Author: Chris Anu
Chinese marketplace Temu is quickly entrenching itself in South African culture and everyday life. According to the Google Year in Search report for 2025, South Africans searched “Temu” more than any other term this year. “The report tracks the fastest-rising searches, offering a clear sense of the stories, questions and moments that shaped public curiosity. AI emerged as another defining theme this year, marking a turning point in how South Africans engaged with Search and embedding it more deeply into everyday information-seeking behaviours,” said Google in a statement on Thursday. AI-related search terms “Chat GPT free” and “Google Gemini” were…
Binance co-CEOs Yi He and Richard Teng. Crypto-currency exchange Binance has announced that its co-founder, Yi He, has been appointed co-CEO.The news comes as the company nears 300 million users globally, according to Binance. “Yi has been an integral part of the executive leadership team since the launch of Binance. Her innovative and user-focused approach has been instrumental in shaping the company’s vision, culture, and bottom-up business strategy,” says Binance CEO Richard Teng. “This appointment is a natural progression, and she will continue to guide the organisation from strength to strength.”“We remain dedicated to being the most trusted and regulated…
For years, cybersecurity was something that got “handled later”, usually after more pressing work was done. That gap between innovation and protection could linger for months, sometimes years, until a breach forced the issue. That world is gone. Attackers are constantly evolving. Digital transformation touches nearly every part of business and security has moved from the IT basement to the boardroom. Security as a business accelerator At Vodacom, security is seen as a business accelerator, not just a cost centre. Luks Zahela, acting executive head of department: security at Vodacom, explains that organisations embedding security early in their strategies experience…
Frogfoot says its fibre expansion into the North West province supports the company’s growth strategy. Frogfoot has acquired the fibre network assets of Infinity Wireless in Rustenburg, which will be integrated into its national infrastructure.Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. In a statement, Frogfoot says this expansion into the North West province supports the company’s growth strategy and deepens its presence in a key regional market, with the transition officially started on 1 November.Infinity Wireless currently operates and supports the network in the area, and over the next 12 months, it will transition into Frogfoot’s national operating model.According…
MultiChoice Group’s deadlock with Warner Bros Discovery – and the real possibility that a dozen channels, many of them household names, will vanish from DStv’s line-up on 1 January – is more than another content dispute. It is a moment that exposes an uncomfortable truth about the company’s direction under its new French owners, Canal+: cost discipline is the new religion. And it’s happening because MultiChoice is running out of time. Even if the economics make sense, viewers don’t see the spreadsheets informing management’s decisions Subscriber numbers have been falling for years across most tiers, notably in the more profitable…
Some online payment platforms and local banks reported double- and triple-digit growth in spending on Black Friday. South African consumers shopped their way to another strong performance over Black Friday 2025, with online spending surging past the 2024 bargain-hunting weekend period.Online payment platforms and local banks reported double- and triple-digit growth on some platforms, reflecting higher volumes and a larger average basket size online.Absa, Standard Bank, Peach Payments, Capitec and Ozow saw higher transaction values, record single-ticket spends and a shift toward “Black November”, with e-commerce shopping stretched across several weeks.Absa says it witnessed an unmistakable shift towards online channels…
Uber Moto … and a decidely non-electric motorbike Uber South Africa is exploring switching to electric motorbikes for its Uber Moto service, which is aimed at riders wanting quick, short-distance trips. The company launched its first fleet of electric cars in Johannesburg last month. Uber Go Electric allows commuters to pay entry-level prices like those for Uber Go. It has 70 electric cars on the road already, and 350 will be on the streets by the end of January. Uber Moto launched in February 2025 in Johannesburg. What started off as a pilot project in the north-western suburbs – areas…
The Takealot app’s new option will indicate items available for immediate delivery through TakealotNOW. Takealot has begun piloting a new feature that lets shoppers order certain items for near-instant delivery directly through the Takealot app, using Mr D as the fulfilment partner.Customers browsing selected products will now see a “Get it Now” option indicating items eligible for rapid delivery via TakealotNOW. The pilot is currently limited to parts of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria.Karla Levick, Takealot chief marketing officer, says the move reflects how the company wants to strengthen convenience for local shoppers. “Together with Mr D, we’re building the…
An acute global shortage of memory chips is forcing AI and consumer electronics companies to fight for dwindling supplies, as prices soar for the unglamorous but essential components. Japanese electronics stores have begun limiting how many hard disk drives shoppers can buy. Chinese smartphone makers are warning of price increases. Tech giants including Microsoft, Google and ByteDance are scrambling to secure supplies from memory-chip makers such as Micron, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The squeeze spans almost every type of memory, from flash chips used in USB drives and smartphones to advanced…
Science, technology and innovation deputy minister Dr Nomalungelo Gina. Science, technology and innovation deputy minister Dr Nomalungelo Gina has called for strengthened intellectual property (IP) awareness and protection for grassroots innovators.The deputy minister was speaking at the 17th World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) SA summer school in Durban, where she expressed that many township and rural entrepreneurs continue to lose ownership of their ideas due to limited IP knowledge.Referencing the ‘Please Call Me’ case, Gina said it highlights the risks faced by innovators who fail to secure their ideas early.Gina pointed out that many innovators and researchers still lose out…