Author: Chris Anu

The East London unit of the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation, also known as the Hawks, has arrested two suspects who are alleged to have used “specialised software” to make R7-million in illegal cash withdrawals from ATMs serviced by Fidelity Cash Solutions in various locations in the Western Cape. According to Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya, the Hawks acted on a 15 March tipoff that two days later led to the arrest of suspects Mongameli Tom and Sikhumbuzo Honono. The arresting team comprised of members of the Hawks, Peddie Visible Policing, Western Cape Crime Intelligence and the SAPS Western Cape commercial…

Former Film and Publication Board CEO Dr Mashilo Boloka. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo) Dr Mashilo Boloka, former CEO of the Film and Publication Board (FPB), has taken his former employer to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to challenge his dismissal.This comes after the FPB quietly terminated his employment, effective 16 April. ITWeb was informed about Boloka’s dismissal by a source.The chief executive was placed under precautionary suspension on 7 August 2024, pending an investigation into numerous allegations levelled against him.The FPB council subsequently initiated a formal investigation, with the findings leading to an internal disciplinary enquiry chaired…

For more than a year, Alphabet shareholders have fretted over long-term risks posed by artificial intelligence to the company’s money-printing search business. This week the threat became much more immediate. Court testimony from an Apple executive on Wednesday revealed that the iPhone maker is exploring adding AI services to its web browser for which Google now pays an estimated US$20-billion/year to be the default search engine. Potentially more worrisome: searches on Apple’s Safari fell for the first time last month, according to Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services. The revelations implied that queries fielded by rivals like OpenAI…

SAPO will dip into the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme to pay salaries. (Photograph by SAPO via X) The financially-strained South African Post Office (SAPO) will receive income support to the tune of R381 million for its employees for the next six months, it was announced this week.The funds will come via the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS), which is administered by the Department of Labour and Employment through the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration. Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies chairperson Khusela Sangoni-Diko, who has been vocal about the post office’s survival, described the approval of the…

Industry experts, including renowned South African movie producer Anant Singh, agree that US President Donald Trump’s proposed 100% tariffs on movies shot outside of America are unlikely to lure US studios away from Cape Town as a shooting location. TechCentral reported on Wednesday that the cost of filming in Cape Town will still be attractive to foreign producers, even if Trump’s steep tariffs are imposed. However, according to the Western Cape department of economic development & tourism, proposals tabled by US filmmakers, if implemented, could lead to studios and production houses returning more of their operations to US soil. The…

The e-commerce market in SA presents exciting opportunities for FMCG manufacturers and broad-based retailers. Online shopping for groceries andfast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) presents a major growth opportunity for South African retailers, at a time when consumers are more aware than ever of the cumulative effect of inflation on their cost of living.However, capitalising on this market will require retailers to provide a mix of value and convenience for consumers who feel they are paying more and getting less.This is according to Gareth Paterson, director of client strategy at Nielsen IQ (NIQ) South Africa, speaking during a panel discussion at Converge…

Retailer Spar, which is coming from behind in the groceries-on-demand e-commerce race, has claimed it is making significant headway, especially in townships and more rural parts of South Africa. The retailer, which came late to the market with its offering with a July 2022 launch of Spar2U, said on Friday that the platform has started “transforming township and rural delivery through smart local partnerships”. “From just 87 sites in 2022 to over 500 today, Spar2U has recorded a 285% year-on-year surge in orders and now leads the market in value. Importantly, its collaboration with KasiD and Delivery KA Speed is…

Dirk Prinsloo, Microsoft cloud architect – cyber security at BUI. An AI-driven security operations centre (SOC) is essential to businesses that want to leverage real-time threat response in the age of autonomous attacks.This is according to security experts from BUI, who are scheduled to speak at the ITWeb Security Summit 2025 on 3 June at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg.Dirk Prinsloo, Microsoft cloud architect – cyber security at BUI, will join Hilton Ashford, cyber security architect at BUI, to provide insight into the relevance of an AI-driven SOC.Prinsloo and Ashford will delve into how AI, automation and contextual intelligence can…

The struggling South African Post Office has once again received a temporary lifeline from government through the approval of a R381-million “income support” grant that will pay salaries for the next six months. The subsidy takes the total bailout amount government has given to the Post Office to R9.8-billion since 2014. The company, which has been in business rescue – a form of bankruptcy protection – since July 2023, has asked treasury for a further R3.8-billion from the public purse. According to a Thursday statement by the chair of parliament’s portfolio on communications and digital technologies, Khusela Diko, the R381-million…

Lincoln Mali, CEO of Lesaka Southern Africa. Fintech firm Lesaka Technologies is looking forward to the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) opening the payments market to non-banking players.So said Lincoln Mali, CEO of Lesaka Southern Africa, today in an interview with ITWeb, after the JSE- and Nasdaq-listed company announced its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 (Q3 2025).SARB recently announced its intention to include non-bank entities in the national clearing and settlement system.This move forms part of the central bank’s strategy to broaden financial inclusion, particularly for South Africa’s unbanked and underbanked populations.By enabling participation from fintech…