Author: Chris Anu

Ypê Deepens Partnership with Rimini Street to Accelerate Agentic AI and Maximize ERP Value Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq: RMNI), the Software Support and Agentic AI ERP Company™, and the leading third-party support provider for Oracle, SAP and VMware software, today announced the expansion of its partnership with Ypê, the Brazilian consumer goods company whose products can be found in over 95% of Brazilian homes. This milestone marks a new phase in Ypê’s AI-first vision to build a frictionless company that delivers exceptional experiences for employees, customers and stakeholders. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260127970457/en/Building the…

WhatsApp has begun offering users an advanced security mode, joining a growing number of US tech firms that are letting users opt into stronger protections against hackers in exchange for a more restrictive experience. The new option, rolling out on Tuesday and called “Strict Account Settings”, is a one-click button in WhatsApp’s settings that activates a series of defences. These include blocking media and attachments from unknown senders, disabling link previews — the thumbnails that appear when a URL is entered into a chat — and silencing calls from unknown contacts. All three have been identified as potential vectors for…

Amazon Lens uses computer vision and AI to simplify product searches. E-tailer Amazon.co.za has introduced image-based shopping tool, Amazon Lens, in South Africa, allowing customers to search for products using images rather than text.According to a statement, the feature enables users to upload images, screenshots or use a smartphone camera to identify products listed on the online shopping site.It also supports barcode scanning to retrieve product information and compare pricing and delivery options.Amazon Lens includes an image selection function that allows users to highlight a specific item within an image containing multiple objects. The tool then returns visually similar products,…

ACT CEO Nomvuyiso Batyi Mobile industry lobby group the Association for Comms & Technology (ACT) has filed an application with the high court in Pretoria to have regulations introduced by home affairs minister Leon Schreiber, in which he hiked the fee for accessing the national population register database by as much as 6 500%, overturned. ACT said on Tuesday that the reason it chose to pursue legal action is that “repeated requests for meaningful engagements and consultation” were not heeded by the minister and his department prior to – and even after the introduction of – the new fee structure. “The…

Dr Mashilo Boloka, CEO of Online Safety Lab and Marketplace Risk advisory board member. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo) Dr Mashilo Boloka, CEO of Online Safety Lab (OS Lab), has been appointed to the 2026 Marketplace Risk advisory board, joining a cohort of global ICT industry heavyweights shaping the future of trust, safety, compliance and marketplace innovation.Founded in 2015 and headquartered in San Francisco, US, Marketplace Risk is a multi-national platform for professionals working in the digital economy, with a focus on trust and safety, digital risk and fraud prevention. It seeks to promote safer, more accountable digital platforms globally, ensuring…

The commodity-linked rand strengthened on Monday morning, touching R15.99/US$ thanks to record gold prices, while traders awaited the central bank’s first rate-setting meeting this year. The rand briefly moved stronger than the R16 mark at 10.40am SAST. It then retreated slightly and was last quoted at 11.24am at R16.03/$. These are the currency’s strongest levels since June 2022, and should help drive down inflation, especially in imported goods, including software, computers, smartphones, IT equipment and consumer electronics generally. While the greenback weakened slightly against a basket of currencies, gold surged to a record high above $5 000/ounce on Monday, extending an…

The Japan Prize Foundation announced the winners of the 2026 Japan Prize at 1:00 p.m. on 21 January 2026. Prof. Cynthia Dwork (USA) has been awarded the Japan Prize in the field of Electronics, Information, and Communication. Prof. Shizuo Akira (Japan) and Prof. Zhijian “James” Chen (USA) have been awarded the Japan Prize in the field of Life Sciences. For this year’s Japan Prize, Prof. Dwork is being recognized for her Contribution to leading research for building an ethical digital society, including differential privacy and fairness. Prof. Akira and Prof. Chen are being recognized for their Discovery of the nucleic…

South African media has been saturated with Starlink coverage for months. Every ministerial statement, every regulatory development, every parliamentary objection becomes headline news. Yet amid this relentless coverage, a curious question emerges: why Starlink specifically? The regulatory challenges facing Elon Musk’s satellite service aren’t unique. Major global technology companies have long navigated South Africa’s broad-based black economic empowerment frameworks when entering the market. According to Paul Colmer, executive nember at the Wireless Access Providers’ Association, what makes Starlink different is its need for a radio licence, which under the Electronic Communications Act requires 30% equity ownership by historically disadvantaged South…

The Department of Home Affairs hands over a computer lab to learners of Umdlamfe Secondary School in Richards Bay. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) last week opened a computer laboratory at the Umdlamfe Secondary School in Esikhawini, Richards Bay, in partnership with Honor SA.The high-tech computer lab forms part of government’s back-to-school programme, according to a statement. The new cyber lab gives learners access tointernet-connected laptops, and has a digital literacy and skills development component, with the Durban University of Technology committing to offer learners lessons, says DHA deputy minister Njabulo Nzuza.The laboratory will ensure learners are trained to…

AI is everywhere, but most teams don’t want more tools. They want their existing ones to work harder. That’s the promise of Atlassian Intelligence, and the focus of a live, 45-minute webinar hosted by Obsidian Systems, designed specifically for South African IT leaders, product managers and delivery teams looking for practical gains in productivity. Instead of another high-level AI pitch, the session will offer a realistic look at how Atlassian’s built-in intelligence features are being used inside Jira, Confluence and Jira Service Management. The goal is to help teams move faster, reduce repetitive work and make better use of the…