White River in Mpumalanga and how he found utilising the charging points along South Africa’s national roads.
Then, in the second part of the TCS interview, Cress shares his views on the state of the EV market in South Africa, what is hindering its wider adoption and the outlook for electric mobility in the country.
Don’t miss a hugely informative interview. ]]> Technology Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:20:00 +0200 0 0 The Volvo EX30 electric car, reviewed by an owner 0 0 TechCentral full 57:43 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1462499 https://iono.fm/e/1462499 This is the word from Nomvuyiso Batyi, CEO of telecommunications industry lobby group the Association for Comms & Technology (ACT) and an industry stalwart who served as a councillor at communications regulator Icasa for eight years and as special adviser to the minister of communications. She was speaking to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (watch or listen to the interview below).
ACT, which represents the six big telecoms operators in South Africa – MTN, Vodacom, Rain, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Telkom and Cell C – was founded two years ago as an interface between the industry and policymakers and regulators.
In the interview, Batyi unpacks a range of issues affecting ACT members. She discusses:
• Her first engagement with newly appointed communications minister Solly Malatsi, and her views on him;
• What her day-to-day work involves;
• Why government shouldn’t be setting deadlines for 2G and 3G switch-off in South Africa;
• Import taxes on cellphones, and why luxury taxes on 4G devices should be scrapped;
• How the load shedding problem has been replaced with the load reduction problem, and what the impact has been on operators;
• The scourge of theft and vandalism, and why urgent action is needed to address the problem; and
• South Africa’s upcoming spectrum auction, and why telecoms operators should get access to spectrum below 694MHz that has traditionally been reserved for broadcasting.
Don’t miss the interview! ]]> Technology Fri, 19 Jul 2024 09:24:00 +0200 0 0 Nomvuyiso Batyi on what needs fixing in SA telecoms 0 0 TechCentral full 1:01:57 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1460802 https://iono.fm/e/1460802 Higgins founded Bidorbuy (now Bob Shop) at the height of the dot-com boom in the late 1990s, and over the past 25 years has actively participated in the industry as it has mushroomed from those nascent beginnings.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), Higgins has a look back at the growth of the industry, and what’s likely to propel its future expansion.
In the show, Higgins unpacks:
• How Bob Group has done since it was created nearly two years ago through the merger of Bidorbuy and uAfrica, and what the future holds for the business;
• What is driving the rapid growth in South Africa’s e-commerce industry – did Covid lockdowns give it the spark for its current rapid expansion, or is there more at play?;
• The rise of on-demand deliveries in South Africa and what it means for online retailers;
• The rise of Chinese competitors – how much of a threat are Shein and Temu really, and is the South African Revenue Service right to crack down?;
• The Competition Commission’s intervention in the market and whether it is warranted;
• Whether Amazon’s South African launch was a flop; and
• What trends to look out for as the market develops further in the coming years.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion! ]]> Technology Tue, 16 Jul 2024 10:40:00 +0200 0 0 Andy Higgins on the outlook for online shopping in South Africa 0 0 TechCentral full 35:49 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1456159 https://iono.fm/e/1456159 In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod chats to VezoPay founders Jake Pinkus and Lawrence Baker about the launch of the ring – it’s available in three variants at launch – and what was behind the idea.
In the interview, they not only explain why they decided to build a payment ring, but also why they’re entering what could soon become a highly competitive market globally, with both Samsung Electronics and Apple expected to launch their own smart rings later this year.
Pinkus and Lawrence unpack:
• How long they’ve been working on the payment ring, and where the idea came from;
• How much research and development was involved, and who’s backing the innovation;
• How the technology works, and what exactly is inside the ring;
• The various options available at launch;
• How it works without having to be charged;
• How the security features work (without giving the game away);
• How VezoPay is working with South African banks;
• Whether the ring can be used for ticketing (concerts, Gautrain, etc);
• How much it costs;
• The potential competition from Samsung and Apple; and
• VezoPay’s plans to expand beyond South Africa’s borders.
Don’t miss the interview! ]]> Technology Mon, 01 Jul 2024 13:19:00 +0200 0 0 VezoPay on new South African-made payment ring 0 0 TechCentral full 40:46 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1454939 https://iono.fm/e/1454939 Standard Bank, which recently rebranded its MVNO from Standard Bank Mobile to Standard Bank Connect and shifted its network partner from Cell C to MTN South Africa, has launched a new value proposition in cellular communications for its customers.
TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod is joined by Mistry on the TechCentral Show, where he explains the bank’s decision to partner with MTN and why it decided to engage directly with a mobile network operator rather than working through an “enablement” partner as it had done previously.
Kartik, who has experience in both telecommunications – he has previously served as chief operating officer at Rain – and in banking, talks about the state of the MVNO market in South Africa, where Standard Bank Connect is positioning itself strategically, and why the market might be primed for consolidation.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Wed, 26 Jun 2024 14:51:00 +0200 0 0 Kartik Mistry on Standard Bank Connect and SA's MVNO industry 0 0 TechCentral full 25:21 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1451879 https://iono.fm/e/1451879 But what did Microsoft’s Build, Google’s I/O and Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference tell us about each company’s strategy, and which company is leading in the race to commercialise generative AI?
Dean Furman, a South African AI expert and keynote speaker, joins TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) to unpack the companies’ keynote presentations and what they tell us not only about their strategies but also where the technology is headed in the coming years.
Furman, who also provides training on AI to corporate South Africa, chats about what the latest developments mean for businesses and consumers, and dives into what the technology means for productivity. ]]> Technology Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:42:00 +0200 0 0 Dean Furman on who is winning the AI race 0 0 TechCentral full 1:00:35 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1449579 https://iono.fm/e/1449579 Frikkie Jonker, of MultiChoice subsidiary Irdeto, is the man leading the charge against these pirate operations, and he tells the TechCentral Show (TCS) that, despite recent arrests, the broadcaster’s war on streaming piracy is just getting started. More arrests and other enforcement actions are on the cards.
On 5 June, MultiChoice revealed it had succeeding in nailing the streaming piracy platform Waka TV in an operation that involved Western Cape police investigators. It described the dismantling of Waka TV as “a significant victory in the fight against internet streaming piracy”.
The broadcaster said it was involved in a “meticulously planned raid” on 31 May, which led to the arrest of a “key suspect involved in one of the most extensive pirate operations in Africa”.
A day later, on 6 June, the broadcaster announced that through Irdeto – and working with law enforcement agencies – it had acted against another pirate streaming operation, this one in Gauteng, where a suspect was arrested for the “illegal sale of internet streaming pirate devices that allowed individuals to access MultiChoice content”.
Jonker, who is antipiracy director in broadcasting and cybersecurity at Irdeto, takes TechCentral’s audience into some detail about the two law enforcement operations and what transpired. And he explains why MultiChoice is stepping up its battle against content thieves and pirate streaming operations in South Africa and the rest of the African continent.
In the interview, Jonker unpacks:
• How serious content piracy has become on the continent;
• Why it’s often associated with organised criminal syndicates, and why consumers are putting themselves at risk by signing up to pirate streaming platforms as well as encouraging further criminal activity;
• Why MultiChoice is now warning that, in addition to targeting the pirate platform operators, it may go after consumers who sign up to these platforms, too; and
• How the broadcaster is working with law enforcement authorities.
Don’t miss a fascinating conversation. ]]> Technology Mon, 10 Jun 2024 11:09:00 +0200 0 0 MultiChoice declares war on piracy - the man leading the fight 0 0 TechCentral full 30:40 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1436617 https://iono.fm/e/1436617 Bradwin Roper, chief financial services officer at MTN South Africa, is the guest in the latest episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS). He unpacks the PayShap development and what it means, and explores MTN’s fintech strategy and the future of mobile money in South Africa.
In this episode of TCS, Roper chats about:
* The significance of MTN becoming the first non-banking platform to offer access to PayShap;
* Why and how it’s working with Investec and technical service provider Electrum to deploy the solution;
* What MTN customers will be able to do with PayShap;
* The growth of mobile money in South Africa, and the work that MTN is doing to grow the ecosystem; and
* Lessons South Africa can draw from other emerging markets, notably India and Brazil, in mobile money and rapid payments.
Don’t miss the interview! ]]> Technology Tue, 30 Apr 2024 11:08:00 +0200 0 0 MTN's Bradwin Roper on PayShap - and the future of mobile money 0 0 TechCentral full 37:44 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1432773 https://iono.fm/e/1432773 Respectively the chief technology officer and CEO of Riot Network – the wireless broadband specialist that is building low-cost networks in underserviced areas, including Olievenhoutbosch in Gauteng – they tell TechCentral about why they chose to implant the chips and what they’re used for.
The pair, who both profess a desire to receive brain implants from Elon Musk’s Neuralink, explain how they started augmenting their biological bodies with electronics, what’s involved, the information they’re able to glean from the chips, and where the fusion of human biology and electronics is headed over the coming decade.
In the interview, Bekker and De Kock unpack how electronic circuitry in the human body can help detect and manage serious health issues, and the impact this could have on fighting disease and prolonging people’s lives.
The two discuss a range of issues related to biohacking, including:
• What’s involved when it’s time to upgrade the chips;
• How one goes about having them installed;
• The growing online biohacker community;
• Integration with artificial intelligence; and
• Much more.
Don’t miss this offbeat but fascinating discussion! ]]> Technology Wed, 17 Apr 2024 15:08:00 +0200 0 0 Meet the CHIPendales - South Africa's biohacker duo 0 0 TechCentral full 44:18 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1418255 https://iono.fm/e/1418255 From landing Google’s Equiano subsea cable in Swakopmund and building a new fibre route between South Africa and Namibia – providing a new data corridor between Gauteng and the world – to working with Meta Platforms to wire up Zambia and building expansive satellite ground stations, the Namibian-born group has its eyes firmly set on becoming a significant telecoms player in the region.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod chats to Paratus Group chief commercial officer Martin Cox about the company’s origins (although founded in Namibia, it cut its teeth in Angola), its current footprint and its future growth plans.
Among other topics, Cox discusses:
• The impact of the recent subsea cable breaks in West Africa and the role of diverse routes in reducing the impact;
• Paratus’s new fibre route from Swakopmund to Johannesburg, which runs through Botswana – its significance and what was involved in its construction;
• The group’s footprint in South Africa, including its new satellite ground station in Irene, near Pretoria; and
• Paratus’s culture, and why its management team is happiest in “the trenches”; and
• Whether a listing for Paratus Group could be on the cards at some point (its Namibian operation is already listed in Windhoek).
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Thu, 21 Mar 2024 11:04:00 +0200 0 0 From Namibian start-up to regional powerhouse: the rapid rise of Paratus 0 0 TechCentral full 32:45 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1418093 https://iono.fm/e/1418093 Technology Wed, 20 Mar 2024 16:12:00 +0200 0 0 The internet revolution happening in Olievenhoutbosch 0 0 TechCentral full 1:00:51 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1404663 https://iono.fm/e/1404663 The company, based in Pretoria, has won a number of awards and other accolades for its patented intellectual property, which involves extracting hydrogen from water using a “membrane-less” electrolyser technology that it has patented globally.
Corrie de Jager, the CEO and founder of Hydrox Holdings, joins the TechCentral Show (TCS) to chat about the progress the company has made in recent years in developing the technology – and why he is now looking for investors to help commercialise it.
De Jager, who has been working on the technology for more than two decades, claims the technology could help move the world to non-polluting and mass-scale hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars more quickly by dramatically reducing the cost of extracting hydrogen from water.
In this episode of TCS, he unpacks:
• Where the idea to build a membrane-less electrolyser came from;
• The proofs of concept the company has launched;
• The hurdles that Hydrox’s team has had to overcome while developing the technology;
• The cost and production advantages of membrane-less electrolysers;
• Why hydrogen could be the next big thing in clean energy production;
• What’s stopping the widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars; and
• Where Hydrox plans to take the technology and how it intends to commercialise it.
Don’t miss a fascinating interview about a potentially ground-breaking South African innovation. ]]> Technology Fri, 09 Feb 2024 12:51:00 +0200 0 0 Pretoria firm Hydrox Holdings in global hydrogen ‘breakthrough’ 0 0 TechCentral full 49:51 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1402284 https://iono.fm/e/1402284 The new show will feature interviews with (and about) some of the leading figures who helped shape South Africa’s technology industry into what it is today.
As the show’s name implies, we’ll be interviewing leading figures who achieved great things in – and for – the tech sector in South Africa.
From PCs to IT services and software to telecoms, TCS Legends features some of the leading figures in the industry over the last 30 years.
With season 1 launching later in February, TCS Legends is a by-invitation-only, editorially driven tech show that builds on TechCentral’s credible, market-leading multimedia productions, including the TechCentral Show (TCS) and TCS+.
TCS Legends is powered by Mitel. For all your unified communications and customer experience needs, visit Mitel.com. ]]> Technology Sun, 04 Feb 2024 12:06:00 +0200 0 0 TechCentral announces TCS Legends 0 0 TechCentral full 1:43 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1398375 https://iono.fm/e/1398375 Datacentrix’s long-serving CEO, Ahmed Mahomed, joins the TechCentral Show (TCS) to discuss the acquisition, how it happened, why Alviva decided to sell and what the future holds for the company.
In the show, Mahomed unpacks:
• Datacentrix’s history, when it was founded, its JSE listing and the acquisition by Alviva;
• The business’s key focus areas today;
• What the Convergence Partners deal means for the future of Datacentrix;
• How Datacentrix will work with Ngcaba; and
• Whether the company might head back to the JSE at some point.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Mon, 22 Jan 2024 15:45:00 +0200 0 0 Datacentrix CEO Ahmed Mahomed on the Convergence Partners deal 0 0 TechCentral full 24:34 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1389030 https://iono.fm/e/1389030 Founded by Saul Kornik in 2021, Kena Health aims to improve the reach of quality healthcare services by digitising access to primary healthcare professionals.
The TCS interview, hosted by TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu, delves into:
• Barriers to telehealth adoption in South Africa and how new entrants are legitimising the industry;
• The challenges of designing applications for two very distinct audiences – highly technical medical staff on one hand and vulnerable patients on the other;
• How the company approaches talent retention and recruitment in what can be described as a seller’s market for technical skills;
• How emergent technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence are going to disrupt healthcare provision; and
• What winning the MTN Business App of the Year means for the start-up.
Don’t miss a fascinating conversation on the future of healthcare. ]]> Technology Mon, 11 Dec 2023 14:35:00 +0200 0 0 Pheello Maboea on Kena Health winning App of the Year 0 0 TechCentral full 34:15 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1387296 https://iono.fm/e/1387296 To unpack what exactly is required of SpaceX-launched Starlink to launch in South Africa – including the rules around black economic empowerment (BEE) – the TechCentral Show spoke to Dominic Cull, a legal expert on the subject.
Cull, who serves as the regulatory adviser to the Internet Service Providers’ Association (Ispa), shares some surprising insights into the process.
Topics tackled by Cull in the discussion include:
• Who is really to blame for Starlink’s failure to launch in South Africa so far;
• What the law really says about BEE and the issuing of telecommunications licences?
• What Icasa’s licensing regime looks like, and which licence types Starlink needs to apply for to launch its services in South Africa.
• Why there is an artificial restriction on the issuing of new licences – and why this makes no sense anymore.
• How Icasa’s “type approvals” for communications equipment work and what they’re for.
• Why Ispa members are keen to work with Starlink.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion that clears up some of the misconceptions in the market about Starlink in South Africa. ]]> Technology Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:35:00 +0200 0 0 TCS | Starlink in South Africa – separating fact from fiction 0 0 TechCentral full 38:07 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1386910 https://iono.fm/e/1386910 Alcock’s background as a white boy growing up in rural Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal has helped him develop a deep cultural understanding of township life and the way business is conducted there.
Indeed, he has built his career as a marketer and consultant based on his intimate understanding of the township economies.
In the show, Alcock shares some of his personal history, speaks about his earliest innovations and gives detailed insight into how the adoption of digital technologies has progressed in South Africa’s informal economy in recent years.
The conversation delves into:
• How the Covid-19 pandemic influenced the adoption of digital payments in the informal economy;
• Why card payments are outpacing banking apps, third-party payment platforms like Zapper and even PayShap in townships;
• Data-driven insights about what informal business owners really think about ditching cash for digital; and
• The outlook for digitisation and payments in the informal economy.
Don’t miss a fascinating conversation! ]]> Technology Mon, 04 Dec 2023 11:41:00 +0200 0 0 TCS | GG Alcock on the digitisation of the township economy 0 0 TechCentral full 38:02 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1386307 https://iono.fm/e/1386307 Revix founder and now Altify CEO Sean Sanders joins Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show to unpack the merger, how it came about, and what Altify hopes to do in the alternative investment space not only in South Africa but the broader Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
In its new form, Altify will continue to offer the crypto investment products that Revix, Coinpanion and BitFund became known for, including a wide selection of ETF-style crypto bundles, along with other alternative finance products.
He said the recent downturn in the crypto market acted as a catalyst for the merger and accelerated Altify’s expansion into non-crypto investment options.
According to Sanders, these market dynamics have also primed the environment for consolidation among retail investment platforms, especially in the crypto space. “Altify is leaning into these opportunities and is engaging with other investment platforms in the UAE, the UK and Europe who could join Altify over the coming months.”
Don’t miss the interview! ]]> Technology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 08:42:00 +0200 0 0 Revix founder Sean Sanders on the creation of Altify 0 0 TechCentral full 52:58 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1381121 https://iono.fm/e/1381121 Johnson, who joins Duncan McLeod on this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), talks about the OneCart business, why Massmart bought it and where it’s headed.
The conversation delves into:
• Why OneCart works with third-party retailers that compete with Walmart-owned Massmart, the parent of brands such as Makro, Builders and Game;
• How OneCart fits into Massmart’s overarching e-commerce strategy for South Africa;
• The state of the e-commerce market in South Africa, including the on-demand segment, and the impact that Covid has had on its development;
• With the launch of Amazon.com’s retail marketplace operators in South Africa looming large, the impact this will have on the local retail industry – are local retailers ready to take on the global e-commerce giant?;
• The outlook for e-commerce growth in South Africa for the rest of the 2020s and what needs to be overcome for online sales as a percentage of total retail sales to reach 15%, from 5% now.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion about online shopping in South Africa and how local retailers – including Massmart and OneCart – are preparing for significant disruption to the retail sector in the years ahead. ]]> Technology Thu, 16 Nov 2023 09:41:00 +0200 0 0 OneCart CEO Aidan Johnson on SA's on-demand shopping boom 0 0 TechCentral full 39:39 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1379915 https://iono.fm/e/1379915 In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), Duncan McLeod chat to Tom Chittum, senior vice president for forensic services at SoundThinking, the company that owns the acoustic gunshot detection technology, to learn about how it’s being deployed not only in South Africa but in cities around the world.
In the interview, Chittum chats about:
• How ShotSpotter is being used in Cape Town;
• How the technology works – its advantages and drawbacks;
• How law enforcement agencies use ShotSpotter to fight crime; and
• How ShotSpotter is being used in US cities to tackle gun violence.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion. ]]> Technology Mon, 13 Nov 2023 15:13:00 +0200 0 0 How ShotSpotter is fighting gun crime in Cape Town 0 0 TechCentral full 28:05 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1374037 https://iono.fm/e/1374037 That’s according to Connie Bloem, co-founder and MD of Mesh.trade, who was speaking to the TechCentral Show (TCS) about alternative (AltFi) and decentralised finance (DeFi).
Mesh is owned by 42Markets Group, which recently secured a R182-million funding round from technology investor Convergence Partners.
Much of that funding will be used in Mesh’s expansion plans.
Bloem, who lives in Paris, told TCS that Mesh is attempted to serve as a bridge between the world of traditional finance, also known as TradFi, and AltFi and DeFi.
Among other topics, Bloem chats about what these changes mean for ordinary investors.
Don’t miss a great discussion! ]]> Technology Thu, 26 Oct 2023 11:43:00 +0200 0 0 Mesh.trade's Connie Bloem on the future of finance 0 0 TechCentral full 53:23 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1372565 https://iono.fm/e/1372565 In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Rahul Jain, co-founder of CEO of Peach Payments, tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the funding round and what the company plans to use the money to do.
In the interview, Jain unpacks:
* His background growing up in India and how his career brought him to South Africa;
* What Peach Payments does and why;
* The company’s business model; and
* Its growth plans, including expansion outside South Africa.
Jain also explains why Peach Payments went the private equity route with the latest funding round.
Don’t miss the interview! ]]> Technology Mon, 23 Oct 2023 08:35:00 +0200 0 0 Rahul Jain on Peach Payments’ big funding round 0 0 TechCentral full 38:46 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1367448 https://iono.fm/e/1367448
The Information Regulator, the agency responsible for enforcing the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia), is starting to flex its muscles.
Among other things, the regulator is tasked with investigating data breaches – including cyberattacks – and will not hesitate to mete out punishment on companies and government entities that don’t take the protection of customer or citizen information seriously.
Already engaged in an enforcement action over a cyberattack at the department of justice & constitutional development – the department was fined R5-million – the regulator is seeing a flood of self-reported incidents reach its offices. In fact, more than a thousand such incidents have been reported this year alone, a sharp increase from the 2022 figure of about 600.
TechCentral recently welcomed the Information Regulator’s chair, Adv Pansy Tlakula, onto the TechCentral Show (TCS) for a discussion about the regulator, its enforcement actions and some of the investigations it is pursuing.
In the TCS interview, Tlakula chats about:
• Her day-to-day duties as chair of the Information Regulator;
• Popia and the Promotion of Access to Information Act and the Information Regulator’s role in enforcing both pieces of legislation;
• What organisations in both the private and public sectors should know about the work of the regulator;
• Enforcement actions that it has been involved in, including the ongoing matter involving the department of justice and a resolution to a dispute with pharmacy chain Dis-Chem over a recent incident involving customer information;
• The reported cyberattack on the State Security Agency and what the regulator plans to do about it;
• The rising number of cyberattacks on public sector infrastructure, what’s driving it and what can be done about it; and
• Much more besides.
Don’t miss a great discussion! ]]> Technology Fri, 06 Oct 2023 12:49:00 +0200 0 0 The Information Regulator bares its teeth - an interview with Pansy Tlakula 0 0 TechCentral full 42:37 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1359318 https://iono.fm/e/1359318
When JSE-listed Blue Label Telecoms released its annual results two weeks ago, it showed its core business continuing to grow at a respectable pace. Yet investors dumped the share, worried about a lack of disclosure about Cell C’s performance.
Now, in an exclusive interview with the TechCentral Show (TCS), the company’s founders and co-CEOs, brothers Brett and Mark Levy, have spelt out exactly why they believe investors have punished the share, why they decided not to publish numbers for Cell C (this time around), and what their strategy is for the long-troubled mobile operator after the completion last year of its second recapitalisation in six years.
In the interview, Mark Levy looks back to the founding of the company more than 20 years ago, how it pivoted into cellular airtime, and its listing on the JSE.
The conversation later shifts to a detailed discussion with Brett Levy on Cell C. He answers a wide range of questions, including:
• Why did Blue Label buy Cell C in the first place?
• What went wrong after the first recap?
• What’s stop things going awry again at Cell C?
• Why is Blue Label pursuing a controlling stake in the mobile operator?
• What’s the potential upside at Cell C?
• Just how important is the mobile virtual network operator business? (Cell C recently concluded an MVNO deal with Capitec.)
The brothers also tackle the difficulty in understanding Blue Label’s results, driven by the highly complex restructuring at Cell C. They tackle these questions:
• Shouldn’t Blue Label be doing more to make its results understandable to shareholders, especially ordinary investors?
• Doesn’t buying control of Cell C expose Blue Label to even greater potential risk?
• What’s the outlook for Blue Label’s core business?
• What are the exciting growth areas in the core business, such as betting/gaming?
• Is Blue Label mulling a buyout of minorities and a delisting from the JSE?
Don’t miss the most detailed and information-packed interview the Levy brothers have given in years. If you enjoyed the interview, please consider subscribing on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. ]]> Technology Tue, 12 Sep 2023 13:34:00 +0200 0 0 The Levy brothers on the future of Blue Label and Cell C 0 0 TechCentral full 1:18:31 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1343676 https://iono.fm/e/1343676 Now its chief commercial officer, Sumenish Naidoo, has told the TechCentral Show (TCS) that Sigfox South Africa is not only on a sustainable growth trajectory, but has big big growth plans for the rest of this decade.
This comes after Remgro’s CIVH in 2021 pulled the plug on Sigfox operator SqwidNet, citing weak customer demand. Founded eight years ago under CIVH subsidiary Dark Fibre Africa, the difficulties at SqwidNet came as a shock to its customers, including Discovery Insure and ADT, that had come to rely heavily on the nationwide Sigfox network.
Former CIVH CEO Raymond Ndlovu said in an interview with TechCentral at the time that the decision to shut down SqwidNet, which by then had been moved out of Dark Fibre Africa as a separate entity under CIVH, was because customer take-up had not been as strong as hoped.
The Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns resulted in depressed commercial activity, which worsened the problems at SqwidNet.
Support from SqwidNet’s customers, though, ensured the Sigfox network was saved. CIVH has remained a shareholder in the newly created Sigfox South Africa, albeit now as a minority one, along with Macrocomm, Discovery Insure, Fidelity ADT and Buffet Investments.
In this episode of TCS, Naidoo tells TechCentral editor-in-chief Duncan McLeod about what’s happened at Sigfox South Africa since the rescue deal last year, and why he believes there is still a significant opportunity for growth in IoT in the country, despite the troubles experienced at SqwidNet.
Naidoo also talks about:
• What IoT is, and why it could help grease the wheels of commerce;
• The history of Sigfox in South Africa, and how Sigfox’s technology differs from traditional cellular communication and other IoT protocols;
• What the Sigfox network in South Africa looks like today;
• How the network is being used; and
• How consumers can get their hands on Sigfox-capable IoT devices.
Don’t miss a fascinating interview! ]]> Technology Thu, 10 Aug 2023 15:04:00 +0200 0 0 Sumeshin Naidoo on Sigfox and the future of IoT in South Africa 0 0 TechCentral full 34:20 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1336384 https://iono.fm/e/1336384 Joel Bronkowski, Paystack’s country head for South Africa, joins the TechCentral Show (TCS) to talk about these expansion plans as well as the state of fintech on the continent.
Paystack, which is headquartered in Lagos, was founded by Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi and received early funding from Silicon Valley start-up accelerator Y Combinator.
In the TCS interview, Bronkowski also chats about:
• Paystack’s plans for the South African market;
• How the company is approaching the South African market in comparison to its strategy for Nigeria and other countries;
• The problems the company is trying to solve;
• The Stripe acquisition and what it means for Paystack; and
• Paystack’s growth strategy.
Don’t miss a great discussion about disruption in financial services in Africa. ]]> Technology Thu, 27 Jul 2023 10:52:00 +0200 0 0 Joel Bronkowski on Paystack's big expansion plans 0 0 TechCentral full 25:53 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1332444 https://iono.fm/e/1332444 Now the pair has embarked on a new venture, launched in The Foschini Group (TFG) stable, called Bash, and they tell Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) all about it.
To start the discussion, Hanan and Jedeikin talk about the origin of Superbalist – it began life as a group-buying deals site akin to Groupon. They then chat about how the big Takealot deal happened and what it meant for Superbalist.
The conversation them turns to how the TFG opportunity came about and what the JSE-listed retail group is hoping to achieve with the launch of Bash – it’s online at bash.com. They also explain why they chose the name Bash and what was involved in securing a four-letter dot-com domain.
Among many other topics, Jedeikin and Hanan provide their views on:
• The state of e-commerce in South Africa;
• Why Bash is a mobile-first app shopping destination – it also works fine on the web;
• The complexities of selling fashion online; and
• The competitive landscape in South Africa and how it’s evolving.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion! ]]> Technology Mon, 17 Jul 2023 14:44:00 +0200 0 0 TCS | Superbalist founders on their new venture, Bash 0 0 TechCentral full 1:01:12 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1329596 https://iono.fm/e/1329596 In the interview, Mahlare talks about her career background and how she came to Takealot. She also discusses:
• The transformative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, how it drove up online shopping and why it’s impact is still being felt.
• Takealot Group’s slowing growth – why it’s happening, and what it says about the e-commerce space in South Africa.
• The impact of increased competition from traditional retailers embracing internet commerce.
• The Competition Commission’s investigation into online markets, and why the authorities need to tread carefully.
• The rumoured launch later this year of an Amazon marketplace in South Africa, and how this will impact the market and Takealot.
• What will shape the development of e-commerce in South Africa in the coming years.
• The role, if any, for the Post Office in e-commerce fulfilment.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion. ]]> Technology Mon, 10 Jul 2023 09:24:00 +0200 0 0 Takealot Group CEO Mamongae Mahlare on the outlook for e-commerce 0 0 TechCentral full 55:45 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1326199 https://iono.fm/e/1326199 That’s according to Volvo Cars South Africa MD Greg Maruszewski, who was speaking to Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) – watch or listen to the interview below.
Volvo has been one of the most aggressive car manufacturers in pivoting from internal combustion engines to electric motors. Indeed, it said two years ago already that it intends to become a fully electric car company by 2030.
In this episode of TCS, Maruszewski unpacks:
• Volvo’s transition to EVs and its strategy around electro-mobility;
• What South Africans think about EVs, and why they’re warming to the concept;
• Where Volvo is positioned in the car market, and why some of its newer models, like the XC30, are aimed at a younger audience;
• Volvo’s expectations for the EX30 compact sports utility vehicle in the local market, and more details about the new model – including performance, battery range, integrated technology and pricing, which is expected to start at about R776 000;
• Volvo’s relationship with Google;
• The development of charging infrastructure in South Africa;
• What government could be doing to encourage greater EV adoption; and
• The future of the cars – what can we expect in the coming years?
Don’t miss a fascinating interview! ]]> Technology Thu, 29 Jun 2023 12:23:00 +0200 0 0 Volvo MD Greg Maruszewski: SA is ready for EVs 0 0 TechCentral full 25:35 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1325829 https://iono.fm/e/1325829 Hattingh joins Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) to discuss what he believes is required of leadership in a post-Covid world – hint: it’s not more of the same.
He discusses a range of issues in the interview, including:
• How the pandemic changed what’s required of business leaders;
• How companies can maintain their unique cultures in the era of remote working;
• What artificial intelligence means for the modern workplace;
• What works best – hybrid, remote or in-office only – and why;
• Why companies might not be measuring success correctly – it should go beyond regular reporting on financial metrics such as Heps and Ebitda;
• How firms can help employees find meaning and satisfaction in the workplace; and
• The emigration wave in South Africa and its impact on the country.
Don’t miss a great discussion! ]]> Technology Wed, 28 Jun 2023 15:13:00 +0200 0 0 Bryan Hattingh on what’s required of leaders in 2023 0 0 TechCentral full 1:03:12 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1324118 https://iono.fm/e/1324118 Now, in an interview with Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS), Ngcaba looks back at the past two decades, the formation of Convergence Partners, the investments the business has made and why, and its focus areas.
Ngcaba, who splits his time between Africa and Silicon Valley – where he has a home – unpacks the recent announcement that Convergence Partners Investments is rebranding as Solcon Capital and has appointed a new CEO, Pramod Venkatesh, and why its focus has been broadened beyond Africa to both developing and developed markets.
“Under this new brand, Solcon will focus on international deep tech investments in generative AI and large language models, synthetic data and big data, cybersecurity, and quantum computing across South Africa, India and Southeast Asia, leveraging scale through platform economics,” Solcon said in a statement last week.
Also in this TCS interview, Ngcaba talks about:
• What he has learnt from his time in Silicon Valley, and why it’s not easy to replicate the Valley model in other parts of the model. “It’s more a state of mind,” Ngcaba tells TechCentral.
• What he set out to achieve when he started Convergence Partners.
• The highlights of the investments the company has made over the years.
• What excites him the technology space today, and why.
The original Convergence Partners pitch presentation to investor Nedbank, which Ngcaba talks about in the opening minutes of the interview, is available to download on TechCentral's website.
Don’t miss a wide-ranging and fascinating discussion! ]]> Technology Fri, 23 Jun 2023 10:57:00 +0200 0 0 Andile Ngcaba on his go-global investment plans 0 0 TechCentral full 45:53 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1323618 https://iono.fm/e/1323618 Bayobab, which owns stakes in a number of subsea cable systems and other telecoms infrastructure, is the result of “change under way to position the business as a world-class, Africa-focused open-access digital infrastructure platform serving not just MTN but other third parties as customers”, MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita said in May.
“We are also going to bring in strategic partners into the business over time who will provide skills and capital to support and accelerate the growth of this business.”
In this episode of TCS, Schepens unpacks all the infrastructure that Bayobab owns, the huge investments it is making in subsea and terrestrial fibre in Africa, and where the company expects to direct its capital spending in the years ahead. ]]> Technology Thu, 22 Jun 2023 10:15:00 +0200 0 0 TCS | Bayobab CEO Frédéric Schepens on wiring up Africa 0 0 TechCentral full 36:29 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1320437 https://iono.fm/e/1320437 In this TechCentral Show (TCS) interview with Taukobong, the Telkom boss provides his views on the interest received from a consortium that includes former CEO Sipho Maseko and Mauritius-based Axian Telecom, as well as MTN Group signalling that it, too, may still be interested in a deal.
MTN walked away from early stage talks with Telkom last year after the latter’s board agreed to entertain a rival offer from wireless broadband provider Rain, which had sought a merger with Telkom. But this week, during Telkom’s annual results presentation to. Investors, MTN issued a statement in which it said a deal makes sense for shareholders of both entities.
In the interview, at the JSE in Sandton, Taukobong answered several pressing questions:
• Without corporate action, can Telkom survive and thrive in the longer term?
• How supportive is government towards a partial or full sale of Telkom?
• How will market consolidation likely happen and can South Africa’s mobile market sustain four infrastructure competitors in Telkom, Vodacom, MTN and Rain?
• Are the retrenchments at Telkom over, or is there still more pain to come?
• What’s the prognosis for capital expenditure at Telkom, and why did mobile spending outpace revenue growth?
• What’s hurting Telkom’s free cash flow (a negative R2.7-billion in the 2023 financial year), and what is management doing to address the problem?
• Does it still make sense for Telkom to own an IT services business?
• What are the plans to unlock shareholder value, especially in Gyro?
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Tue, 13 Jun 2023 16:09:00 +0200 0 0 Serame Taukobong on where to next for Telkom 0 0 TechCentral full 17:41 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1317866 https://iono.fm/e/1317866 Govender – who started his career as a forklift operator in a Durban warehouse and who today heads two important businesses in the Altron stable, Altron Systems Integration and Altron Karabina – joins Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) to discuss the topic.
The conversation starts with a discussion about Govender’s career in IT, which included 17 years at T-Systems, and how the Altron opportunity (now opportunities, after he took the reins at Systems Integration in addition to his role leading Karabina) came about.
He also unpacks his plans for Altron Systems Integration, where it is positioned in the market and the opportunity for acquisitions – and why systems integration has become a scale game.
The conversation then turns to leadership, and the role it plays in business and society. Govender talks about his own management style, and also shares his insights into why he believes South Africa’s biggest problems flow from a lack of decisive and accountable leadership. The fix can be applied to business and politics. But what will it take? Govender’s ideas deserve attention. ]]> Technology Tue, 06 Jun 2023 13:28:00 +0200 0 0 Altron’s Collin Govender on South Africa’s challenge of leadership 0 0 TechCentral full 47:23 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1316078 https://iono.fm/e/1316078 The entity, created in 1999, has been plagued for much of its existence by oftentimes poor leadership and well as widespread corruption – detailed in a 2017 TechCentral interview former CEO Setumo Mohapi.
Now, after several years without a CEO – the company had been placed into a form of administration by former communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams – Bongani Mabaso has taken the reins. Mabaso, previously a senior IT executive at Standard Bank Group, is promising to shake things up at Sita - by fixing what’s broken and focusing on service delivery to its government clients.
Mabaso, who has a PhD in machine ethics and computational morality from the University of Pretoria and a BSc in engineering from the University of Cape Town, tells Duncan McLeod in this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS) about his plan to turn around the troubled entity.
In the interview, Mabaso speaks about:
• The direction he intends to take Sita in and why;
• How artificial intelligence could be used in Sita’s procurement processes – and how it could help stamp out corruption in tenders;
• His strategic plan, and how he will measure its success;
• The IT skills shortage in the public sector and why it's at crisis levels;
• The announcement by communications minister Mondli Gungubele that Sita will build a R6-billion broadband network – much of this work is already, in fact, happening; and
• The impact of load shedding on public sector IT systems. ]]> Technology Wed, 31 May 2023 16:32:00 +0200 0 0 Bongani Mabaso's plan to fix the State IT Agency 0 0 TechCentral full 40:53 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1315425 https://iono.fm/e/1315425 The acquisition of Nokia’s handset business by Microsoft – desperate at the time for its Windows Phone operating system to be a meaningful third player in smartphone software and also desperate for Nokia not to embrace Google’s Android – went awry.
Eventually, Microsoft exited the phone business entirely, selling the phone business back to Nokia (whose main business is selling telecommunications gear to network operators), writing off billions of dollars in the process, and leaving the mobile OS market as a virtual duopoly controlled by Apple and Google.
But the Nokia phone brand never went away. After the Microsoft collapse, a team ex-Nokia executives founded HMD Global, a Chinese-Finnish phone maker, and licensed the Nokia brand name to continue building smartphones – this time running Android.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), Duncan McLeod is joined in TechCentral’s Johannesburg studio by Patrick Henchie, head of product and operations at HMD Global in sub-Saharan Africa, to unpack some of the history of the Nokia brand, how HMD got its start, the company’s market focus, and what’s coming next from the firm in both handsets and tablets.
In this TCS interview, Henchie talks about:
• His favourite legacy Nokia phone and why he loved it;
• HMD’s relationship with Google;
• Why the company does not compete directly with Apple and Samsung in top-tier flagship devices, preferring instead to cater to the mid-market and entry-level tiers;
• The Nokia phone line-up: the C series, G series and X series, and where they fit in HMD’s portfolio and in the market;
• What South Africans think of the Nokia brand today; and
• Why HMD still makes feature phones.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion about a storied brand. ]]> Technology Tue, 30 May 2023 10:34:00 +0200 0 0 Patrick Henchie on the past, present and future of Nokia phones 0 0 TechCentral full 27:07 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1313553 https://iono.fm/e/1313553 To discuss the project, and more, Duncan McLeod is joined on the TechCentral Show (TCS) by Ndia Magadagela, co-founder and CEO of South African EV-as-a-service (EVaaS) start-up Everlectric.
Everlectric, through Woolworths’ logistics partner DSV, is deploying electric panel vans to help the retailer reduce its carbon emissions.
The new vans have a 300km range from fully charged and feature “live advanced telematics” that helps improve the efficiency of the vehicles – from managing the top speed (they are governed to 120km/h) to the maximum power output.
In this episode of TCS, Magadagela talks about the Woolworths project, and why she believes the EVaaS model is suited to the local market. She also talks about:
• Her and her co-founders’ backgrounds, and how Everlectric got its start.
• The proofs of concept that the company has run.
• The logistics behind managing in an EV fleet in a country plagued by load shedding – and why it nevertheless still makes sense.
• Learnings from the Woolworths project and how it fits into the retailer’s objective to reach “net zero” carbon emissions by 2040.
• How the internet of things helps Everlectric manage its fleet.
• Everlectric’s scale-up plans over the next three to five years.
It’s a fascinating interview … don’t miss it! ]]> Technology Wed, 24 May 2023 10:29:00 +0200 0 0 Everlectric CEO Ndia Magadagela on Woolies' big EV push 0 0 TechCentral full 22:59 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1312638 https://iono.fm/e/1312638 Kapp, who previously led Dimension Data, talks about Altron’s financial results for the year ended 28 February 2023 and how, despite the rotten economy, it still managed to produce revenue growth of 19%.
In the interview, Kapp unpacks:
• His strategy for Altron – and why he’s focusing on the areas he is;
• Which parts of Altron have him particularly excited;
• Value-unlock opportunities for Netstar and other operating companies;
• The role played by Altron investor Value Capital Partners;
• The plans for Altron Document Solutions;
• The opportunities and challenges facing Altron Karabina, Altron Systems Integration and Altron Security;
• The impact of load shedding on Altron; and
• Why he’s still cautiously optimistic about South Africa’s future.
Don’t miss the interview! ]]> Technology Mon, 22 May 2023 10:18:00 +0200 0 0 Werner Kapp unpacks his strategy for Altron 0 0 TechCentral full 27:41 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1305844 https://iono.fm/e/1305844 The company, which was founded by four brothers, has built a strong niche in the audio market, led by Sonos, but also representing brands such as JVC, Kenwood, Cambridge Audio, Alpine, Pioneer, Onkyo and Savant.
Planetworld co-founder, director and CEO Maurice van Heerden – one of the four Van Heerden brothers – joins Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) to chat about the history of the company, including:
• The 2008 acquisition of Planet Electronics, which formed the basis on what became Planetworld.
• The 2017 acquisition of Audiotronic, which brought the Sonos, Polk Audio, Onkyo and Dali brands to the stable.
• What it’s like going into business with siblings – and why it worked so well for Planetworld.
• Why Sonos has changed the world of audio, and why Planetworld believes there is still a huge market opportunity for the brand in South Africa.
In the TCS interview, Van Heerden also chats about the state of the economy and the impact – or not – that this has had on high-end audio sales.
Lastly, he unveils details about Planetworld’s new initiative, Rockstar Studios.
Don’t miss a great discussion! ]]> Technology Tue, 02 May 2023 14:04:00 +0200 0 0 Amped: Maurice van Heerden on building Planetworld 0 0 TechCentral full 35:23 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1303985 https://iono.fm/e/1303985 MTN South Africa wholesale executive Quintus de Beer joins Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) to unpack in detail what this plan means for other network carriers and prospective MVNO players.
De Beer said MTN wants to be the “network of choice” for the wholesale market by 2025, even as rivals Vodacom and Telkom gear up to launch MVNO enablement platforms of their own -- in line with the requirements set out in last year’s broadband spectrum auction.
Already, both Telkom and Cell C both roam on MTN's infrastructure, with a number of MVNOs also launching on the operator’s network, including Pick n Pay’s PnP Mobile and Afrihost’s Air Mobile -- with more to be announced soon, according to De Beer.
In this episode of TCS, De Beer chats about:
* Why wholesale is so important to MTN
* MTN’s relationship with Cell C and Telkom
* The MVNOs on MTN’s network
* What’s involved in supporting MVNOs
* The market size for MVNOs
* Why it took so long for MVNOs to take off in South Africa
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion. ]]> Technology Tue, 25 Apr 2023 12:38:00 +0200 0 0 Quintus de Beer on MTN's plan to win at wholesale 0 0 TechCentral full 27:58 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1300998 https://iono.fm/e/1300998 Van Staden says his desktop computing choices are based on the fact that he's not particularly technical, and prefers the relative ease of use of both Windows and macOS.
Indeed, many of the non-technical staff at Obsidian run Windows PCs or Macs, while the company's developers tend to prefer either macOS or Linux.
That Linux hasn't succeeded in displacing Microsoft and Apple on the desktop, against the fervent wishes of many open-source software fans, doesn't worry Van Staden, who points out in this interview on the TechCentral Show (TCS) that Linux and open-source software have won everywhere else - on servers, in the data centre and on phones (Android).
In this episode of TCS, Van Staden chats about:
* How Obsidian got its start;
* The relevance of open-source software in the modern computing world;
* Why Linux has never become popular on the desktop and whether it will ever be anything more than a niche on PCs;
* Why Microsoft should no longer be seen as the enemy of the open-source community, and why the community should not distrust the company's motives in its embrace of Linux and other open-source software; and
* The role of open-source software in enterprise computing in South Africa.
Don't miss a great discussion! ]]> Technology Mon, 17 Apr 2023 11:46:00 +0200 0 0 Muggie van Staden: Linux fans should learn to trust Microsoft 0 0 TechCentral full 28:20 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1298216 https://iono.fm/e/1298216 Collett joined TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) on Thursday to unpack the new company’s plans.
Melon Mobile, which will be launched officially next Thursday, piggybacks off MTN South Africa’s network and offers a full range of connectivity solutions, including voice, data and text messages.
Customers can choose exactly how much data, voice or SMSes they want upfront using sliders, offering them the sort of granularity that’s not available from the big network operators. Collett, speaking on TCS, explained that Melon Mobile has worked to remove the inefficiencies associated with subscribing to mobile services.
In the interview, Collett, who previously headed the MTN-owned Internet service provider Supersonic, talks about:
• Why the MVNO market in South Africa is mushrooming;
• Why Melon Mobile chose MTN as its network partner;
• Melon Mobile’s prices, and the company’s pricing strategy;
• The company’s target market and the market opportunity; and
• What its next moves are after launch.
Don’t miss the interview – and if you enjoy it, please subscribe to TechCentral’s tech shows on YouTube, Spotify and elsewhere (see details below). ]]> Technology Thu, 06 Apr 2023 13:26:00 +0200 0 0 Calvin Collett on the launch of Melon Mobile, SA's latest MVNO 0 0 TechCentral full 33:43 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1297796 https://iono.fm/e/1297796 Speaking on the TechCentral Show (TCS), Bezuidenhout – who replaced former Absa boss Steve Booysen as CEO of MetroFibre in mid-2022 – said he is confident a solution to the challenge of delivering fibre affordably into these areas will be forthcoming.
MetroFibre and other FNOs are actively testing models for deploying fibre broadband into townships and even into informal settlements.
In this episode of TCS, Bezuidenhout speaks about:
* The state of the fibre broadband market in South Africa;
* The history of MetroFibre, including its investment rounds;
* Consolidation in the fibre infrastructure industry – and the role MetroFibre might play in that consolidation; and
* MetroFibre’s recent aggressive price cuts and line speed increases – why the company did it, and what it hopes to achieve.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Wed, 05 Apr 2023 13:47:00 +0200 0 0 MetroFibre CEO on the township broadband opportunity 0 0 TechCentral full 38:17 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1297383 https://iono.fm/e/1297383 The founder and CEO of Kalon Venture Partners joins Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) to chat about why the VC investment business has changed radically, especially since the world, led by the US Federal Reserve, started hiking interest rates last year to tame inflation.
Monetary tightening has meant the end of “easy money” and the need by start-ups to focus not on where their next funding round is coming from – it might not even happen in this environment, Butkow says – to managing cash flows and ensuring financial sustainability.
He provides advice to entrepreneurs as to what they should be doing differently to survive the current economic headwinds. For those wanting to start their own ventures, but who haven’t yet done so, he provides insight into the key issues they should be considering before setting out. Also, what are the biggest mistakes start-ups make? Butkow unpacks the key ones in this discussion.
Butkow, a former chief operating officer of Accenture South Africa, quit his day job 10 years ago to found Kalon Venture Partners, which has made several highly successful investments in South African tech start-ups over the years. Kalon’s new fund is now looking at investments elsewhere on the continent, too, seeking to take advantage of growth in the start-up ecosystems in countries such as Kenya and Nigeria.
In this episode of TCS, Butkow talks about the South African Revenue Service’s Section 12J incentive scheme, which drove investments in a large number of start-ups but which has now come to an end. He reflects on the impact that Section 12J had, and what else Sars – and government – could be doing to stimulate start-ups and small businesses.
Don’t miss a fascinating interview! ]]> Technology Tue, 04 Apr 2023 13:54:00 +0200 0 0 Kalon's Clive Butkow on the state of the VC nation 0 0 TechCentral full 36:47 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1296855 https://iono.fm/e/1296855 This was due to various reasons, including consumers not being at home at time of delivery, office premises being difficult for couriers to access and difficulties associated with couriers making deliveries in areas without proper addresses, including in townships.
So, the entrepreneurially minded pair quit their jobs at Groupon and started Pargo in 2015 in an effort to solve the last-mile logistics headaches facing e-commerce businesses in South Africa.
“We spent two years trying to figure out the real problems,” Veul says in this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS).
The result was a sharp focus on the click-and-collect model and establishing partnerships with thousands of retail stores, allowing consumers to send and receive orders — and return items — over the counter, with a human being providing assistance.
Pargo, which doesn’t operate its own fleet of vehicles – preferring to partner instead with courier companies – now has plans to expand into new markets. In this TCS interview, Veul unpacks what comes next for Pargo.
He also chats about whether the South African Post Office could ever reinvent itself as an e-commerce player, or whether the state-owned postal service is a lost cause.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Mon, 03 Apr 2023 14:32:00 +0200 0 0 Pargo CEO Lars Veul on the changing shape of e-commerce logistics 0 0 TechCentral full 27:55 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1296189 https://iono.fm/e/1296189 In this interview, conducted at the site of an MTN base station in Mofolo South in Soweto, the company's chief technology and information officer, Michele Gamberini, tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the attacks taking place on its high sites and how it's fighting back.
MTN disclosed that it will spend at least R1.5-billion this year at it moves to secure its network against both severe load shedding and vandalism.
Gamberini said MTN will use the R1.5-billion allocated to building resilience in its network - protecting its infrastructure from vandals and deploying thousands of additional batteries to ensure its sites remain operational during extended power outages.
Gamberini said that in the past year there have been more than 400 unique attacks on its tower infrastructure in the Eastern Cape alone. Some sites have been hit as many as 15 times, he said.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Gamberini unpacks the impact of the vandalism and power cuts on its ability to service its clients. He also talks about how the company is working with law enforcement in an effort to address the problem, which is affecting all industry players. ]]> Technology Fri, 31 Mar 2023 12:37:00 +0200 0 0 Michele Gamberini on the criminal assault on MTN's base stations 0 0 TechCentral full 6:03 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1288942 https://iono.fm/e/1288942 Despite this, there’s plenty happening in the PC space, including interesting experimentation with new form factors, including dual-screen laptops.
Lenovo, the world’s biggest PC maker, recently took the lid off its latest computing devices at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The company’s head of the Southern African region, Yugen Naidoo, joins the TechCentral Show (TCS) to talk about these new products, but also to unpack the state of the industry.
In this episode of TCS, Naidoo chats about:
• The impact of Covid on the industry, and why demand remains strong in the corporate segment, even as consumers take strain;
• The importance of innovation, even in a mature market;
• New form factors for PCs, and what’s coming next;
• Lenovo’s smartphone offerings, and whether we could see the company’s Motorola phones reintroduced into the South African market; and
• The launch of Lenovo’s ThinkPhone.
Don’t miss the discussion. ]]> Technology Fri, 10 Mar 2023 12:03:00 +0200 0 0 Yugen Naidoo on Lenovo and the future of the PC 0 0 TechCentral full 26:34 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1287087 https://iono.fm/e/1287087 Brine tells TechCentral’s Duncan McLeod about the security challenges in the fintech and financial services space, and what consumers and businesses need to know to protect themselves.
In this episode of TCS, Brine unpacks what exactly it is that companies like Mastercard do before detailing the work that Mastercard is doing to secure its platforms from attackers.
He also chats about the impact on consumer behaviour of the Covid-19 pandemic, and what consumers could be doing to better secure themselves when shopping online.
Brine touches on the history of payments technology from the early days of the credit card to modern tap-to-pay solutions.
Lastly, he unpacks what Mastercard is doing in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space, and looks at whether a blockchain-based approach to global settlements makes sense. ]]> Technology Mon, 06 Mar 2023 11:18:00 +0200 0 0 Mastercard’s Robert Brine on the fast changing world of payments 0 0 TechCentral full 35:22 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1282812 https://iono.fm/e/1282812 Now Toco CEO Paul Rowett joins the TechCentral Show (TCS) to chat about the project, which aims to fight climate change by “fixing the current economic model so it places a value on the environment”.
Read all the details about the launch of Toco and its digital currency on TechCentral, but in short, each unit of toco in circulation is represented by a carbon mitigation asset which is held and owned centrally by a Swiss-regulated entity called The Carbon Reserve.
The Carbon Reserve is an independent non-profit foundation responsible for toco issuance, purchases and custody of the carbon assets. It is mandated to maintain the convertibility of tocos to carbon assets and to grow the toco supply and expand the voluntary carbon market.
Founded by Rowett with Vumatel co-founders Niel Schoeman and Johan “Joe” Pretorius, Toco has also drawn early-stage investment from venture capitalist and former FNB CEO Michael Jordaan.
In this episode of TCS, Rowett unpacks the ideas behind Toco, how he partnered with Schoeman and Pretorius to launch the venture, and why they chose Stellenbosch to pilot the project.
The founders want to use the platform and currency to help save the planet. Rowett sets out in this TCS interview how exactly the company intends to do that. Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Tue, 21 Feb 2023 11:45:00 +0200 0 0 The inside story of toco, the Stellenbosch-born digital currency 0 0 TechCentral full 41:59 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1280133 https://iono.fm/e/1280133 Alex Thomson, Naked’s CEO and a co-founder of the company, joins Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) to unpack the investment, which includes funding from the International Finance Corporation and German development finance house DEG.
Described by Naked as “one of the largest-ever African insurtech funding rounds”, Thomson reveals in this episode of TCS what the company plans to use the money to do.
He also discusses why the insurance industry was ripe for disruption and how Naked uses artificial intelligence tools to reduce dramatically the need for call centre agents and to drive up efficiencies in the applications and claims processes.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Wed, 15 Feb 2023 12:22:00 +0200 0 0 How Naked got covered - Alex Thomson unpacks huge funding round 0 0 TechCentral full 20:48 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1279764 https://iono.fm/e/1279764 Convergence Partners, which is chaired by well-known South African technology investor and entrepreneur Andile Ngcaba, unpacks what the fund – which surpassed its initial targeted fundraising amount by 18% -- intends to use the money for.
The new fund is Convergence Partners’ largest to date and brings total funds under management to about $600-million.
In this episode of TCS, Doyle chats about Convergence Partners’ investment philosophy and unpacks some of the bigger investments made by the company since its founding in 2006.
He also provides details about the sort of investments the company is hoping to make through its new fund and why.
Lastly, Doyle talks about the state of venture capital and private equity funding in Africa, especially in an environment of high inflation and rapidly rising interest rates, and what that means for technology investment on the continent.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion! ]]> Technology Tue, 14 Feb 2023 14:59:00 +0200 0 0 Brandon Doyle on Convergence Partners’ big new infrastructure fund 0 0 TechCentral full 43:31 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1277868 https://iono.fm/e/1277868 Speaking on the TechCentral Show (TCS), Humphreys-Davies explains that although there are still some challenges in the networking space, the chip shortages that affected the PC industry have been resolved.
He unpacks how Pinnacle, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, weathered the storm, and how the current slump in PC sales is affecting the industry.
In this episode of TCS, Humphreys-Davies also chats about:
• The imminent delisting of Alviva Holdings and what that means for Pinnacle;
• Consolidation in the distribution market, including Alviva’s recent acquisition of Tarsus Technology Group, and what it means for the local industry;
• How Pinnacle and sister companies Axiz and Tarsus compete (and sometimes cooperate) with each other, and why it’s unlikely that the companies will be merged; and
• The big technology trends of 2023, including the emergence of generative artificial intelligence.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Thu, 09 Feb 2023 16:29:00 +0200 0 0 Pinnacle’s Tim Humphreys-Davies on the state of the IT nation 0 0 TechCentral full 29:05 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1275781 https://iono.fm/e/1275781 It might seem strange for a non-governmental organisation like AfriForum to want to involve itself in electricity generation, but the move makes perfect sense, argues Johan Kruger, its head of community independence. This is especially so as the state is failing to provide basic services like electricity, necessitating the involvement of private capital.
Kruger joined TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) – previously, TC|Daily – to discuss AfriForum’s plans. (Watch or listen to the interview below.)
In the show, Kruger unpacks how AfriForum wants to help homeowners and businesses extricate themselves from the Eskom mess by deploying their own power generation systems, including rooftop solar.
In the longer term, the organisation hopes to work with the private sector to reduce or entirely eliminate communities’ dependence on the state for electricity supply.
Kruger explains that the government’s inability to provide not only electricity reliably, but also water and other basic services, means that many of these will be offered in future by the private sector or by communities themselves working with private entities.
Rapport and City Press reported on 22 January that AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel was engaging with André Pienaar, a South African businessman and founder and CEO of C5 Capital – a venture capital firm that invests in companies focused on space, cybersecurity and nuclear energy – about deploying PBMRs in South Africa.
C5 Capital is an investor in X-Energy, a US company whose staff includes senior South African nuclear scientists. X-energy is taking forward some of the pioneering work into PBMRs that was done on South African soil before government withdrew its funding for the project in 2010.
In this episode of TCS, Kruger unpacks the South African origin of the PBMR technology and what an AfriForum-supported deployment of modular reactors into communities might look like.
Don’t miss this fascinating interview! ]]> Technology Fri, 03 Feb 2023 11:55:00 +0200 0 0 Inside AfriForum's plan to deploy modular nuclear reactors in SA 0 0 TechCentral full 38:44 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1263220 https://iono.fm/e/1263220 Godlonton tells McLeod about his career history, including the 10 years between 2009 and 2019 he spent in senior management at EOH Holdings.
Godlonton, who EOH CEO Stephen van Coller said at the time of his (Godlonton's) departure that he was in no way implicated in the malfeasance that took place at the company, shares his views on what went wrong.
In the interview, Godlonton also talks about:
* Why he returned to South Africa after a career abroad.
* Where the idea for +OneX came from and how it became part of the JSE-listed Reunert.
* +OneX's strategy, and where it's positioned in the market.
* The company's acquisitions, and why it's still on the hunt for deals (even big ones).
Don't miss the discussion!
TC|Daily shows will return in mid-January. TechCentral wishes its readers a pleasant Christmas and New Year break and all the best for 2023. ]]> Technology Wed, 14 Dec 2022 12:04:00 +0200 0 0 Rob Godlonton on his plans for +OneX - and what went wrong at EOH 0 0 TechCentral full 34:45 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1260802 https://iono.fm/e/1260802 The group, which owns assets in engineering, electronics, IT and defence, last month reported a 16% improvement in full-year revenue to 30 September 2022 and a 17% improvement in operating profit – not bad for a company operating in an economy that’s going nowhere slowly.
Reunert CEO Alan Dickson joins TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod in the TC|Daily studio to chat about the group, its origins – it was founded by two immigrants, Theodore Reunert and Otto Lenz – and its storied history. Only two years older than the City of Johannesburg, Reunert was created to serve the needs of the early mining companies on the Reef.
But it has transformed itself many times over in the past 134 years, and it is this innate cultural ability to adapt to change, Dickson says, that has given Reunert its longevity.
The business, which had always had a purely industrial focus, later branched into new business areas, including office automation and telecommunications through brands such as Nashua, Nashua Mobile and, more recently, ECN and SkyWire.
In addition to chatting about Reunert’s history, Dickson also unpacks the group’s strategy under his leadership; why the business is outperforming the rest of the economy; and why he’s bullish about renewable energy and “new-age” IT systems integration.
Lastly, he talks about Reunert’s acquisition strategy, and why the group, which has always had an acquisitive streak, is on the hunt for deals.
Don’t miss a great discussion! – © 2022 NewsCentral Media ]]> Technology Wed, 07 Dec 2022 16:32:00 +0200 0 0 Alan Dickson on why Reunert is thriving 0 0 TechCentral full 45:07 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1257200 https://iono.fm/e/1257200 Next year, the Korean consumer electronics giant will launch its new range of ultra-high-premium micro-LED televisions in South Africa – and the top-end model, which measures a staggering 126 inches, will set you back a cool three bar. If that’s too much moolah, a 76-inch model is all yours for “just” R1.5-million.
In this episode of TC|Daily, Samsung vice president for mobile in South Africa Justin Hume and his colleague, Mike van Lier, consumer electronics director, join Duncan McLeod in-studio to chat not only about TVs aimed at wealthiest of the wealthy, but also about the more mass market-friendly products that the Korean electronics giant is bringing to the local market soon.
Hume kicks off the discussion with his views on the local smartphone market, what is driving consumer behaviour, why he thinks upgrade cycles are going to quicken, and why Samsung is all-in on folding phones.
Are foldables really the future of smartphones? Will folding phones ever reach down into the mass market? What are the trends in the middle tier and the low end of the market? And is government right to want to switch off 2G and 3G networks in South Africa? Hume answers all these questions, and more.
Van Lier then takes TC|Daily viewers and listeners through the company’s latest TVs – including those micro-LED monsters – and why he thinks 8K is going to be come the new standard in display technology in the home, displacing 4K by the end of this decade.
Van Lier also talks about the imminent launch of Samsung’s OLED sets in South Africa, and how these differ from its QLED technology. Other topics of discussion include a discussion about the interconnected home and the work Samsung is doing to connect your appliances and your smartphone to create an intelligent ecosystem.
Don’t miss the discussion. ]]> Technology Mon, 28 Nov 2022 14:43:00 +0200 0 0 A R3-million TV, and everything else coming from Samsung 0 0 TechCentral full 47:04 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1255589 https://iono.fm/e/1255589 The township is the site of two fibre deployments, one being led by Vumatel and the other by Isizwe.
Both companies are experimenting with driving down the price of uncapped high-speed fibre to previously unheard-of levels – as low as R5/day in the case of Isizwe.
In this episode of TC|Daily, Isizwe CEO Steve Briggs – a well-known figure in South Africa’s ICT industry, and most recently a senior executive at Seacom – chats to TechCentral’s Duncan McLeod about the company’s Kayamandi deployment.
Briggs unpacks the lessons Isizwe has learnt so far, what uptake has been like in the township, how the technology works and what the business case is for delivering ultra-cheap uncapped Internet into traditionally underserviced areas.
He also explains the mechanics of the service and how it works, including Isizwe’s relationship with PayGoZo and VulaCoin, as well as what happens next if the Kayamandi project is successful – and early indications are that it will be – and why it could even prove transformative for South Africa and other emerging markets.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Thu, 24 Nov 2022 16:32:00 +0200 0 0 Uncapped fibre for R5/day - Isizwe's big gambit 0 0 TechCentral full 28:57 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1253608 https://iono.fm/e/1253608 At the same time, the share price – R3.10 at the time of publication – has fallen to levels last seen in early 2020, soon after the start of the Covid-19 hard lockdown sent equity markets crashing.
Is it all bad news at EOH, or is the market overreacting?
Stephen van Coller, EOH’s group CEO, joins TechCentral’s Duncan McLeod in the TC|Daily studio to unpack the debt problem EOH faces: how bad is it, how much is it spending to service this debt, and what happens if the rights issue is not a success?
Van Coller, who joined EOH from MTN Group, says getting the capital structure right will put the IT services group on a sustainable footing for profitable growth. Could that mean a rerating of the share price, too?
In this episode of TC|Daily, Van Coller unpacks:
• The timelines for the rights issue, what shareholders are being asked to do.
• Whether EOH will need to sell more businesses, and investor concern that if it does it’ll be cutting into muscle rather than fat.
• Whether the entire EOH business could be put for sale.
• The profit margins that EOH can reasonably expect in the longer term.
The conversation then turns to the legacy corruption issues at EOH. Here Van Coller tackles several thorny issues, including:
• The civil suits against former directors, including ex-CEO and co-founder Asher Bohbot, how these suits are progressing, and their chances of success.
• Whether we are likely to see criminal prosecutions against former EOH executives anytime soon.
• The recent settlement with the Special Investigating Unit over corrupt dealings at the department of water & sanitation, and whether there are any other legacy issues that could cost EOH money.
• EOH’s relationship (or lack thereof) with Microsoft.
Lastly, Van Coller talks about his time at EOH – and why he would not have taken the job if he’d known he’d be spending his time cleaning up a nest of corruption. He also tells TC|Daily what he may do next when he eventually moves on from the company.
Don’t miss the interview! ]]> Technology Sat, 19 Nov 2022 18:26:00 +0200 0 0 Stephen van Coller on what's really happening at EOH 0 0 TechCentral full 39:50 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1253426 https://iono.fm/e/1253426 The platform, available on the Web or via smartphone apps, allows residents to log issues that need attention, from potholes to broken streetlights.
It also allows people to connect with a range of on-demand "gig economy" services, including ad hoc home cleaning or gardening services, with more coming. My Smart City recently won the “best enterprise solution” category at the MTN Business App of the Year Awards.
Zoio told TechCentral’s Duncan McLeod in this episode of TC|Daily where the idea for My Smart City came from, how the company is working with municipalities to integrate the platform to help resolve service delivery issues faster, and how it makes money -- municipalities don't pay a cent for access.
Don’t miss the discussion. ]]> Technology Fri, 18 Nov 2022 15:28:00 +0200 0 0 This South African app wants to help fix your city 0 0 TechCentral full 24:41 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1253245 https://iono.fm/e/1253245 In this episode of TC|Daily, Jon Ovadia, CEO of South Africa crypto exchange OVEX, joins TechCentral’s Duncan McLeod from Dubai to talk about FTX’s bankruptcy and what it means for South African crypto players and for the ecosystem more broadly.
FTX, which is a shareholder in OVEX, was forced to file for bankruptcy protection after founder Sam Bankman-Fried was unable to secure emergency funding to keep the business afloat after customers took fright and began withdrawing billions of dollars from the exchange.
John Ray III, an insolvency expert who oversaw Enron’s liquidation, has been appointed to oversee the FTX bankruptcy. He has described its collapse as the worst case of corporate failure in the more than 40 years he’s been in the insolvency business, and has compared it to the failure of Enron, the Financial Times reported.
In this episode of TC|Daily, Ovadia unpacks:
• The impact of the FTX collapse on OVEX clients, if any.
• OVEX’s decision to revoke FTX’s authority to market its offshore crypto derivatives products in South Africa and what that means.
• What went wrong at FTX, why it caught the crypto industry by surprise, and whether fraud or other criminality was likely involved.
• The damage to crypto as an investment class as a result – will this incident scare away investors from the crypto space for good?
• Whether investors should leave their money in crypto exchanges – is it safe?
• Whether better regulation would have prevented the FTX disaster – and are South African regulators doing enough to regulate the crypto space?
Ovadia also provides an update on OVEX and its international expansion plans.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Fri, 18 Nov 2022 10:46:00 +0200 0 0 Unpacking the FTX disaster, with OVEX’s Jon Ovadia 0 0 TechCentral full 27:40 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1252206 https://iono.fm/e/1252206 Nyati joins Duncan McLeod on TechCentral's TC|Daily technology show to chat about the announcement this week that he has acquired a 40% stake in technology and business consultancy BSG (Business Systems Group) and how the deal came about.
Nyati, who will serve as BSG's executive chairman, explains why he felt BSG was a good fit for him, and why he believes it will afford him an opportunity to build on his legacy.
The conversation touches on a wide range of topics, including why Nyati joined the Eskom board -- an unexpected appointment, he says -- and decided to join the Nedbank and Telkom boards, too.
He also provides his views on the outlook for South Africa, and explains why he believes that the country has a bright future -- provided it gets the right leadership in the right places. ]]> Technology Wed, 16 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0200 0 0 Mteto Nyati on investing, IT and South Africa's future 0 0 TechCentral full 33:00 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1251346 https://iono.fm/e/1251346 In a new book, he's now shared the story of how Africa went from having fewer telephone lines than Manhattan in 1986 to having telecommunications serve as a platform for sweeping changes in the way Africans communicate, connect, entertain themselves and engage in commerce.
Southwood's "Africa 2.0 - Inside a Continent's Communications Revolution" tells the story of what sparked the telecommunications boom in Africa and the people and companies who led it from the front.
Southwood joins Duncan McLeod in the TechCentral studio to talk to TC|Daily about the book.
In the discussion, he relates some of his most memorable experiences of covering ICT in Africa.
Other topics covered include:
* The importance of prepaid in igniting the communications boom in Africa;
* The genesis and rise of mobile money;
* Why the sector only boomed when governments got out of the way; and
* How corruption has impacted - and continues to affect - the sector.
As investments in undersea cables, cloud data centres and fibre networks accelerates, Southwood gives his views what the next chapter might look like for ICT in Africa.
Don't miss this great discussion! ]]> Technology Mon, 14 Nov 2022 13:35:00 +0200 0 0 Russell Southwood on the African telecoms revolution 0 0 TechCentral full 32:34 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1249604 https://iono.fm/e/1249604 The alternative energy start-up is helping South African homeowners go solar, overcoming (or at least reducing the impact of) load shedding in the process, using financing models that don’t result in prohibitive upfront capital costs.
Wetility – pronounced we-tility – is one of several South African start-ups in this space, including GoSolar and Vivica Group-owned Stage Zero – that help homeowners go partially (or even fully) off-grid while using clever financing models to amortise the cost of the installation over time.
In this episode of TC|Daily, Maposa tells TechCentral’s Duncan McLeod about Wetility’s approach to financing, and why the company offers homeowners a range of options, including the ability to pay in full, or to use a subscription model, where they are charged monthly for the energy they use from the sun.
Maposa tells McLeod why he started the business, his background as a management consultant with Deloitte and with Cummins, and how Wetility came to be backed by pay-television group MultiChoice.
The company, which in the next few weeks is expected to unveil a series-A funding round to help it scale rapidly, talks about why Wetility decided to focus on the residential rather than the business market, how its offerings differ from other players in the market, and what consumers should know about going solar. ]]> Technology Wed, 09 Nov 2022 10:48:00 +0200 0 0 This start-up wants to save you from Eskom 0 0 TechCentral full 34:30 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1248613 https://iono.fm/e/1248613 A former journalist whose storied career has included serving as adviser to Mandla Langa, the former chairman of communications regulator Icasa, Markovitz has just completed five eventful years as a member of the SABC board.
He joins Duncan McLeod in the TC|Daily studio to talk about his experiences at the public broadcaster and why, despite its “capture” under former President Jacob Zuma and the abuse it endured under its former chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng, he still believes there is a strong case to be made for public broadcasting in South Africa.
The question, Markovitz says, is who will pay for public broadcasting in an environment where few South Africans are prepared to pay their television licence fees.
What funding models are appropriate, and why? Should a household television levy be applied? Markovitz unpacks this thorny issue in this episode of TC|Daily.
He also chats about:
• His new role as head of the Gordon Institute of Business Science’s new Media Leadership Think-Tank, and what he hopes it will achieve;
• The mess the recently departed board of the SABC inherited from the Motsoeneng era and what it took to clean it up;
• Whether the SABC can avoid a repeat of that disaster, and policy changes might be needed to protect the corporation from abuse by the executive arm of government;
• Why the delay in appointing a new SABC board is highly problematic;
• The case for public broadcasting in South Africa and appropriate funding models;
• Planned changes to broadcasting legislation;
• South Africa’s digital migration disaster and what went wrong; and
• The era of streaming and media fragmentation, and what this means for public broadcasting.
Don’t miss this great discussion! ]]> Technology Mon, 07 Nov 2022 10:17:00 +0200 0 0 Michael Markovitz: ‘My five years on the SABC board’ 0 0 TechCentral full 49:59 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1247065 https://iono.fm/e/1247065 But what’s happened with the various TVWS initiatives in South Africa?
Keith Pitout, a leading local expert on the subject and chief technology officer of Indigo Broadband, joins TechCentral’s Duncan McLeod in the TC|Daily studio to unpack the latest developments – and to explain why he believes TVWS has a bright future ahead of it, despite some early hiccups.
In this episode of TC|Daily, Pitout covers:
• What TVWS is and how it works;
• Why it’s so affordable to deploy and who will benefit from its roll-out in South Africa;
• The trial TVWS projects that took place in South Africa;
• The CSIR’s involvement, and why it’s been key;
• The regulations developed by communications regulator Icasa;
• The commercial TVWS projects now being rolled out in South Africa; and
• What comes next for TVWS, both from a business and technology perspective.
Don’t miss a great discussion about an important technology for bridging the digital divide in South Africa. ]]> Technology Wed, 02 Nov 2022 10:16:00 +0200 0 0 TV white spaces - the current state of play, with Keith Pitout 0 0 TechCentral full 33:37 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1246053 https://iono.fm/e/1246053 The company, South Africa's largest provider of fibre-to-the-home broadband infrastructure, has an audacious plan to deploy fibre not only to townships - a project that is already well under way - but also to informal settlements.
It doesn't intend doing this via wireless for the "last mile". It wants to deploy a fixed-fibre connection into every house and into every dwelling, even if the household's total income is less than R5 000/month.
It wants to drive down the price of uncapped broadband to less than R100/month, and in so doing make uncapped Internet access available to almost everybody in South Africa who wants it.
Pie in the sky? No, says Dietlof Mare, CEO of Vumatel and Maziv, in this wide-ranging interview with TechCentral's TC|Daily. The team is working hard to perfect the model and is confident it will be able to do it - and profitably, too.
In this episode, Mare talks about the success of the Vuma Reach prepaid fibre roll-out in Mitchells Plain in Cape Town, and how Vuma is replicating that model across the country, including in sprawling townships like Soweto, Vosloorus and Soshanguve in Gauteng.
He also unpacks Vuma Key, Vumatel's plan - now in pilot phase - to bring uncapped fibre Internet to places like Alexandra in Johannesburg and Khayelitsha in Cape Town.
Also in the interview, Mare talks about:
* The creation of Maziv, the new holding company of Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa, and why it was formed;
* The latest on the Vodacom acquisition of a significant minority stake in Maziv and what the operator brings to the table;
* Consolidation in the fibre network operator market in South Africa, and why the big mobile operators are going to play a leading role in this; and
* The importance of open access.
Don't miss this fascinating interview. ]]> Technology Mon, 31 Oct 2022 11:55:00 +0200 0 0 Vumatel's audacious plan to take fibre to everyone 0 0 TechCentral full 33:49 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1244474 https://iono.fm/e/1244474 He joins TechCentral's Duncan McLeod in the TC|Daily studio for a wide-ranging -- and fascinating -- discussion on some of the latest technologies Netstar is exploring that take the company's offerings well beyond the traditional tracking and recovery of vehicles it's traditionally known for.
Well known in developer circles -- he maintains a keen interest in software development as well as in education and skills development from his Microsoft days -- De Wit chats about how Netstar is taking the vast amount of information the company collects daily, and refining it into something forward-looking, useful and actionable.
He also takes us into the world of astrophotography, and much more besides.
Don't miss the discussion -- and do subscribe to TC|Daily if you haven't already done so (details below). The full-resolution Milky Way image taken by De Wit that he speaks about in the interview can be found here. ]]> Technology Wed, 26 Oct 2022 12:03:00 +0200 0 0 Netstar CTO Cliff de Wit on IoT, AI and astrophotography 0 0 TechCentral full 46:48 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1242954 https://iono.fm/e/1242954 Dubovsky joins Duncan McLeod in the TC|Daily studio to chat about what has been involved in getting Showmax ready for the World Cup, and what the plans are for bringing other content to the platform in 4K once the global football event has concluded.
An Australian national who has previously worked for telecommunications operator Telstra chats about how he ended up working in a senior role for an Africa-focused video entertainment company. He also unpacks what’s involved in running a streaming video service like Showmax.
Also in this episode of TC|Daily, Dubovsky discusses:
• The tighter integration of Showmax into MultiChoice
• What drove the recent price cuts for Showmax Pro
• Fragmentation of the video entertainment industry and what comes next
• The long-term future of streaming vs satellite and cable
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Sun, 23 Oct 2022 17:22:00 +0200 0 0 What's next for Showmax, with MultiChoice's Barry Dubovsky 0 0 TechCentral full 24:09 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1240878?v=1 https://iono.fm/e/1240878?v=1 MultiChoice South Africa CEO Nyiko Shiburi joins TechCentral’s Duncan McLeod in the TC|Daily studio to chat about all the announcements the broadcaster made at its recent DStv Showcase event, and what we can expect from the company in the months ahead.
In the discussion, Shiburi talks about:
• His background in MultiChoice Group, and how he worked his way up through technical and engineering roles into management, eventually becoming CEO of the key South African operation.
• What's been involved in getting MultiChoice ready for the World Cup and 4K broadcasts, including studio upgrades. This includes a look at the modern compression technologies used to minimise bandwidth utilisation as much as possible while still ensuring a good-quality image.
• What we can expect next from DStv in terms of 4K content, following the conclusion of the World Cup in December.
• How important it is for MultiChoice to be seen as a technological leader.
• DStv Glass, the relationship between MultiChoice and the UK’s Sky, and what we should expect from the product offering when it is launched next year.
• The strategic thinking behind the “coopetition” with Netflix, Disney and Amazon, which are available as apps on DStv platforms, including the Explora Ultra personal video recorder.
• Streaming vs traditional satellite and what’s involved in managing that transition from a technology and cost perspective.
• Why MultiChoice became an Internet service provider.
Don’t miss the discussion! ]]> Technology Wed, 19 Oct 2022 13:35:00 +0200 0 0 MultiChoice CEO on 4K, DStv Glass and the future of pay TV 0 0 TechCentral full 41:51 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1239807 https://iono.fm/e/1239807 The app’s founder, Gour Lentell, joins Duncan McLeod on TechCentral's technology show, TC|Daily, to talk about how the development of the app is progressing.
Lentell talks about the history of MoyaApp, how it’s able to offer “data-free” messaging to people who don’t have data or airtime, and why he believes this is a winning proposition in a country where Meta Platforms-owned WhatsApp has become entrenched.
In this episode of TC|Daily, Lentell unpacks:
• MoyaApp’s business model
• Its growth projections
• His background and how he came to create MoyaApp
• Why MoyaApp is succeeding in South Africa when China’s WeChat failed
• The evolution of instant messaging in South Africa, from Mxit to BBM to WhatsApp
• Super apps and their role in the ecosystem – including a discussion on Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter
• MoyaApp’s monetisation model
• MoyaPay, fintech and a cashless economy
Don’t miss this insightful discussion about a homegrown app taking on global giants. ]]> Technology Mon, 17 Oct 2022 10:56:00 +0200 0 0 How MoyaApp is taking on WhatsApp, and winning 0 0 TechCentral full 57:37 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1237863 https://iono.fm/e/1237863 Group CEO Pierre Spies and Craig Brusden, CEO of technology distributor Axiz (Alviva’s largest subsidiary), join Duncan McLeod in the TC|Daily studio to unpack just how the group managed to turn in such stellar results amid a weak local economy and a constrained global supply chain.
Spies and Brunsden unpack:
• The impact of Alviva’s acquisition of Tarsus Technology Group.
• How Alviva’s three main distribution businesses, Axiz, Pinnacle and Tarsus, differ from each other – and why they are allowed to compete, within bounds.
• How the distribution business in South Africa is changing and what that means for the business model.
• The impact of the semiconductor supply crisis, which is now easing.
• How Amazon.com’s launch of an online retail marketplace in South Africa next year will change the IT distribution game.
• The talks to buy out Alviva and take it private – and why Spies believes there is no value in being listed.
Don’t miss the discussion. ]]> Technology Tue, 11 Oct 2022 16:21:00 +0200 0 0 Alviva Holdings: champagne results, a planned delisting and 'Pierre pressure' 0 0 TechCentral full 33:10 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1237057 https://iono.fm/e/1237057 In this episode of TC|Daily, De Wet, who is one of South Africa’s leading experts in satellite communications technology, tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the huge changes happening in the satellite space and what they mean for consumers and for industry.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest episodes of TC|Daily
In the interview, De Wet talks about:
* The origins of Q-KON;
* Why satellite is going through something of a renaissance, despite the proliferation of terrestrial and subsea fibre infrastructure;
* GEO (geostationary orbit) vs MEO (medium-earth orbit) vs LEO (low-earth orbit) satellites – what are they, and what are the latest developments in each?;
* How satellite technology has advanced in leaps and bounds in recent years;
* Why it might not be the mobile operators that drive a consumer revolution in satellite adoption, but why a revolution is coming anyway;
* Starlink, OneWeb, Lightspeed, O3b mPower, AST SpaceMobile and other projects – and is there overinvestment taking place?;
* How Africa’s needs are different to the rest of the world’s; and
* Q-KON’s role in all of this.
This is a fascinating discussion about an often overlooked area of the technology industry – don’t miss it. ]]> Technology Mon, 10 Oct 2022 10:07:00 +0200 0 0 Q-KON’s Dawie de Wet on big changes sweeping the satellite industry 0 0 TechCentral full 44:21 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1236075?v=1 https://iono.fm/e/1236075?v=1 Craigie Stevenson tells TechCentral's Duncan McLeod in this episode of TC|Daily that it's been a stressful few years for the company's management team, but that the long-delayed but recently concluded recapitalisation of the mobile operator's balance sheet has finally put it on a much more sustainable footing.
It could all have gone pear-shaped, but Cell C's stakeholders, including its bondholders and its shareholders, have stuck with the business, believing, he says, that, despite its troubles, there is real underlying value that was worth saving.
Unlike the previous recap, which did little to solve Cell C's balance sheet woes, Craigie Stevenson explains in the interview that a new strategy and operating model - one in which the company doesn't try to compete with bigger rivals MTN and Vodacom in capital spending - means that it isn't going to repeat the mistakes of the past.
That doesn't mean, though, that there isn't still hard work ahead for Craigie Stevenson, his leadership team and Cell C employees, but at least the operator is no longer facing the prospect of going bust.
In this episode of TC|Daily, Craigie Stevenson discusses:
* Cell C's balance sheet after the recap and what it will look like three years from now and why.
* Why Cell C was worth saving.
* How Cell C works with Blue Label, its largest shareholder.
* How Cell C's strategy differs from its rivals, and what that means for consumers.
* The progress in shutting down the company's radio access network and what's involved in the project.
* Who Cell C wants as a customer, and why consumers should choose Cell C over its rivals.
* The importance of mobile virtual network operators to its business.
* The importance of having the right company culture.
* Whether MTN's proposed acquisition of Telkom should be allowed to proceed.
It's a fascinating discussion - don't miss it! ]]> Technology Thu, 06 Oct 2022 14:22:00 +0200 0 0 Saving Cell C: an interview with Douglas Craigie Stevenson 0 0 TechCentral full 47:28 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1235442 https://iono.fm/e/1235442 The industry is also facing significant changes, with the shift to cloud changing the business propositions of traditional systems integrators - BCX among them.
CEO Jonas Bogoshi joins Duncan McLeod in the TC|Daily studio for a wide-ranging discussion on the changes sweeping the industry. He talks about everything from the state of the South African IT services sector to BCX's recently announced strategic partnership with Alibaba Cloud.
In the interview, Bogoshi unpacks:
* His career background, and his love of mathematics;
* The state of South Africa’s IT industry;
* How is BCX itself doing;
* BCX’s cloud strategy;
* The relevance of traditional systems integration businesses like BCX in the cloud era;
* The Alibaba Cloud partnership and why it's a big deal for BCX;
* Corruption in the IT industry - and how to deal with it; and
* What government could be doing better, policy wise, to encourage growth in South Africa's technology industry.
Don't miss the interview! ]]> Technology Wed, 05 Oct 2022 09:18:00 +0200 0 0 Jonas Bogoshi on what's next for BCX - and IT in South Africa 0 0 TechCentral full 45:27 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1234520 https://iono.fm/e/1234520 Founded in 2008 by now GridCars CEO Winstone Jordaan (himself a recent guest on TC|Daily), the 2022 edition of the Sasol Solar Challenge has just concluded. In this episode of TC|Daily, Walker, who bought the event from Jordaan in 2019, talks about the origins of the race and the highlights of the 2022 edition.
Walker explains that the “race”, which covers more than 2 000km, is as much about inspiring the youth into the science and engineering fields, with talks at schools along the route, as it is about the teams showing off their design, manufacturing and strategy skills.
The ultimate winner is the team that manages to clock the most kilometres travelled. The cars’ solar panels are at the “cutting edge of energy technology and stretch over the entire surface of the unique, knee-high cars”.
“The driver sits in an aerodynamic cockpit. Every piece of electronics, carbon fibre, aluminium and steel is as customised as the parts on a Formula 1 racer,” the Sasol Solar Challenge website explains.
“The event runs on public roads, sharing space with trucks and regular traffic, and passes through multiple small towns, to the fascination and excitement of local communities who come out in their thousands to witness science and technology in action.” ]]> Technology Mon, 03 Oct 2022 11:16:00 +0200 0 0 Behind the Sasol Solar Challenge, with owner Rob Walker 0 0 TechCentral full 24:03 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1232532 https://iono.fm/e/1232532 In this episode of TC|Daily, TechCentral’s new technology show, the retail group’s head of e-commerce, Sylvester John, joins Duncan McLeod in-studio to unpack its plans.
John, who was a key figure behind the development of e-commerce platforms at Walmart, believes the online shopping market in South Africa is poised for lift-off – from less than 4% of total retail sales today, he expects the figure to jump to about 12% by the end of the decade.
In the interview, John talks about:
• How the Covid-19 pandemic changed the e-commerce game globally and in South Africa.
• His predictions for the growth of e-commerce in South Africa.
• How South Africa compares to other markets, including other developing countries, when it comes to e-commerce.
• How Massmart is using its retail brands such as Makro, Builders and Game to go to market while building a supportive backend infrastructure.
• Why the group is firmly focused on developing for mobile first.
• The acquisitions of WumDrop and OneCart and what they bring to Massmart.
• The relevance of Black Friday – and what Massmart has planned for the 2022 event.
• The impending launch of Amazon.com retail operations in South Africa and why Massmart is ready for the competition.
• The importance of B2B in e-commerce in South Africa.
Don’t miss this fascinating discussion with a key player in e-commerce in South Africa.
Did you enjoy this content? Please subscribe to our channel. ]]> Technology Wed, 28 Sep 2022 09:47:00 +0200 0 0 Massmart’s big e-commerce play – the inside story 0 0 TechCentral full 44:38 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1231400 https://iono.fm/e/1231400 Dingle, who co-founded the rand-pegged stablecoin ZARP with Kenny Inggs, chats about some of the latest development in the world of cryptocurrencies.
In this episode of TC|Daily, he unpacks:
* The thinking behind ZARP
* What it takes to run a stablecoin
* Stablecoin regulation
* Ethereum's big "Merge" - how important was it?
* Is crypto bad for the planet?
* What to watch for next in crypto
* And more...
Don't miss the discussion. ]]> Technology Mon, 26 Sep 2022 10:11:00 +0200 0 0 Simon Dingle on the ZARP rand stablecoin, the Merge and more 0 0 TechCentral full 56:43 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1229800 https://iono.fm/e/1229800 Jordaan joined TC|Daily, TechCentral new technology show, for a discussion about the roll-out EV charging infrastructure in South Africa.
In the show, Jordaan talks about the genesis of GridCars and why he thinks the EV revolution is about to get going in South Africa, despite the country’s electricity supply challenges.
If you’re at all interested in EVs, or indeed the future of motoring in South Africa, don’t miss this fascinating interview. ]]> Technology Wed, 21 Sep 2022 12:44:00 +0200 0 0 GridCars, and the race to build South Africa’s EV charging network 0 0 TechCentral full 40:44 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1228587 https://iono.fm/e/1228587 BankservAfrica has been working behind the scenes for years on a major system overhaul that, when it goes live, will dramatically shake up the financial services sector in South Africa, ushering in a new era of fintech-led innovation.
Through a project called the Rapid Payments Programme (RPP) – which will be launched commercially under the name PayShap – South Africans will be able to transfer money instantly from their phones, even, once developed, from instant messaging apps like WhatsApp.
The new platform will usher in a dramatic modernisation of the payments system, with cloud services, open application programming interfaces and a flexible microservices architecture forming the foundation for further development by industry players.
Indeed, the launch PayShap early in 2023 promises to herald a new era of rapid digital payments in South Africa that BankservAfrica believes could begin to displace cash from the economy – astonishingly, despite the country’s sophisticated banking sector, almost nine in 10 transactions are still cash based.
In this episode of TC|Daily, BankservAfrica CEO Jan Pilbauer joins TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod in-studio to talk about the RPP, the launch of PayShap, what it means for innovation in banking and fintech in South Africa, and how companies, including fintech start-ups and social media companies, can use it to develop cutting-edge solutions.
BankservAfrica is a non-profit company established 50 years ago that serves as a financial clearing house for the financial sector. It is a vital cog in South Africa’s economy and is owned by the big banks – Absa, Nedbank, Standard Bank and FirstRand each hold about 23.1% of its equity, while the remaining 7.5% is held by an entity called Dandyshelf, whose shareholders include Capitec, Investec, Bidvest and Sasfin. ]]> Technology Mon, 19 Sep 2022 10:50:00 +0200 0 0 PayShap: The fintech revolution coming to SA’s payments system 0 0 TechCentral full 38:27 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1227715 https://iono.fm/e/1227715 In this interview on TechCentral’s new technology show, TC|Daily, Higgins joins Duncan McLeod in the studio to talk about his latest venture, called Bob Group, which is an amalgamation of two businesses he either founded or c-founded, Bidorbuy and uAfrica.
Higgins, who started Bidorbuy in 1999 at the height of the dot-com bubble, has many interesting stories to tell – about venture capital excesses, global expansion and the inevitable pain that followed the dot-com collapse – and he shares some of these tales in this show.
Now Higgins and his team are launching a new venture, which he hopes will make it easier for small and medium businesses to sell their products online in South Africa. It’s going to put Bob Group on a collision course with well-funded rivals like Takealot – and possibly Amazon from next year – but Higgins says he’s ready for it.
Bob Group will offer a full suite of e-commerce services to South African businesses, including an online marketplace, inventory management, order fulfilment, a shipping tool, online payments and courier software as a service. It “offers everything e-commerce to all South African consumers and companies operating online, whether they are looking to sell, buy – or both”.
“The merger means that merchants will now be offered a complete set of e-commerce services, including payments, logistics and a marketplace,” Higgins said earlier this week about the launch of Bob Group.
In this episode of TC|Daily, he unpacks more details about Bob Group, and gives his views on what the (still not officially confirmed) launch of Amazon in South Africa early next year will mean for the local e-commerce landscape.
Don’t miss this fascinating discussion. ]]> Technology Thu, 15 Sep 2022 18:46:00 +0200 0 0 Andy Higgins and the amazing story behind Bob Group 0 0 TechCentral full 28:56 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1226721 https://iono.fm/e/1226721 That’s just four years from now (plus a few months), yet Raine believes the South African luxury vehicle-buying market is ready for this massive shift. And he’s betting big on it, with Mercedes announcing four new EVs coming to local showrooms that it hopes will, umm, electrify fans of the badge.
Speaking on TC|Daily, TechCentral’s new technology show, Raine unpacked in an interview with Duncan McLeod what must happen in the coming years for EVs to take off in the same way they are expected to in markets like Europe and North America.
In the show, Raine chats about the state of the industry in South Africa following the Covid pandemic and last year’s riots in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as Mercedes’ investments locally, including in its flagship manufacturing plant in East London, which manufactures C-Class Mercedes-Benz vehicles for markets around the world.
In the show, Raine talks about:
• Why he believes the local market is ready to adopt EVs, despite concerns about load shedding, charging networks and range anxiety;
• Whether government is doing enough to encourage the uptake of EVs (spoiler: it’s not); and
• Whether we can expect Mercedes to build EVs in South Africa anytime soon.
He then takes TC|Daily viewers through the EV models that Mercedes is introducing in South Africa this year: the EQA, the EQB, the EQC and the top-of-the-line EQS.
If you haven't already subscribed to TechCentral's YouTube channel, please do so now. TC|Daily is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Pocket Casts. ]]> Technology Tue, 13 Sep 2022 20:21:00 +0200 0 0 Mercedes-Benz CEO Mark Raine: 50% of our car sales in SA will be EVs by 2026 0 0 TechCentral full 45:50 TCS - The TechCentral Show https://iono.fm/e/1225921 https://iono.fm/e/1225921 Sanders explains what the Merge is, how it will impact the blockchain and what it might mean for investors in the ether token. Could it even lead to the so-called “Flippening”, where ether overtakes bitcoin to become the most valuable crypto token by market cap?
The wide-ranging conversation with Sanders also touches on the recent (current?) crypto winter and the impact this has had on South African investors in crypto (and on Revix specifically). Other topics discussed include:
• Consumer vs institutional investment in crypto in South Africa;
• Crypto’s correlation with US technology stocks – will it last?;
• Could crypto still become a hedge against inflation?;
• The Prudential Authority's recent “practice note” to South African banks regarding cryptocurrency exchanges – how significant is it?;
• What’s happening when it comes to crypto regulation in South Africa?; and
• Taxing crypto investments in South Africa – the current state of play with the South African Revenue Service. ]]> Technology Mon, 12 Sep 2022 09:15:00 +0200 0 0 'Biggest event ever in crypto': Revix CEO on the 'Merge' 0 0 TechCentral full 39:49 TCS - The TechCentral Show