Author: Chris Anu

The author, Altron’s Andy Mabaso Johannesburg has always been a city of builders – of infrastructure, of enterprise and of possibility. I like to think that I’m one of them. My career began not in a start-up hub or a corporate boardroom, but on the floors of Transnet Engineering. There, surrounded by the challenges of local infrastructure and industrial constraints, I learnt one of the most enduring truths of technology: its value lies in solving the problems that matter. From Transnet to Standard Bank and now to Altron, I’ve carried that same philosophy into every role. At Altron, I’m fortunate…

The initiative will introduce coding skills to 2 000 learners in Grades 5-7, promoting inclusivity and empowering young minds. Vuma has teamed up with GirlCode, a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering young girls and women with tech skills, to launch a 10-week co-ed coding programme. The initiative aims to bridge the digital divide in SA’s public schools and will initially roll out in two Johannesburg schools: Zola Primary in Soweto and Mthimkhulu Primary in Vosloorus.In its bid to bridge the gap, Vuma will provide reliable internet access, which the fibre provider noted remains an exception rather than a norm, limiting…

In the growing world of online education, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by options. Some platforms sell “freedom”, others sell content libraries and a few throw in recorded lessons with slick interfaces. But for parents asking one simple, high-stakes question – will my child actually be supported? – most online schools fall short. CambriLearn is different. It wasn’t built as a content platform. It was built as a school – a structured, fully accredited, human-led school that happens to be online. And that changes everything. What parents really want from online schooling Forget buzzwords. Here’s what most parents want: To…

Daniel Novitzkas, co-founder and chairman of Specno. The recent reports regarding Mediclinic’s transition to a more aggressive artificial intelligence (AI) strategy, which would likely result in hiring freezes and job cuts, has ignited another wave of anxiety in humanity’s ever constant apprehension towards the accelerating development of AI.While Mediclinic’s strategy excludes cuts in nurses and doctors and is merely geared to enhance capacity in administrative functions during peak seasons, this kind of news fuels the fear of how, not if, AI will further replace humans and their purpose.After all, any threat to one’s livelihood will always be met with opposition…

Yellow Card Financial and Visa have signed a deal to promote the use of stablecoins for cross-border payments in emerging markets where the cryptocurrency exchange operates. The two will explore opportunities to streamline treasury operations, enhance liquidity management, and enable faster and more cost-effective transfers, according to Yellow Card co-founder and CEO Chris Maurice. “Visa sells virtually to every bank in the world, so it opens up opportunities to work with the broader financial institutions that can benefit from the technology the most,” he said in an interview. There’s a lot of excitement; all the major payment companies are exploring…

Hawken McEwan, director of risk and compliance at nCino KYC Africa. South African businesses are under growing pressure to improve financial crime detection as regulators tighten enforcement ahead of the country’s October 2025 deadline to exit the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylist.“Red flags are almost always there – but too often missed,” says Hawken McEwan, director of risk and compliance at nCino KYC Africa. “In today’s environment, due diligence is no longer just compliance – it’s a frontline defence.”nCino KYC Africa, formerly DocFox Africa, develops fintech tools to help companies meet regulatory obligations. McEwan warns that despite post-greylisting investments,…

It’s hard to think of a more extraordinary business deal than Facebook’s US$19-billion acquisition of WhatsApp in February 2014. Its creators were outliers. With a lean staff of just a few dozen people, they had no marketing department, no sign on the door and had spent zero cents from their sole investor, Sequoia Capital. But WhatsApp had 450 million users, mostly outside the US. Founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton also hated ads. They’d spent a combined 20 years working at Yahoo bonding over their frustration with a business model that sucked up personal data to show us pop-ups. Building…

eThekwini municipality strengthens ties in United Arab Emirates to advance its smart city ambitions. eThekwini municipality in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is turning to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to advance its smart city ambitions. This, as the municipality’s team of officials, led by city manager Musa Mbhele, embarked on a high-level international engagement mission in the UAE this week. During the mission, officials held strategic engagements with government and business leaders in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, according to a statement. The aim was to finalise agreements with Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Transport Centre and the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) to…

Spar Group is determined to play a significant role in the on-demand grocery delivery space in South Africa despite coming from behind, its omnichannel executive for Southern Africa has told TechCentral. 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…

Barry Neethling, Chief Technology Officer for First Technology Group. (Image: Supplied) Humans – long acknowledged as the weakest link in cyber security – are now weaker than ever before in the face of advanced AI phishing and hacking techniques. This risk is increasing as the end of Windows 10 support looms.This is according to Barry Neethling, Chief Technology Officer at First Technology Group, who says threat actors have adapted, many of them are now state-funded and most use AI to improve their attacks. In the face of these sophisticated techniques, traditional training and awareness campaigns are no longer enough, he…