Author: Chris Anu

Jill Blaauw, Mami Mthimkhulu and Dakalo Ndangani from the Hardware Distribution sales team. Hardware Distribution, an official distributor of ProLabs solutions across Africa, successfully showcased the latest in high-performance data centre and AI interconnect technology at the Africa Tech Festival, held in Cape Town from 11-13 November.The company highlighted ProLabs’ advanced 100G optics and 200G InfiniBand DACs and optical transceivers, along with the newest 400G and 800G optical solutions purpose-built for AI and machine learning networks.Hardware’s Nilesh Fakir and Jeremy Muller, and Chris Premeji and Chama Chinyanta from Paratus. “As organisations accelerate their digital transformation and their ‘need for speed’,…

South African discount retailer Pepkor Holdings has received regulatory approval to establish a banking presence, it said on Tuesday, as it expands beyond retail and basic financial services. Pepkor said in a statement that it had secured approval from the Prudential Authority in November, enabling it to enter South Africa’s competitive banking sector. The company said the move is supported by its acquisition of fintech software provider Cloudbadger. “The platform that we acquired … and the team that comes with that is actually a key ingredient to developing this opportunity,” group CEO Pieter Erasmus told investors. “So we think that…

From left: Professor Helena Barnard, professor at GIBS; Matt Putman, co-founder and CEO of iKhokha; and Adrian Hinchcliffe, ITWeb group editor in chief. The Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) has announced Matt Putman, co-founder and CEO of iKhokha, as the 2025 winner of the ICT sector’s coveted IT Personality of the Year Award.The other top prize of Visionary CIO of the Year Award went to Louise van der Bank, an IITPSA Pr.CIO and CIO of AfriSam.The winners were announced at the IITPSA President’s Awards, hosted in Bryanston this morning.The South African IT industry accolades recognise respected and…

JSE-listed discount retailer Pepkor Holdings’ lead as the distributor of the most prepaid handsets sold in South Africa continues to expand. In the company’s report for the year ended 30 September, released on Tuesday, Pepkor reported a 17% year-on-year increase in handset sales to 13.5 million units – 9.2 million of which were sold in Pep outlets. “Pepkor continued to gain market share in cellular, with the group now responsible for eight out of 10 prepaid handset sales in South Africa, according to market research firm GfK, up from 7.5/10 last year,” said Pepkor. Airtime, Sim and data sales contributed…

Sashin Sookroo, CEO of FNB Connect. First National Bank’s mobile virtual network (MVNO) offering has one million active subscribers under its umbrella, the bank announced today.Introduced in 2015, FNB Connect is the bank’s mobile offering that is available to FNB customers, allowing them to choose from a range of products and services. It is a three-pillar business made up of the MVNO, device and service provider business.“For many of our customers, FNB Connect has become more than just a SIM card to make and receive calls,” says FNB Connect CEO Sashin Sookroo. “It’s a way to save on data, earn…

We invest in our well-being in countless ways from the food we eat to the air we breathe. Yet, the starting point for a truly healthy and comfortable home environment is often overlooked: the laundry room. For many South African families, allergens are a daily reality, triggered by everything from pollen and dust mites to pet hair clinging to the fabrics we touch. An appliance like the LG Vivace Dryer is therefore designed to offer more than just dry clothes; it’s engineered to actively improve well-being, save precious time and integrate seamlessly into a modern home. A healthier home, one…

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg. The European Union (EU) has pledged €7 billion (R139 billion) to accelerate renewable energy rollout across the African continent. The announcement, which was made at the G20 Leaders’ Summit at the weekend, is in line with the continent’s clean-power transition. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the pledge during the Global Citizen Scaling Up Renewables in Africa event, saying Europe was committed to standing with African nations now and in future.“I’m delighted to pledge on behalf of Team Europe an additional €7 billion for…

While electricity consumption in the ICT sector is expected to continue growing between now and 2030, greenhouse gas emissions will decrease due to an uptake in renewable energy by ICT companies. According to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, released on Thursday, AI data centres are the main driver of increased electricity consumption, with about 40% of the total usage linked to user devices and the internet of things. The main growth is in the data centre segment, where electricity consumption has increased by about 9%/year since 2020. This corresponds to about 90TWh, compared to the rise of 25TWh between 2010…

Naspers and Prosus CEO Fabricio Bloisi. (Supplied) JSE-listed Naspers and its international arm Prosus are on track to deliver more than $7.3 billion – R126.44 billion – in revenue over the entire year, according to an interim results presentation this morning.This would represent an increase of around 1.4% on the top line year-on-year based on the bottom end of its prediction, even as it sells down some assets.The digital giant, under the Prosus banner, reported that it earned $3.6 billion in revenue during the six months to September, a gain of 14% year-on-year. Excluding its eMag units, its topline growth…

Cell C CEO Jorges Mendes unveiling the company’s new brand identity at a recent event in Johannesburg Cell C has confirmed the final pricing and outcome of its long-awaited JSE listing, marking a major milestone in the operator’s recapitalisation and restructuring efforts. The offer, which closed on 21 November, was priced at R26.50/share, raising R2.7-billion through the sale of 102 million shares by The Prepaid Company (TPC), part of the Blu Label Unlimited Group. The offer implies a market capitalisation of about R9-billion, based on Cell C’s 340 million shares in issue. Trading in the company’s shares – under the…