Author: Chris Anu
President Cyril Ramaphosa Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya has contradicted an ANC statement that communications minister Solly Malatsi acted unlawfully when he issued a policy directive last Friday on black economic empowerment in the ICT sector. Briefing journalists on Monday, Magwenya said President Cyril Ramaphosa did not have an issue with the policy directive. The president earlier this year backed Malatsi’s policy directive to communications regulator Icasa, which was then in draft form. A political storm has erupted around the final directive’s publication, with the ANC, MK Party and EFF all condemning the move. Magwenya said it is still early days…
Mlindi Mashologu, deputy director general, ICT Information Society and Capacity Development, DCDT. Mlindi Mashologu, deputy director-general (DDG): ICT Information Society and Capacity Development at the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT), will deliver the opening keynote address at ITWeb’s AI Summit 2026.Mashologu, who assumed his current role in 2020, will share an update on South Africa’s National AI Policy Framework and unpack how it will impact business.The DCDT published a draft national AI discussion document in April 2024, followed by the release of the South African National AI Policy Framework for public consultation. However, there has been little public…
Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is upbeat about the energy sector for next year, saying it has moved from a “crisis” to a “catalyst” for economic growth. While announcing the first stage of the Independent Transmission Projects (ITP) programme and the additional preferred bidders under bid window 7 of the renewable energy independent power producer procurement programme on Monday, he said the total capacity of the window now amounts to 3.94GW. It will be built by 18 solar power projects across Limpopo, the Free State, North West and Mpumalanga. Since the inception of the independent power producers…
Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi. The Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and the African National Congress (ANC) are calling for the immediate withdrawal of the policy direction issued by minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, on the role of equity equivalent investment programmes (EEIPs) in the ICT sector.This after the minister on Friday issued a policy direction to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE).This follows the draft policy direction released in May, which some viewed as clearing the way for…
While niche internet service providers play a crucial role in bringing connectivity to underserved areas, they are often held back by the huge capital investment requirements. In response, Vox, one of South Africa’s leading internet and communications companies, has launched a partner programme that allows ISPs to benefit from its extensive network infrastructure, peering agreements, technical expertise and more – while they can focus on delivering exceptional service to their customers. Ready to supercharge your network? Learn more here “These ISPs deliver reliable broadband and voice services in areas that larger providers often overlook. However, they lack the economies of…
In this episode of ITWeb TV, Lincoln Mali, CEO of Lesaka Southern Africa, talks about how the company grew from a struggling operation to a fintech powerhouse, and how its acquisition of Bank Zero will unlock new digital banking opportunities for customers.Lesaka Technologies’ acquisition of Bank Zero is expected to significantly strengthen the fintech group’s position in the financial services market, and boost its balance sheet, says Lesaka Southern Africa CEO Lincoln Mali.In June, the fintech group announced it will acquire 100% of the issued ordinary shares of Bank Zero for R1.1 billion, subject to regulatory approvals.Last month, the Competition…
Sebenza Wi-Fi, the free-to-use minibus taxi connectivity service used by two million South African commuters yearly, is scaling up through a partnership with Toyota that will see its hotspots installed into all new Quantum taxis. Speaking at a media event in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Sebenza co-founder and CEO Wesley Dorning said the company’s business model, which is centred on sharing value with commuters, brands, drivers, owners and taxi associations, has contributed to its success. “We’re in 7 500 taxis in total and around a thousand buses. We have created a value-exchange platform where users earn ‘Sebenza Bucks’ to access free…
Tech giants spent trillions securing AI capabilities in 2025. (Graphic by Nicola Mawson) Artificial intelligence (AI) was a key driver of global deals in 2025, with Time Magazine naming “The Architects of AI” as its person of the year. Meanwhile, South Africa saw two stock exchange listings.Bain & Company says “technology mergers and acquisitions, powered by AI-related deals, was in the vanguard of the year’s surge in merger activity,” putting total deal value at $4.8 trillion as of yesterday – the second highest on record.Globally, companies raced to secure AI assets through M&A. Top deals this year set new records,…
Vodacom South Africa has given its post-paid customers notice that it will increase prices at above inflation, citing high network management costs and “inflationary pressures” as reason. “Vodacom South Africa can confirm that from 1 February, a price adjustment will be applied across all contract packages. To minimise the impact on customers, this will translate into an average total bill increase of 4.7%, with no changes to device or hardware fees, value-added services or out-of-bundle rates,” the company said in response to a query from TechCentral on Thursday. The announcement comes only a day after rival MTN announced increases to…
Telecoms operators experienced a “pivotal” year. South Africa’s mobile network operators (MNOs) reported a strong 2025, leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and preparing for further network investment in 2026.ITWeb spoke to the operators about their key milestones, regulatory developments and expectations for the year ahead.Byron Kennedy, spokesperson for Vodacom, said a key milestone for the company was “delivering an excellent start to Vision2030, supported by strong interim results and robust group service-revenue growth. See also “With our ambition to increase our customer base to 260 million and financial-services customers to 120 million by FY2030 and having already reached…