Shows
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Norrsken22’s Lexi Novitske on how China is winning African techChinese companies have built their position in African technology one layer at a time – first phones and telecoms equipment, then fintech and now the AI models that local start-ups build on. American private capital, meanwhile, is pulling back. Lexi Novitske, general partner at Norrsken22, thinks US investors will regret it.
Novitske moved to Nigeria in 2012 and has invested from Lagos ever since. Norrsken22, a pan-African growth fund backed by Nordic tech founders including those behind Klarna, Skype and Minecraft, closed its debut fund at US$205-million in 2023. It is now about halfway through deploying that capital, with no exits ye...
2026-10-0128 minTechCentralTCS | Norrsken22’s Lexi Novitske on how China is winning African techChinese companies have built their position in African technology one layer at a time – first phones and telecoms equipment, then fintech and now the AI models that local start-ups build on. American private capital, meanwhile, is pulling back. Lexi Novitske, general partner at Norrsken22, thinks US investors will regret it.
Novitske moved to Nigeria in 2012 and has invested from Lagos ever since. Norrsken22, a pan-African growth fund backed by Nordic tech founders including those behind Klarna, Skype and Minecraft, closed its debut fund at US$205-million in 2023. It is now about halfway through deploying that capital, with no exits ye...
2026-10-0128 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Charge’s R1.8-billion bet on an off-grid EV futureSouth Africa has fewer than 400 public electric vehicle charging stations – up from zero just 15 years ago – and EV adoption remains stubbornly slow. Yet Charge, formerly known as Zero Carbon Charge, is betting big that a coast-to-coast network of off-grid, renewable-powered charging stations is exactly what’s needed to fire up the local market.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Joubert Roux, co-founder and director of Charge, joins TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu to make the case for the company’s ambitious, R1.8-billion plan to roll out a charging station every 150km along South Africa’s national highways – and to explain why...
2026-05-1837 minTechCentralTCS | Charge’s R1.8-billion bet on an off-grid EV futureSouth Africa has fewer than 400 public electric vehicle charging stations – up from zero just 15 years ago – and EV adoption remains stubbornly slow. Yet Charge, formerly known as Zero Carbon Charge, is betting big that a coast-to-coast network of off-grid, renewable-powered charging stations is exactly what’s needed to fire up the local market.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Joubert Roux, co-founder and director of Charge, joins TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu to make the case for the company’s ambitious, R1.8-billion plan to roll out a charging station every 150km along South Africa’s national highways – and to explain why...
2026-05-1837 min
TechCentralCharge’s R1.8-billion bet on an off-grid EV futureSouth Africa has fewer than 400 public electric vehicle charging stations – up from zero just 15 years ago – and EV adoption remains stubbornly slow. Yet Charge, formerly known as Zero Carbon Charge, is betting big that a coast-to-coast network of off-grid, renewable-powered charging stations is exactly what’s needed to fire up the local market.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Joubert Roux, co-founder and director of Charge, joins TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu to make the case for the company’s ambitious, R1.8-billion plan to roll out a charging station every 150km along South Africa’s national highways – and to explain why...
2026-05-1837 minTCS - The TechCentral ShowCharge’s R1.8-billion bet on an off-grid EV futureSouth Africa has fewer than 400 public electric vehicle charging stations – up from zero just 15 years ago – and EV adoption remains stubbornly slow. Yet Charge, formerly known as Zero Carbon Charge, is betting big that a coast-to-coast network of off-grid, renewable-powered charging stations is exactly what’s needed to fire up the local market.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Joubert Roux, co-founder and director of Charge, joins TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu to make the case for the company’s ambitious, R1.8-billion plan to roll out a charging station every 150km along South Africa’s national highways – and to explain why...
2026-05-1837 min
TechCentralTCS | Donovan Marsh on AI and the future of filmmakingAward-winning South African film director Donovan Marsh has pivoted to artificial intelligence filmmaking and believes generative AI tools could fundamentally reshape how movies are made – and who gets to make them.
Marsh, whose 30-year career includes directing the Hollywood submarine thriller Hunter Killer starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman, the Spud films and iNumber Number, is the latest guest on the TechCentral Show.
The economics, he tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, are extraordinary: a single complex scene in a traditional production requires crews, equipment, locations and days of scheduling, while AI tools collapse much of that overhead into wo...
2026-04-0752 minTechCentral (main feed)TCS | Donovan Marsh on AI and the future of filmmakingAward-winning South African film director Donovan Marsh has pivoted to artificial intelligence filmmaking and believes generative AI tools could fundamentally reshape how movies are made – and who gets to make them.
Marsh, whose 30-year career includes directing the Hollywood submarine thriller Hunter Killer starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman, the Spud films and iNumber Number, is the latest guest on the TechCentral Show.
The economics, he tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, are extraordinary: a single complex scene in a traditional production requires crews, equipment, locations and days of scheduling, while AI tools collapse much of that overhead into wo...
2026-04-0752 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | MTN’s Divyesh Joshi on the strategy behind PiMTN South Africa has launched Pi, a digital-only mobile operator that runs on MTN’s network but operates as a standalone brand, offering contract-free mobile and home 5G connectivity through a single app, with no call centres, no credit checks and no lock-in.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod talks to Divyesh Joshi, chief commercial officer at MTN South Africa, about the thinking behind the launch and what it signals about the direction of the local telecommunications market.
Pi’s pricing is aggressive: R79/month for 500 voice minutes and R199/month for 20GB of m...
2026-04-0121 minTechCentralTCS | MTN’s Divyesh Joshi on the strategy behind PiMTN South Africa has launched Pi, a digital-only mobile operator that runs on MTN’s network but operates as a standalone brand, offering contract-free mobile and home 5G connectivity through a single app, with no call centres, no credit checks and no lock-in.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod talks to Divyesh Joshi, chief commercial officer at MTN South Africa, about the thinking behind the launch and what it signals about the direction of the local telecommunications market.
Pi’s pricing is aggressive: R79/month for 500 voice minutes and R199/month for 20GB of m...
2026-04-0121 min
TechCentralTCS | Anoosh Rooplal on the Post Office’s last standThe South African Post Office has been in business rescue – a form of bankruptcy protection – since July 2023. Business rescue practitioners Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons have made it clear to parliament that the entity will not survive liquidation unless a R3.8-billion bailout is received soon.
With some 5 500 jobs on the line, the big question is: is the Post Office worth saving? Rooplal spoke to TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu and was asked that question.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Rooplal talks about:
• The case for the bailout: The business rescue practitioners have already received R2.4-billion...
2026-03-2727 minTechCentral (main feed)TCS | Anoosh Rooplal on the Post Office’s last standThe South African Post Office has been in business rescue – a form of bankruptcy protection – since July 2023. Business rescue practitioners Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons have made it clear to parliament that the entity will not survive liquidation unless a R3.8-billion bailout is received soon.
With some 5 500 jobs on the line, the big question is: is the Post Office worth saving? Rooplal spoke to TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu and was asked that question.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Rooplal talks about:
• The case for the bailout: The business rescue practitioners have already received R2.4-billion...
2026-03-2727 min
TechCentralTCS | BMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa’s automotive industrySouth Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure.
He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a century ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility.
Van Binsbergen also discusses the rise of imported vehicles in the s...
2026-01-2030 minTechCentral (main feed)TCS | BMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa’s automotive industrySouth Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure.
He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a century ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility.
Van Binsbergen also discusses the rise of imported vehicles in the s...
2026-01-2030 min
TechCentralBMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa’s automotive industry...This corrects an audio issue with the previous version...
South Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure.
He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a century ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility.
Va...
2026-01-2030 minTCS - The TechCentral ShowBMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa’s automotive industry...This corrects an audio issue with the previous version...
South Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure.
He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a century ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility.
Va...
2026-01-2030 min
TechCentralTCS | MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita on competition, AI and the future of mobileSouth Africa’s big three telecommunications operators have all reported numbers in recent weeks, and the theme is clear: competition in prepaid has intensified sharply.
Telkom’s resurgence has put pressure on both MTN and Vodacom, with MTN acknowledging it has “discernibly” lost prepaid market share.
This is one of the topics covered in this wide-ranging and exclusive TechCentral Show interview with MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita, who sat down earlier this week with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod to discuss this and other major topics, including:
• The impact of online gambling on the telecoms sector;
• The need for fur...
2025-11-2857 minTechCentral (main feed)TCS | MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita on competition, AI and the future of mobileSouth Africa’s big three telecommunications operators have all reported numbers in recent weeks, and the theme is clear: competition in prepaid has intensified sharply.
Telkom’s resurgence has put pressure on both MTN and Vodacom, with MTN acknowledging it has “discernibly” lost prepaid market share.
This is one of the topics covered in this wide-ranging and exclusive TechCentral Show interview with MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita, who sat down earlier this week with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod to discuss this and other major topics, including:
• The impact of online gambling on the telecoms sector;
• The need for fur...
2025-11-2857 min
TechCentralMeet the CIO | How BDO’s Khaya Mbanga is preparing the firm for the AI futureWelcome to season 2 of Meet the CIO, TechCentral’s podcast series that dives into the minds of South Africa’s top technology leaders. Meet the CIO is brought to you by NTT DATA – where global experience meets local impact.
After a highly successful first season featuring CIOs from across the corporate landscape, we’re kicking off season 2 with a conversation with Khaya Mbanga, chief information and digital officer at BDO South Africa, where he also heads the firm’s growing BDO Digital division.
BDO is one of the world’s largest professional services firms, specialising in audit, tax and advisory...
2025-11-1734 minTechCentral (main feed)Meet the CIO | How BDO’s Khaya Mbanga is preparing the firm for the AI futureWelcome to season 2 of Meet the CIO, TechCentral’s podcast series that dives into the minds of South Africa’s top technology leaders. Meet the CIO is brought to you by NTT DATA – where global experience meets local impact.
After a highly successful first season featuring CIOs from across the corporate landscape, we’re kicking off season 2 with a conversation with Khaya Mbanga, chief information and digital officer at BDO South Africa, where he also heads the firm’s growing BDO Digital division.
BDO is one of the world’s largest professional services firms, specialising in audit, tax and advisory...
2025-11-1734 min
Meet the CIOHow BDO’s Khaya Mbanga is preparing the firm for an AI futureWelcome to season 2 of Meet the CIO, TechCentral’s podcast series that dives into the minds of South Africa’s top technology leaders. Meet the CIO is brought to you by NTT DATA – where global experience meets local impact.
After a highly successful first season featuring CIOs from across the corporate landscape, we’re kicking off season 2 with a conversation with Khaya Mbanga, chief information and digital officer at BDO South Africa, where he also heads the firm’s growing BDO Digital division.
BDO is one of the world’s largest professional services firms, specialising in audit, tax and advisory...
2025-11-1734 minTechCentralHow BDO’s Khaya Mbanga is preparing the firm for an AI futureWelcome to season 2 of Meet the CIO, TechCentral’s podcast series that dives into the minds of South Africa’s top technology leaders. Meet the CIO is brought to you by NTT DATA – where global experience meets local impact.
After a highly successful first season featuring CIOs from across the corporate landscape, we’re kicking off season 2 with a conversation with Khaya Mbanga, chief information and digital officer at BDO South Africa, where he also heads the firm’s growing BDO Digital division.
BDO is one of the world’s largest professional services firms, specialising in audit, tax and advisory...
2025-11-1734 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | BMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa’s automotive industrySouth Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure.
He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a century ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility.
Van Binsbergen also discusses the rise of imported vehicles in the s...
2025-11-0630 minTechCentralTCS | BMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa’s automotive industrySouth Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure.
He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a century ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility.
Van Binsbergen also discusses the rise of imported vehicles in the s...
2025-11-0630 min
TechCentralBMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa’s automotive industrySouth Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure.
He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a centry ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility.
Van Binsbergen also discusses the rise of imported vehicles in the s...
2025-11-0630 minTCS - The TechCentral ShowBMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa’s automotive industrySouth Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure.
He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a centry ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility.
Van Binsbergen also discusses the rise of imported vehicles in the s...
2025-11-0630 min
TechCentralTCS | Why Altron is building an AI factoryAltron earlier this month announced that it has deployed an "AI factory" in one of Teraco’s new Johannesburg data centres. Powered by Nvidia AI infrastructure and software, the factory is has already gone live with half a dozen customers.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Altron Group chief technology officer Bongani Andy Mabaso explains the rationale for the investment, what building the factory entailed and what the anchor tenants are using the platform to do.
Mabaso tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod:
• What an AI factory is exactly and why Altron has decided to build one;
2025-10-2826 minTechCentral (main feed)TCS | Why Altron is building an AI factoryAltron earlier this month announced that it has deployed an "AI factory" in one of Teraco’s new Johannesburg data centres. Powered by Nvidia AI infrastructure and software, the factory is has already gone live with half a dozen customers.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Altron Group chief technology officer Bongani Andy Mabaso explains the rationale for the investment, what building the factory entailed and what the anchor tenants are using the platform to do.
Mabaso tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod:
• What an AI factory is exactly and why Altron has decided to build one;
2025-10-2826 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Why South Africans are starting to spend crypto, not just trade itCryptocurrencies are increasingly moving beyond being seen as an investment asset as users find more real-world uses in everyday contexts. It appears that crypto is becoming more like cash – with users prepared to use it as the point of sale.
Crypto payments specialist MoneyBadger recently signed a deal with fintech Scan to Pay allowing crypto wallet users pay at more than 650 000 stores nationwide.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, MoneyBadger CEO Carel van Wyk and Luno country manager for South Africa Christo de Wit tell TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about what the partnership means for crypto platforms, thei...
2025-10-2229 minTechCentralTCS | Why South Africans are starting to spend crypto, not just trade itCryptocurrencies are increasingly moving beyond being seen as an investment asset as users find more real-world uses in everyday contexts. It appears that crypto is becoming more like cash – with users prepared to use it as the point of sale.
Crypto payments specialist MoneyBadger recently signed a deal with fintech Scan to Pay allowing crypto wallet users pay at more than 650 000 stores nationwide.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, MoneyBadger CEO Carel van Wyk and Luno country manager for South Africa Christo de Wit tell TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about what the partnership means for crypto platforms, thei...
2025-10-2229 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Takealot CEO Frederik Zietsman on township growth, EVs and the future of online retailE-commerce will soon reach an important milestone in South Africa: by January, according to World Wide Worx research, online shopping will top 10% of total retail sales for the first time. The move to 15% and then to 20% will come much quicker.
That’s the view of Frederik Zietsman, CEO of Naspers-owned Takealot Group – South Africa’s largest online retailer – who was speaking to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show.
In the interview, Zietsman unpacks what’s driving the rapid adoption of online shopping in South Africa – Covid-19 was a key trigger – and what the future holds as international...
2025-10-0635 minTechCentralTCS | Takealot CEO Frederik Zietsman on township growth, EVs and the future of online retailE-commerce will soon reach an important milestone in South Africa: by January, according to World Wide Worx research, online shopping will top 10% of total retail sales for the first time. The move to 15% and then to 20% will come much quicker.
That’s the view of Frederik Zietsman, CEO of Naspers-owned Takealot Group – South Africa’s largest online retailer – who was speaking to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show.
In the interview, Zietsman unpacks what’s driving the rapid adoption of online shopping in South Africa – Covid-19 was a key trigger – and what the future holds as international...
2025-10-0635 min
TechCentralTCS | Seacom 2.0: Alpheus Mangale unpacks all the details about the giant new subsea systemSeacom last week announced that it plans to build one of the highest-capacity subsea broadband cable systems the world has ever seen.
Dubbed Seacom 2.0, the cable system – which will have an expected design capacity of a staggering 2 000Tbit/s – will be larger than the company’s original system, which brought high-speed connectivity to Africa’s eastern coastline when it was launched in 2009.
The new system, which will include an “express route” from South Africa to Singapore and leg around South Africa to Lobito in Angola – and which will also cover much of the same East African coastline as the first syst...
2025-10-0344 minTechCentral (main feed)TCS | Seacom 2.0: Alpheus Mangale unpacks all the details about the giant new subsea systemSeacom last week announced that it plans to build one of the highest-capacity subsea broadband cable systems the world has ever seen.
Dubbed Seacom 2.0, the cable system – which will have an expected design capacity of a staggering 2 000Tbit/s – will be larger than the company’s original system, which brought high-speed connectivity to Africa’s eastern coastline when it was launched in 2009.
The new system, which will include an “express route” from South Africa to Singapore and leg around South Africa to Lobito in Angola – and which will also cover much of the same East African coastline as the first syst...
2025-10-0344 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | PayInc CEO Stephen Linnell on South Africa's payments revolutionSouth Africa’s payments ecosystem is evolving at a rapid pace. PayInc – previously BankservAfrica – sits at the core of the country’s payments infrastructure. As the builder and manager of the PayShap instant payment rails, PayInc is central to the Reserve Bank’s plans to drive digital inclusion through payment modernisation.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Stephen Linnell, CEO of PayInc, tells TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu about the strategy behind the rebrand to PayInc and how that fits into the utility’s vision of the payments ecosystem in South Africa and the broader Southern Africa region.
Linnell delves...
2025-09-2525 minTechCentralTCS | PayInc CEO Stephen Linnell on South Africa's payments revolutionSouth Africa’s payments ecosystem is evolving at a rapid pace. PayInc – previously BankservAfrica – sits at the core of the country’s payments infrastructure. As the builder and manager of the PayShap instant payment rails, PayInc is central to the Reserve Bank’s plans to drive digital inclusion through payment modernisation.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Stephen Linnell, CEO of PayInc, tells TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu about the strategy behind the rebrand to PayInc and how that fits into the utility’s vision of the payments ecosystem in South Africa and the broader Southern Africa region.
Linnell delves...
2025-09-2525 min
TechCentralTCS | From lockdown idea to global player: The Invigilator bags $11-million fundingThe Invigilator, the developer of a South African application that helps educational institutions monitor web-based assessments to prevent cheating, recenty secured US$11-million (R195-million) in funding to help it expand internationally.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Nicolas Riemer, co-founder and CEO of The Invigilator, joins TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu to discuss how the start-up is going to use the cash injection to take on international markets.
He also gives insight into the app’s software and the company behind it.
In this episode, Riemer delves into:
• How The Invigilator app got started during the Co...
2025-09-2335 minTechCentral (main feed)TCS | From lockdown idea to global player: The Invigilator bags $11-million fundingThe Invigilator, the developer of a South African application that helps educational institutions monitor web-based assessments to prevent cheating, recenty secured US$11-million (R195-million) in funding to help it expand internationally.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Nicolas Riemer, co-founder and CEO of The Invigilator, joins TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu to discuss how the start-up is going to use the cash injection to take on international markets.
He also gives insight into the app’s software and the company behind it.
In this episode, Riemer delves into:
• How The Invigilator app got started during the Co...
2025-09-2335 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Barney Harmse on building Paratus Group – and working with StarlinkParatus Group executive chairman Barney Harmse joins the TechCentral Show to share the story of the telecommunications group’s rise from small beginnings in Angola and Namibia more than 20 years ago and how it became one of Southern Africa’s biggest ICT infrastructure players.
Paratus started life in Angola in 2003, evolving from a local internet service provider into a pan‑African telecoms powerhouse. Co-founded by Harmse with Schalk Erasmus, Rolf Mendelsohn, Martin Boese and Miles October, it grew rapidly and now has infrastructure across the region, including in Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, the DRC and Namibia.
This week...
2025-09-0356 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Maziv goes massive: CEO Dietlof Mare on Vumatel’s big roll-out plansMaziv, the company that owns Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa, plans to spend R12-billion over the next five years as its ramps its deployment of fibre infrastructure across South Africa.
Poised for a big injection of cash and assets from Vodacom, which is buying a 30% co-controlling stake in the business, it has unveiled big plans to deploy fibre in townships and other underserved parts of the country.
In this exclusive podcast interview, CEO Dietlof Mare unpacks Maziv’s ambitious plans with the TechCentral Show, telling TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about:
• The painful three-and-a-half years it took to g...
2025-08-2652 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | The story behind Nedbank’s R1.65-billion iKhokha dealNedbank announced last week that it was acquiring Durban-based fintech iKhokha in a R1.65-billion deal that could signal the start of further consolidation in the payments industry in South Africa.
Nedbank described the deal as a “significant milestone” in its strategy to target small and medium enterprises.
iKhokha co-founder and CEO Matt Putman is TechCentral’s guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show. He unpacks the deal with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, explaining how it came about and what it means for the company’s further growth.
Founded in Durban in 2012, iKhokha provides mobile point-of-sale solution...
2025-08-2226 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowThe story behind Nedbank’s R1.65-billion iKhokha dealNedbank announced last week that it was acquiring Durban-based fintech iKhokha in a R1.65-billion deal that could signal the start of further consolidation in the payments industry in South Africa.
Nedbank described the deal as a “significant milestone” in its strategy to target small and medium enterprises.
iKhokha co-founder and CEO Matt Putman is TechCentral’s guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show. He unpacks the deal with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, explaining how it came about and what it means for the company’s further growth.
Founded in Durban in 2012, iKhokha provides mobile point-of-sale solution...
2025-08-2226 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Alan Knott-Craig unveils Fibertime’s big bet on township fibreAlan Knott-Craig’s new fibre internet business has been flying below the radar for some time now, but the serial telecommunications entrepreneur has finally unpacked his plans for the business.
Speaking to the TechCentral Show this week, Knott-Craig – who has led a range of well-known tech businesses, including Mxit, World of Avatar, Project Isizwe and iBurst – talks about why he believes there’s money to be made in wiring up townships with fibre and how Fibertime (stylised as “fibertime”) hopes to reach millions of data-poor South Africans who, until now, have had to rely on expensive mobile data for connectivity...
2025-08-1522 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Pick n Pay’s Enrico Ferigolli on building asap! and taking on ShopriteAlthough Shoprite Group stole a march on many of South Africa’s retailers in on-demand online grocery delivery during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Pick n Pay has a clear plan to make up lost ground and compete aggressively for market share.
Enrico Ferigolli, who co-founded the liquor delivery app Bottles – which was later acquired by Pick n Pay to form the basis of its online shopping push with asap! – joins the TechCentral Show to unpack the journey Pick n Pay is on, and how the e-commerce market is likely to develop in the coming years.
Ferigolli tells TechCentral editor Duncan...
2025-08-1449 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Britehouse MBO: Graham Parker on what’s next for software firmA recent management buyout of Britehouse from NTT Data – previously Dimension Data – has put the software development house on a new trajectory.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Duncan McLeod chats to Britehouse executive chairman Graham Parker about the MBO of Britehouse Mobility and what it means for the future of the business.
Dimension Data acquired the 60% of Britehouse it didn’t already own in a 2015 transaction, buying out shareholders that included Remgro and Convergence Partners. The IT group had held a 40% stake since 2007 before buying out other shareholders eight years later.
“Britehouse is embarking on a new er...
2025-07-3025 min
TechCentral (main feed)TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs planThis is the fourth episode of a new podcast series curated by TechCentral’s editorial team and generated by artificial intelligence tools. It’s an experiment that’s in beta for now, but if it works well, we’ll consider making it a regular feature by launching a season 1.
In this episode, we highlight some of the biggest technology news stories from South Africa and the world over the last week, as covered by TechCentral.
Note that even using the most accurate and reliable sources, AI can and will occasionally make mistakes.
In this episode, we look at:
2025-07-0419 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | South Africa’s Sociable wants to make social media social againThe digitisation of social interactions has made it easier for people to maintain contact and build online communities. However, there has been a decrease in in-person interaction that has contributed to a sense of disconnect.
South African-made social media platform Sociable hopes to solve this problem by combining online engagement with in-person meetups, connecting people based on shared interests.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Sociable co-founder and CEO Jason van Dyk tells TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about the importance of community and how Sociable is helping drive its development.
In the show, Van Dyk delves in...
2025-06-2323 min
TechCentral (main feed)Nexus S0E3: Behind Takealot’s revenue surgeThis is the third episode of a new podcast series curated by TechCentral’s editorial team and generated by artificial intelligence tools. It’s an experiment that’s in beta for now, but if it works well, we’ll consider making it a regular feature by launching a season 1.
Note that even using the most accurate and reliable sources, AI can and will occasionally make mistakes.
In this episode, we highlight some of the biggest technology news stories from South Africa and the world over the last week, as covered by TechCentral.
In this episode, we look at:
2025-06-2316 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2USpar 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 increasi...
2025-06-1922 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowTech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2USpar 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 increasi...
2025-06-1922 min
TechCentral (main feed)TechCentral Nexus S0E2 (beta): South Africa's digital battlefieldThis is the second (and beta) episode of a new podcast series curated by TechCentral’s editorial team and generated by artificial intelligence tools. It’s an experiment for now, but if it works well, we’ll consider making it a regular feature by launching a season 1.
Note that even using the most accurate and reliable sources, AI can and will occasionally make mistakes.
In this episode, we highlight several key developments in South Africa's ICT sector, including the intense capex competition among Vodacom, MTN and Telkom that reveals a fierce battle for network supremacy and market share within...
2025-06-1627 min
TechCentral (main feed)Nexus S0E1 (beta): Starlink, BEE and a new leader at VodacomThis is the first (and beta) episode of a new podcast series curated by TechCentral's editorial team and generated by artificial intelligence tools. It's an experiment for now, but if it works well, we'll make it a regular feature.
Note that even using the most accurate and reliable sources (human-generated articles from TechCentral and other reliable media sources), AI can and does make mistakes.
Again, this is experimental. We welcome your feedback. Would you like this podcast to become a regular feature on TechCentral? Is there anything you'd like to improve? Drop us a line at info@techcentral...
2025-06-0859 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Nomvuyiso Batyi on Starlink, BEE reform and spectrumWhat should one make of the noise surrounding the licensing (or non-licensing) of Starlink in South Africa? And what of the plans to reform the rules around black economic empowerment in the sector?
To make sense of these developments – and others – TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod sat down this week with Nomvuyiso Batyi, CEO of the Association for Comms & Technology (ACT), an industry body that represents South Africa’s six largest telecommunications operators: MTN, Telkom, Vodacom, Rain, Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Cell C.
In the interview, for the TechCentral Show, Batyi unpacked communications minister Solly Malatsi’s draft policy directiv...
2025-06-0650 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Sentiv, and the story behind the buyout of Altron NexusAltron Group announced last week that it was selling its Altron Nexus business in a management buyout led by Nexus MD Louis du Toit and BriteGaze founder and technology entrepreneur Reshaad Sha.
Sha and Du Toit are our guests in this episode of the TechCentral Show, where they tell TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the acquisition and their plans for the business.
As part of the acquisition – which is still subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions, which should be concluded by the end of June – Altron Nexus will be rebranded as Sentiv, a portmanteau of “sentient” and “intuitive”...
2025-06-0323 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowSentiv, and the story behind the buyout of Altron NexusAltron Group announced last week that it was selling its Altron Nexus businesses in a management buyout led by Nexus MD Louis du Toit and BriteGaze founder and technology entrepreneur Reshaad Sha.
Sha and Du Toit are our guests in this episode of the TechCentral Show, where they tell TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the acquisition and their growth plans for the business.
As part of the acquisition – which is still subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions, which should be concluded by the end of June – Altron Nexus will be rebranded as Sentiv, a portmanteau of “sentient” and “int...
2025-06-0323 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Signal restored: Unpacking the Blue Label and Cell C turnaroundTechCentral’s guests in this episode of the TechCentral Show believe Blue Label Telecoms and its affiliate (and soon to be subsidiary) Cell C present a compelling investment case.
Philip Short, global portfolio manager at Flagship Asset Management – which counts Blue label as its sole South African investment – and Dylan Bradfield, portfolio manager at Sharenet, tell TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod that they believe the turnaround taking place at Cell C is real, and will have a meaningful impact on Blue Label shares.
Blue shares, which have already rallied strongly – which have more than doubled in the past six months –...
2025-05-2835 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowSignal restored: Unpacking the Blue Label and Cell C turnaroundTechCentral’s guests in this episode of the TechCentral Show believe Blue Label Telecoms and its affiliate (and soon to be subsidiary) Cell C present a compelling investment case.
Philip Short, global portfolio manager at Flagship Asset Management – which counts Blue label as its sole South African investment – and Dylan Bradfield, portfolio manager at Sharenet, tell TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod that they believe the turnaround taking place at Cell C is real, and will have a meaningful impact on Blue Label shares.
Blue shares, which have already rallied strongly – which have more than doubled in the past six months –...
2025-05-2835 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Tertius Zitzke on 4Sight’s big turnaround4Sight Holdings has turned the corner and has signalled this with a recent move from the AltX to the main board of the JSE.
CEO Tertius Zitzke is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show. He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the turnaround he’s leading – not to mention the mess he inherited when he took over leadership of the business in December 2019, months before Covid hit.
4Sight has been operating largely below the radar, but the investment community has begun paying attention – and, although the shares been moving sideways for the past year, over three...
2025-05-2639 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowTertius Zitzke on 4Sight’s big turnaround4Sight Holdings has turned the corner and has signalled this with a recent move from the AltX to the main board of the JSE.
CEO Tertius Zitzke is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show. He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the turnaround he’s leading – not to mention the mess he inherited when he took over leadership of the business in December 2019, months before Covid hit.
4Sight has been operating largely below the radar, but the investment community has begun paying attention – and, although the shares been moving sideways for the past year, over three...
2025-05-2639 min
TechCentral (main feed)Reserve Bank fintech head Lyle Horsley on the G20 TechSprintOne of South Africa’s responsibilities as president of the global Group of 20 (G20) nations in 2025 is to hosting the G20 TechSprint, an event that invites innovators from around the world to develop financial solutions that solve the most pressing challenges faced by central banks.
The South African Reserve Bank is hosting this year’s TechSprint in collaboration with the Bank for International Settlements.
Lyle Horsley, head of fintech at the Reserve Bank, joined TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu on the TechCentral Show to talk about the competition and other initiatives spearheaded by Bank under the G20 banner.
In thi...
2025-05-2228 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Dalene Steyn on Capitec’s ambitious mobile gameplanBoasting 1.6 million subscribers after less than three years in the market, Capitec Connect has quickly become South Africa’s largest MVNO – and it has an ambitious plan for further growth.
Dalene Steyn, head of Capitec Connect, tells the TechCentral Show (TCS) that the MVNO – or mobile virtual network operator – market in South Africa is poised for further expansion as banks, retailers and other brands muscle into the mobile business through wholesale partnerships with network operators.
According to Steyn, although Capitec Connect is not a loss leader for the bank, the focus for now is building a critical mass of subsc...
2025-05-2118 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Kiaan Pillay on fintech start-up Stitch and its R1-billion funding roundCape Town-based fintech start-up Stitch last month caught the attention of many people when it announced it was raising R1-billion (US$55-million) in a significant series-B funding round.
Co-founder and CEO Kiaan Pillay is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show, where he tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the funding round, which was led by QED Investors with participation from a range of new and existing investors.
The latest round brings Stitch’s total funding to date to nearly R2-billion, or $107-million.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Pillay unpacks:
• His...
2025-05-0737 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowKiaan Pillay on fintech start-up Stitch and its R1-billion funding roundCape Town-based fintech start-up Stitch last month caught the attention of many people when it announced it was raising R1-billion (US$55-million) in a significant series-B funding round.
Co-founder and CEO Kiaan Pillay is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show, where he tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the funding round, which was led by QED Investors with participation from a range of new and existing investors.
The latest round brings Stitch’s total funding to date to nearly R2-billion, or $107-million.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Pillay unpacks:
• His...
2025-05-0737 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | How Covid sparked a corporate tug-of-war over Adapt ITShortly after the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Tiffany Dunsdon – at the time CEO of JSE-listed Adapt IT – found herself having to fend off an unwanted takeover bid from Huge Group.
Dunsdon did not feel the deal made much sense for Adapt IT – a fast-growing enterprise software services provider whose share price, like many others at the time, had been knocked lower by the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
The Huge Group approach was opportunistic, said Dunsdon.
So, instead of entertaining the approach from Huge Group, she set about engineering a very different deal: one involving Canadian-listed Constellation Software: Conste...
2025-04-3038 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | From fibre to clean tech: Khudu Pitje on New GX Capital’s next chapterNew GX Capital, one of the principal investors in Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa parent CIVH, recently announced it was launching a R2.4-billion clean-tech investment fund in partnership with RMB Ventures.
To unpack the details of the new fund and why it’s being established, New GX Capital founder and CEO Khudusela Pitje joined TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod in the latest episode of the TechCentral Show for a wide-ranging conversation.
In the interview, Pitje chatted about the fund – called the Airnegize Capital Fund – and its plans to invest in renewable energy and water and gas infrastructure across Africa...
2025-04-2548 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowFrom fibre to clean tech: Khudu Pitje on New GX Capital’s next chapterNew GX Capital, one of the principal investors in Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa parent CIVH, recently announced it was launching a R2.4-billion clean-tech investment fund in partnership with RMB Ventures.
To unpack the details of the new fund and why it’s being established, New GX Capital founder and CEO Khudusela Pitje joined TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod in the latest episode of the TechCentral Show for a wide-ranging conversation.
In the interview, Pitje chatted about the fund – called the Airnegize Capital Fund – and its plans to invest in renewable energy and water and gas infrastructure across Africa...
2025-04-2548 min
TechCentral (main feed)Meet the CIO | Yosheen Padayachee's unconventional journey into tech leadershipYosheen Padayachee, group IT director at Tsebo Solutions Group, is our guest in this episode of TechCentral’s Meet the CIO.
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Yosheen Padayachee was named as one of the top 100 most influential women in technology in 2024 and has been recognised among the Cyber 50 leaders in cybersecurity in Africa.
Padayachee, who serves as group IT director at workplace management solutions company Tsebo Solutions Group, is TechCentral’s guest in this episode of Meet the CIO.
Previously CIO for Africa at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings, Padayachee is pursuing a doctorate in technology innovation. She shares her story in this...
2025-04-2352 min
Meet the CIOYosheen Padayachee's unconventional journey into tech leadershipYosheen Padayachee, group IT director at Tsebo Solutions Group, is our guest in this episode of TechCentral’s Meet the CIO.
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Yosheen Padayachee was named as one of the top 100 most influential women in technology in 2024 and has been recognised among the Cyber 50 leaders in cybersecurity in Africa.
Padayachee, who serves as group IT director at workplace management solutions company Tsebo Solutions Group, is TechCentral’s guest in this episode of Meet the CIO.
Previously CIO for Africa at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings, Padayachee is pursuing a doctorate in technology innovation. She shares her story in this...
2025-04-2352 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Discovery Bank CEO Hylton Kallner on tech, AI and the future of bankingDiscovery Bank CEO Hylton Kallner believes technology is fundamental to the company’s success.
Kallner, an actuary who joined Discovery in its early days as a medical insurance company and who has held various senior leadership roles over the years, tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the group’s decision to launch a bank when it did. He shares how the business is doing – spoiler: it’s trending well ahead of schedule – and what comes next.
He tells the TechCentral Show about:
• How Discovery Bank is doing financially and how it’s tracking against its business plan;
• Its cl...
2025-03-2337 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowDiscovery Bank CEO Hylton Kallner on tech, AI and the future of bankingDiscovery Bank CEO Hylton Kallner believes technology is fundamental to the company’s success.
Kallner, an actuary who joined Discovery in its early days as a medical insurance company and who has held various senior leadership roles over the years, tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the group’s decision to launch a bank when it did. He shares how the business is doing – spoiler: it’s trending well ahead of schedule – and what comes next.
He tells the TechCentral Show about:
• How Discovery Bank is doing financially and how it’s tracking against its business plan;
• Its cl...
2025-03-2337 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS+ | Snode CEO Nithen Naidoo on the cybersecurity opportunityNithen Naidoo, founder and CEO of Snode Technologies, shares valuable insights on Snode and the cybersecurity space with TechCentral’s TCS+.
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Snode evolved from a consultancy to a product-focused company almost by accident. The product was developed on the ground, which led to the philosophy of customer-led design, emphasising solutions that directly addresses the problems customers are experiencing.
In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, founder and CEO Nithen Naidoo unpacks the importance of stepping out of one’s comfort zone and not letting fear dictate decisions.
He believes South Africans are more than capable of bui...
2025-03-0437 min
TCS+Snode CEO Nithen Naidoo on the cybersecurity opportunityNithen Naidoo, founder and CEO of Snode Technologies, shares valuable insights on Snode and the cybersecurity space with TechCentral’s TCS+.
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Snode Technologies evolved from a consultancy to a product-focused company almost by accident. The product was developed on the ground, which led to the philosophy of customer-led design, emphasising solutions that directly addresses the problems customers are experiencing.
In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, Snode founder and CEO Naidoo unpacks the importance of stepping out of one’s comfort zone and not letting fear dictate decisions.
He believes South Africans are more than capable...
2025-03-0437 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Why the CompCom wants Google to pay upThe Competition Commission is girding itself for a fight with Big Tech companies like Google and Meta Platforms after publishing its provisional findings in its investigation into the impact that Big Tech has had on the South African news media sector.
To unpack the provisional report, which was published on Monday, Competition Commission senior analyst and technical lead Donnavan-John Linley joined the TechCentral Show to discuss the findings.
He chats about how the commission is attempting to assist local publishers deal with the rise of competing social media platforms owned by US tech giants and why the regulator...
2025-02-2723 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | New player in township fibre market offers 100Mbit/s for R9/daySouth Africa has a new player chasing the township fibre broadband market: Wire-Wire Networks has deployed fibre to 15 800 homes in Thembisa (previously Tembisa), a sprawling township in central Gauteng.
CEO JP Schmidtke joined the TechCentral Show earlier this week to share exclusive details about the company’s growth plans and to talk about the business opportunity for fibre companies in South Africa’s vast township economy.
Schmidtke said Wire-Wire Networks – like other industry players such as Vumatel, Fibertime and Frogfoot – believes townships present the next big expansion opportunity for fibre network operators, though the business model is rather differen...
2025-02-1422 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Deep impact: Dean Furman on the implications of China's DeepSeekChina’s DeepSeek rocked US technology stocks last month after the company appeared to have developed an artificial intelligence model akin to OpenAI’s most advanced ChatGPT models at a tiny fraction of the cost.
Stocks like Nvidia, Google and Microsoft cratered on the news as it raised serious questions about whether the tens of billions – if not hundreds of billions of dollars – that Big Tech is pouring into AI infrastructure makes sense and whether China is further ahead than many people had realised.
To unpack the potential implications of DeepSeek and the rise of Chinese AI models, TechCent...
2025-02-0748 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | We test drive South Africa’s cheapest electric carEnviro Automotive has launched South Africa’s most affordable electric car yet, the Dayun S5 Mini SUV – and TechCentral has taken the vehicle for a test drive.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, we are joined by Environ Automotive executives Gideon Wolvaardt and Francois Malan to unpack the new Chinese EV and why they believe the S5 Mini is a gamechanger for South Africa’s motoring industry.
The four-seater compact SUV features a 31.7kWh ternary lithium battery, offering a range of about 300km and a top speed of 115km/h, making it ideal for urban commuting.
The ve...
2025-02-0434 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowWe test drive South Africa’s cheapest electric carWe strongly recommend watching the video version of this episode of TCS.
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Enviro Automotive has launched South Africa’s most affordable electric car yet, the Dayun S5 Mini SUV – and TechCentral has taken the vehicle for a test drive.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, we are joined by Environ Automotive executives Gideon Wolvaardt and Francois Malan to unpack the new Chinese EV and why they believe the S5 Mini is a gamechanger for South Africa’s motoring industry.
The four-seater compact SUV features a 31.7kWh ternary lithium battery, offering a range of about 300km and...
2025-02-0434 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | 'Activist CEO' Adam Craker on iqbusiness, the GNU and fixing JoburgAdam Craker has strong views on what’s needed to turn around South Africa’s fortunes and fix its biggest city, Johannesburg, which has fallen into a state of disrepair.
The CEO of iqbusiness, a digital integrator in the Reunert stable formed recently though the merger of IQbusiness and +OneX, is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show.
Craker – whose career has seen him working for the likes of Accenture, Merchants, Dimension Data and Super Group – tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about his plans for iqbusiness post-merger, how it fits in with Reunert’s overall growth plans and...
2025-01-2935 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Meet the team behind Matric Live, South Africa’s App of the YearMatric Live is a study tool to help students in grades 10-12 supplement their in-class learning with additional exercises – and even get exam practice via a digital platform. And it recently won the FNB App of the Year award amid stiff competition from the likes of Checkers Sixty60 and TFG’s Bash.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Matric Live CEO Kagisho Masae and chief technology officer Lesego Finger tell TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about their journey as a start-up and the growth Matric Live has gone through in the last few years.
They delve into:
• The insp...
2024-12-1827 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Springboks rugby deal: the tech plan behind the audacious bidWell-known South African technology entrepreneur Stafford Masie is one of the key backers behind an audacious bid to buy a stake of up to 40% in the South African Rugby Union (Saru)-owned entity that owns the commercial rights to the Springboks brand.
Masie, who chairs JSE-listed Altvest Capital – a key player in the consortium making the bid – joins the TechCentral Show with Altvest CEO Warren Wheatley to unpack the plan and what spurred it, and to explain why tech is central to the bid.
The bid comes after member unions of SA Rugby last week rejected a plan to s...
2024-12-1249 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS | Reserve Bank’s big payments shake-up – an interview with Tim MaselaThe South African Reserve Bank is working with its peers in the Southern African region to drive financial inclusion by digitising cash and making instant payments across borders an everyday reality.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), Tim Masela, head of the National Payments System department at the Reserve Bank – he has been with the Bank for the past 30 years – tells TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about the efforts it is making to create a “cash smart” society not only in Southern Africa but across the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) region.
Masela unpacks:
• Why the introduction...
2024-12-1150 min
TechCentral (main feed)TCS+ | Introducing Digicloud, Google Cloud’s partner in AfricaDigicloud Africa has a big role to play in the African ICT ecosystem as Google Cloud’s enablement partner on the continent.
Two of Digicloud’s top executives recently sat down for an interview with TechCentral’s TCS+ to unpack the business, its relationship with Google, and how it serves its reseller partners and their clients in adopting Google Cloud services.
Gregory MacLennan, Digicloud’s CEO, and Louis van Schalkwyk, the company’s head of technical operations, tell TechCentral about the business and why Google Cloud services are seeing strong demand across Africa.
In this first of a succinct...
2024-11-0515 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowLesaka’s Lincoln Mali on the fintech opportunity in South AfricaLincoln Mali has been at the helm of Lesaka Technologies Southern Africa, a fintech with a sizeable footprint in Southern Africa’s informal markets, since 2021.
One of his main tasks has been to turn the company’s finances around by reigning in business units that were haemorrhaging cash in the past. Lesaka’s latest set of financial results suggests it’s making progress.
In this episode of TechCentral Show, Mali speaks to TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about:
• Lesaka’s latest financial results, breaking down each of the group's key business units;
• The resilience of Lesaka’s loans business;
2024-10-2322 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowBruce Mellado on the tech-led fight against air pollution in South AfricaSouth African scientists have launched a cost-effective air-quality monitoring system built using internet of things and artificial intelligence technologies.
Bruce Mellado, professor of particle physics and director of the Institute for Collider Particle Physics at Wits University, is one of the key people behind the new initiative, which is aimed at improving air quality in South Africa and eventually other markets around the world. He recently joined Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show to discuss the project.
Mellado, who also director at the iThemba Laboratories for Accelerator Based Sciences – a unit of South Africa’s National Research Foundation – takes...
2024-09-1835 min
Meet the CIOTymeBank's Bruce Paveley on building a digital bankMeet the CIO is presented by Wipro.
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Bruce Paveley says that when he moved from a senior IT role at Standard Bank in 2017 to the then-nascent start-up digital bank TymeBank, it was “a really big shock”.
“You go from five buildings in the middle of Joburg, multiple floors, to an office in Rosebank that’s two floors, and that’s the bank, and you think, ‘Wow, is this really a bank? Can it work like this?”
That was before TymeBank had launched its first commercial services, and long before it would go on to become South Africa’s...
2024-08-0237 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowThe Volvo EX30 electric car, reviewed by an ownerThe Volvo EX30 is undoubtedly one of the most exciting electric cars to be launched in South Africa in 2024.
The vehicle, whose price starts at R792 000, offers a combination of price, performance and luxury tweaks that has attracted considerable appeal among South African consumers interested in making the switch to electric mobility.
But what is the Volvo EX30 like to drive?
TechCentral recently had the opportunity to spend time with the twin-motor version of the EX30 to put it through its paces. Apart from a few minor niggles, including the quality of materials used in the dashboard...
2024-07-2457 min
TCS LegendsSouth African internet pioneer Mike LawrieTechCentral is thrilled to bring you an interview with Mike Lawrie, a pioneering figure at Rhodes University who helped bring e-mail and later the internet to South Africa.
In this episode of TCS Legends – the podcast series that features interviews with (and about) some of the leading figures who helped shape South Africa’s technology sector into what it is today – TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod sat down with Lawrie to chat about the ground-breaking work that happened at Rhodes University in the early days of the internet.
In this episode, Lawrie shares wonderful anecdotes about that time at Rhodes...
2024-04-081h 27
TCS LegendsRemembering Mustek founder David KanDavid Kan, the late founder and former CEO of Mustek, is the focus of episode 3 of TechCentral’s new podcast series, TCS Legends – powered by Mitel.
In this episode, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod is joined by Mustek CEO Hein Engelbrecht and Carlos Vizcarra, CEO of CPS Technologies, who was close friends with Kan for decades, for a wide-ranging discussion on the man’s life and achievements.
Kan founded Mustek in 1987 as a technology importer and distributor, and the company quickly became known for its locally manufactured line of Mecer PCs. Today it’s one of the country’s biggest te...
2024-03-181h 20
TCS LegendsDuarte da Silva on Alan Knott-Craig, Bill Venter, Roux Marnitz and Jens MontananaTCS Legends | Roux Marnitz, Bill Venter, Jens Montanana and Alan Knott-Craig
Persetel’s Roux Marnitz, Altron’s Bill Venter, Vodacom’s Alan Knott-Craig and Datatec’s Jens Montanana are all undisputed business legends in South Africa’s ICT industry.
The four – all now retired except for Datatec CEO Montanana – are the subject of episode 2 of TechCentral’s new fortnightly technology show, TCS Legends.
This episode, the second part of an opening double header, features insights from investing legend Duarte da Silva about the four businessmen who had an outsized impact of the technology sector in South Africa.
Th...
2024-03-041h 00
TCS+TechCentral announces TCS LegendsTechCentral, the publisher of South Africa’s leading business technology podcasts, is thrilled to announce the launch of TCS Legends.
The new show will feature interviews with (and about) some of the leading figures who helped shape South Africa’s technology industry into what it is today.
As the show’s name implies, we’ll be interviewing leading figures who achieved great things in – and for – the tech sector in South Africa.
From PCs to IT services and software to telecoms, TCS Legends features some of the leading figures in the industry over the last 30 years.
With season...
2024-02-0401 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowTechCentral announces TCS LegendsTechCentral, the publisher of South Africa’s leading business technology podcasts, is thrilled to announce the launch of TCS Legends.
The new show will feature interviews with (and about) some of the leading figures who helped shape South Africa’s technology industry into what it is today.
As the show’s name implies, we’ll be interviewing leading figures who achieved great things in – and for – the tech sector in South Africa.
From PCs to IT services and software to telecoms, TCS Legends features some of the leading figures in the industry over the last 30 years.
With season...
2024-02-0401 min
TCS+Online scams in Africa: how cybercriminals trick victimsNearly half of 800 African survey participants have fallen victim to an online scam at least once, losing thousands of dollars in the process and compromising their personal data. Alarmingly, more than half (53%) of the respondents who fell victim were convinced the offer was legitimate because the website looked real, while nearly 48% of the scams were financial.
This was revealed in a recent episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, featuring Anna Collard, senior vice president for content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa. It is also worth mentioning that Collard was recently recognised as the Cyber Security Woman of the Year 2023 “Peop...
2023-09-2125 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowSumeshin Naidoo on Sigfox and the future of IoT in South AfricaIt’s been a year since investors, including the business’s own customers, came to the rescue the Sigfox internet-of-things (IoT) network in South Africa.
Now its chief commercial officer, Sumenish Naidoo, has told the TechCentral Show (TCS) that Sigfox South Africa is not only on a sustainable growth trajectory, but has big big growth plans for the rest of this decade.
This comes after Remgro’s CIVH in 2021 pulled the plug on Sigfox operator SqwidNet, citing weak customer demand. Founded eight years ago under CIVH subsidiary Dark Fibre Africa, the difficulties at SqwidNet came as a shock to its...
2023-08-1034 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowAndile Ngcaba on his go-global investment plansIt’s been just over 20 years since Andile Ngcaba quit his government job – he was director-general of communications – and became an investor in the technology sector.
Now, in an interview with Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS), Ngcaba looks back at the past two decades, the formation of Convergence Partners, the investments the business has made and why, and its focus areas.
Ngcaba, who splits his time between Africa and Silicon Valley – where he has a home – unpacks the recent announcement that Convergence Partners Investments is rebranding as Solcon Capital and has appointed a new CEO, Pramod Venkatesh...
2023-06-2345 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowCalvin Collett on the launch of Melon Mobile, SA's latest MVNOSouth African Internet entrepreneur Calvin Collett is launching his latest venture, mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Melon Mobile, next week, hoping to lure customers looking for a simpler proposition for their telecommunications needs.
Collett joined TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) on Thursday to unpack the new company’s plans.
Melon Mobile, which will be launched officially next Thursday, piggybacks off MTN South Africa’s network and offers a full range of connectivity solutions, including voice, data and text messages.
Customers can choose exactly how much data, voice or SMSes they want upfront using slid...
2023-04-0633 min
TCS - The TechCentral ShowThe inside story of toco, the Stellenbosch-born digital currencyTechCentral on Tuesday broke the news about Toco, a new payments platform and associated digital currency, toco, backed by the founder of Vumatel.
Now Toco CEO Paul Rowett joins the TechCentral Show (TCS) to chat about the project, which aims to fight climate change by “fixing the current economic model so it places a value on the environment”.
Read all the details about the launch of Toco and its digital currency on TechCentral, but in short, each unit of toco in circulation is represented by a carbon mitigation asset which is held and owned centrally by a Swiss-regulated enti...
2023-02-2141 min
Cars & GadgetsCars & Gadgets: Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra - bigger and bolderTechCentral — Join TechCentral's Duncan McLeod and Nafisa Akabor as they unpack Samsung's biggest, boldest smartphone ever, the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
There's been plenty of hype around the S20 Ultra - does it live up to it? From 8K video recording to a 108-megapixel sensor, is this the smartphone to beat in 2020? Unfortunately, it's not all sunshine and roses.
For more technology news, visit https://techcentral.co.za/.
2020-03-1600 min
Cars & GadgetsCars & Gadgets: Samsung's Galaxy Note10+ reviewedTechCentral — In this episode of the Cars & Gadgets podcast, Nafisa Akabor tells TechCentral's Duncan McLeod all about Samsung's new phablet flagship, the Galaxy Note10+.
With Samsung Electronics' financial results under pressure, and competition mounting from lower-priced Chinese handset rivals, has the company done enough with this flagship to win over consumers?
And should you buy it?
For a full review of the Note10+, see Nafisa's review on TechCentral.
2019-09-1500 min
Cars & GadgetsCars & Gadgets: Huawei's P30 Pro in reviewTechCentral — In this episode of TechCentral's Cars & Gadgets podcast, Duncan McLeod chats to Nafisa Akabor about Huawei's new P30 Pro smartphone. The successor to 2018's well-received P20 Pro, the new model represents a major step forward.
Like Samsung, Huawei releases two flagship devices a year, the P-Series device in the first half and the Mate Series in the second half.
Duncan and Nafisa chat about what's new in the P30 Pro (and what's missing - a headphone jack), and go through the device's incredible rear-camera setup and its minimalist approach to a notch.
Is the P30 Pro...
2019-04-2300 min
The Best in TechThe Spotify interviewTechCentral — It’s finally happened: the giant of music streaming services has launched in South Africa.
Even though the Swedish company has more than 70m paying subscribers worldwide, it’s been largely absent from developing markets, leaving rivals such as Apple Music, Google Play Music, Simfy and Deezer to make early headway.
By introducing its service at the same price as its competitors, Spotify is hoping South African consumers will switch sides. And the company's free tier could help it get a leg up relative to the competition.
In this episode of The Best in Tech podcast, Rega...
2018-03-1400 min