Author: Chris Anu

Apple CEO Tim Cook Apple is stepping up its succession planning efforts as it prepares for Tim Cook to step down as chief executive of the tech giant as soon as next year, the Financial Times reported on Friday. John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, is widely seen as Cook’s most likely successor, the FT reported (paywall), citing several people familiar with discussions. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The newspaper quoted people familiar with discussions inside the iPhone maker as saying its board and senior executives had recently intensified preparations for Cook…

Deven Moodley, executive head: VAS, FS and mobile at Pick n Pay. Pick n Pay customers collectively spent a monthly average of R1.4 million in crypto-currency over the past 12 months, across its retail stores nationwide.According to the retail giant, Bitcoin payments are following mainstream retail trends, as more crypto holders are now using their Bitcoin for everyday purchases rather than just holding it as an investment.The retailer says it has witnessed growing Bitcoin spend in clothing, data, airtime, fuel and express, with an average transaction value of around R422. See also After completing a pilot that allowed customers to…

Gaby Magomola Digital bank Revolut has appointed former African Bank CEO Gaby Magomola as chairman of its South African subsidiary, all while the digital challenger pursues a formal banking licence with local regulators. In a statement on Friday, Revolut said it has submitted its “section 12” application to the Prudential Authority of the Reserve Bank – the first step in acquiring a formal banking licence under South African law – and will lean on Magomola’s four decades of banking experience as it readies its local launch. “Magomola, one of South Africa’s most distinguished banking pioneers, brings decades of experience in…

Social media platforms have enormous power to direct traffic based on their algorithms. South Africa’s Competition Commission has ordered social media platforms YouTube, Meta, TikTok and X to significantly invest in supporting South Africa’s media sector, to restore fairness, transparency and sustainability in the media ecosystem.This is one of several key remedies proposed by the Competition Commission’s Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry final report, which was released yesterday.The commission this week presented its findings, recommendations and proposed remedial actions from the inquiry, which officially commenced in May 2021.This follows 24 months of extensive evidence-gathering, public and in-camera hearings, expert…

Businesses that are required by law to collect know-your-customer (KYC) information are set to benefit from improved speed and reliability as digital identity systems become more commonplace in Africa. The banking, insurance and automotive sales sectors are among the key beneficiaries, though areas such as driver’s licence issuance, qualifications verification and criminal record checks are set to benefit, too. But for Africa to realise the potential digital systems offer to travel, trade and economic growth, unified standards must be developed to ensure different governments can accommodate any compliant digital ID, regardless of its origin. Some countries don’t even have an…

The SABC introduced its own freemium-based, over-the-top platform in 2022. The South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC’s) goal is to generate R200 million annually through monetisation of its video streaming platform SABC+, says chief operating officer Lungile Binza.However, the public broadcaster is still far from achieving that target, the COO acknowledged.Binza spoke yesterday at Africa Tech Festival 2025 in Cape Town, where he detailed the SABC’s digital presence and how it is charting its growth trajectory amid the streaming wars.According to Binza, most of the money in public and commercial broadcasting still goes to the largest companies in the world, such…

Discovery Bank CEO Hylton Kallner Discovery Bank’s Thursday announcement of a deal with cryptocurrency platform Luno, which will allow the former’s customers to trade cryptocurrencies online, is yet another sign that cryptocurrencies are becoming mainstream in South Africa. The move follows another deal announced in October between Scan to Pay and MoneyBadger that allows users of major cryptocurrency exchanges – including Binance, Luno, Blink and VALR – to pay merchants at over 650 000 stores nationwide using bitcoin, stablecoins and other digital assets without having to first convert them into rand. “We are seeing a momentous shift in cryptocurrency adoption locally…

In the 2024/25 financial year, 2 374 data breaches were reported to the Information Regulator. Data breaches are on the rise in South Africa, with the Information Regulator reporting a sharp increase in incident notifications.This emerged yesterday at a media briefing by advocate Pansy Tlakula, chairperson of the Information Regulator. Tlakula presented the high-level cases centred on the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), as well as other legislative developments.According to Tlakula, in the 2024/25 financial year, 2 374 security compromise incidents (data breaches) were reported, with an average of 198 notifications…

The most direct competitor to Starlink, Amazon.com’s Project Kuiper, has changed its name to Amazon Leo. According to a statement on Thursday, the “Leo” in the new name refers to low-Earth orbit, aligning the brand more closely with the type of service it provides to its customers. “Like most early Amazon projects, the programme needed a code name, and the team began operating as ‘Project Kuiper’ – inspired by the Kuiper Belt, a ring of asteroids in our outer solar system,” said Amazon Leo CEO Rajeev Badyal. “Amazon Leo is a simple nod to the low-Earth orbit satellite constellation that…

Cyber criminals are ramping up as Black Friday nears. (Picture: Gerd Altmann via Pixabay) The shopping frenzy that starts in November has become a ripe picking ground for hackers who target retailers and consumers caught up in sales and discounts, rather than being on the lookout for fraud.This threat is compounded by typical holiday staffing patterns. Although shop floors are fully-staffed, many admin roles run on skeleton crews. The strain on remaining staff increases the likelihood of human error – a critical vulnerability, as phishing attacks remain the most common technique used by threat actors.Lynette Drevin, professor at the School…