Author: Chris Anu

Global e-commerce giant, Temu was at the top of the list for Google’s 2025 Year in Search in SA. Google has released its 2025 Year in Search for South Africa, with Temu, general Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots leading the list of the top-trending searches that defined curiosity across the country this year.The list reflects a blend of political turning points, pop-culture moments, technological shifts and everyday concerns that shaped how South Africans used the internet to understand their world.At the top of the list was Temu, the global e-commerce giant whose aggressive expansion into SA prompted waves…

Mike Blake/Netflix Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros Discovery’s TV and film studios and streaming division for US$72-billion, excluding debt, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood’s most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer that has upended the media industry. The agreement, announced on Friday, follows a weeks-long bidding war where Netflix seized the lead with a nearly US$28/share offer that eclipsed Paramount Skydance’s nearly $24 bid for the whole of Warner Bros Discovery, including the cable TV assets now slated for a spinoff. Warner Bros Discovery shares closed at $24.50 on Thursday, giving…

Dr Mark Nasila, chief data and analytics officer: Chief Risk Office, FNB South Africa. ITWeb has confirmed a stellar line-up of presenters organised for theData Insights Summit in February 2026, including Dr Mark Nasila, chief data and analytics officer: Chief Risk Office at FNB South Africa, and Zethu Lubisi, acting ICT service delivery manager: Planning and Governance at the University of the Witwatersrand.Evolving from the ITWeb BI Summit, the ITWeb Data Insights Summit 2026 reflects the rapid expansion and rising importance of data, analytics, business intelligence and AI capabilities in modern organisations.Under the theme: Insight to impact: Unleashing the power of…

The acquisition by Netflix of big chunks of Warner Bros Discovery in a US$72-billion megadeal could hardly have come at a worse time for MultiChoice Group. Reuters reported that Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros Discovery’s TV and film studios and streaming division for $83-billion (including debt), a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood’s most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer that has upended the media industry. CNN and other linear television channels are excluded from the acquisition. DStv may face higher costs or even the outright loss of rights – including for on-demand content…

The 2025 FNB app award winners. Vula Medical, winner of the “Best Health Solution” at the 2025 FNB App of the Year Awards, was crowned the overall winner at last night’s awards showcase. Vula Medical is a medical referral app developed by Dr William Mapham. It connects primary healthcare workers with specialists, to make it easier to manage patient referrals and get specialist advice. The app is designed to improve healthcare in rural and underserved areas by allowing health workers to share patient information, including text and images, through custom referral forms. It facilitates communication and remote guidance and reduces…

Microsoft will increase prices for its Microsoft 365 productivity suites globally starting in July 2026 for commercial and government clients, the company said on Thursday. The move comes as Microsoft’s suite, which includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint, faces growing competition from Google’s products. The price hike will affect businesses and public sector agencies, with small business and frontline worker plans seeing the sharpest increases. The changes reflect more than 1 100 new features added across Microsoft 365, including AI-driven tools Microsoft 365 Business Basic will rise 16.7% to US$7 per user per month, while Business Standard will climb 12% to $14.…

Only 17% of respondents report using GenAI every day. Africa’s workforce is embracing artificial intelligence (AI) at a faster pace than global peers, but pressure is mounting for organisations to ramp up digital skills development as generative AI (GenAI) begins reshaping roles across industries. This is according to PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025, which shows a continent ready for AI-enabled transformation, but facing a narrowing window to prepare, through skills development initiatives.The survey, covering nearly 50 000 workers worldwide and 1 753 across South Africa, Algeria, Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria, finds that African employees are already integrating…

Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub Vodacom Group has moved to cement its position in East Africa with a R36-billion transaction that will see it take majority control of Safaricom, one of the continent’s most valuable telecommunications operators and fintech players. The Johannesburg-headquartered group said on Thursday it has reached an agreement with the government of Kenya to acquire a 15% stake in Safaricom, and a further 5% from parent company Vodafone, at KSh34/share. The deal, worth US$2.1-billion (about R36-billion), will lift Vodacom’s shareholding in Safaricom from 35% to 55% — giving it a controlling interest for the first time. Vodacom…

Omega Shelembe, deputy director general: SOE oversight and ICT enterprise, at the DCDT. Despite communications minister Solly Malatsi vehemently expressing intent to resolve governance and the leadership vacuum within the department’s entities, these challenges persist for the ICT-focused ministry.Most notable among these is that leaders at some entities have been provisionally suspended, the entities sit with multiple vacancies at the exco level and there is no stability at board management level, to mention a few. This was revealed when the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) recently briefed Parliament’s portfolio committee on issues relating to governance and the filling…

Chinese marketplace Temu is quickly entrenching itself in South African culture and everyday life. According to the Google Year in Search report for 2025, South Africans searched “Temu” more than any other term this year. “The report tracks the fastest-rising searches, offering a clear sense of the stories, questions and moments that shaped public curiosity. AI emerged as another defining theme this year, marking a turning point in how South Africans engaged with Search and embedding it more deeply into everyday information-seeking behaviours,” said Google in a statement on Thursday. AI-related search terms “Chat GPT free” and “Google Gemini” were…