Bill creating water infrastructure agency heads for President’s desk

Following the adoption of the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency (NWRIA) Bill, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is preparing to submit it to President Cyril Ramaphosa for... 

AI-powered fintech solutions changing the way people in Africa transact

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to propel the financial technology (fintech) industry into a new era of financial inclusion, and Africa is already developing innovative solutions... 

South African online retail shows considerable growth

South Africa’s online retail sector is on track to reach the R100-billion mark by 2026, with online retail having experienced significant growth in 2023. The local online retail sector surged to... 

New Siltation Management Short Learning Programmes launche

The Water Research Commission (WRC) and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) have partnered to launch six short learning programmes to address critical capacity development challenges in dam... 

Telkom shareholders green light masts, towers deal

JSE-listed Telkom’s shareholders have approved the proposed R6.75-billion sale of its masts and towers infrastructure subsidiary Swiftnet to a consortium. The consortium comprises infrastructure... 

German company optimistic on Southern African expansion

German original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) SEW-EURODRIVE is bringing products, solutions and technologies, along with support, training and skilled information, closer to its clients in the... 

South African organisations embracing GenAI as a catalyst for innovation

A new study, undertaken by independent technology research firm World Wide Worx in conjunction with Dell Technologies and Intel, has found that many large South African firms are starting to... 

Condra clinches second maintenance crane order from Sappi’s Saiccor Mill

Crane manufacturer Condra Cranes is manufacturing a second maintenance crane for turbine maintenance duty at Sappi’s Saiccor Mill, in Umkomaas, KwaZulu-Natal. This followed an order last year, and... 

Vaal Water Lettuce invasion signifies need to weed out water pollution

The Vaal Barrage is now home to an invasive plant species that has had significant negative economic and environmental consequences for the region, and its rapid spread will not slow down without... 

Vodacom maintains South African capex at more than R11bn a year

Telecommunications giant Vodacom Group continues to spend upwards of R11-billion in capital expenditure (capex) in South Africa as it works to capture the market and transition to a technology... 

Fortinet on track to train 1m cybersecurity specialists

Global cybersecurity solutions company Fortinet has reached 43% of its five-year ambitions of training one-million people in cybersecurity by 2026. According to the group’s 2023 Sustainability... 

Vaal Water Lettuce invasion signifies need to weed out water pollution

The Vaal Barrage is now home to an invasive plant species that has had significant negative economic and environmental consequences for the region, and its rapid spread will not slow down without... 

Reunert H1 earnings rise on Electrical Engineering, Applied Electronics segments

JSE-listed Reunert reported a rise in earnings during the six months ended March 31, 2024, driven by good performance in its Electrical Engineering and the Applied Electronics’ defence cluster... 

Microsoft, dtic enter empowerment agreement

Microsoft and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) on Tuesday entered into an empowerment agreement to unlock programmes to support skills and capability development, as well as... 

Altron posts strong continuing operations growth

JSE-listed Altron on Monday reported strong results across its continuing operations; however, noncash adjustments in its discontinued operations weighed on the company’s overall results for the... 

DWS set to submit NWRIA Bill to Presidency

Following the adoption of the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency (NWRIA) Bill, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is preparing to submit it to President Cyril Ramaphosa for... 

Altron expects double-digit earnings increases from continuing operations

JSE-listed Altron expects to deliver higher earnings from continuing operations for the year ended February 28, 2024. In a revised trading statement on Friday, Altron said that its headline... 

MTN achieves 98% network availability in Limpopo province

As telecommunications giant MTN South Africa accelerates its nationwide modernisation programme, the company has achieved a record 98.33% daily network availability in Limpopo. The 2024 resilience... 

Spending on telecoms services forecast to decelerate this year

While global spending on telecommunications and pay television (TV) services increased during 2023, growth started slowing in the second half of the year, with expectations that it will slow... 

MTN Q1 performance muted on ongoing macroenvironment challenges

JSE-listed MTN on Tuesday posted a dip in service revenue and earnings during the first quarter of the year, amid ongoing high inflation and local currency devaluations in some of its key markets.... 

Vodacom FY earnings dip on challenges, revenue up

JSE-listed Vodacom Group on Monday posted double-digit increases in revenue, however, its earnings a share for the year ended March 31, 2024, declined. The group reported a 11.2% decrease in... 

Hypervine launches satellite survey service

Satellite imagery and data analytics specialist and greentech business Hypervine has launched a new unlimited satellite surveys service. The Glasgow-headquartered group aims to provide... 

High cellphone penetration rate positions continent to leverage 4IR technologies

Africa has an advantage when leveraging ever-developing Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies to overcome the deficits created by a lack of infrastructure and geographical distances: its... 

UK, South African universities partner to establish water security forum

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA) and UK-based Cranfield University Centre for Water, Environment and Development (CWED) are partnering to establish... 

MTN achieves record 98% network availability in Limpopo

As telecommunications giant MTN South Africa accelerates its nationwide modernisation programme, the company has achieved a record 98.33% network availability daily in Limpopo. The 2024 resilience... 

Telkom set to support 2024 elections

Telecommunications group Telkom is preparing to support South Africa’s upcoming national elections as the information and communications technology partner to the Independent Electoral Commission... 

Company sets sights on agriculture sector

SEW-EURODRIVE’s complete gear solution for centre pivot irrigation systems for the farming sector is attracting significant interest after its launch in South Africa earlier this year. The... 

Need to reduce electricity use overlooked in efforts to mitigate water challenges

A crucial missing element in current water management strategies is reducing electricity consumption, says CBI-electric: low voltage engineering executive Dr Andrew Dickson. Discussing... 

Africa’s water challenges present opportunities for innovation, private-sector involvement

Water scarcity poses a significant hurdle to Africa's growth and development, with climate change and deteriorating infrastructure intensifying the challenges. However, the challenges present... 

Samsung claims back its position as leading smartphone provider

As worldwide smartphones shipments continued on a path of recovery during the first quarter of 2024, Samsung has once again surpassed Apple as the leading smartphone provider. Preliminary data from... 

SA mines get first look at private 5G in action

Fixed-wireless access provider Comsol has showcased the capabilities of private fifth-generation (5G) infrastructure to South African mining companies at its Midrand premises to demonstrate... 

MTN SA launches Made4U career portal Skillsbox to empower job seekers

Telecommunications giant MTN South Africa has launched a new portal to assist unemployed South Africans on their job seeking journeys. The new Made4U career portal Skillsbox offers a comprehensive... 

LHWP tunnel closure won’t have significant impact on water supplies, assures DWS

The upcoming six-month closure of the Lesotho Highlands tunnel, from October 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, for scheduled maintenance is not expected to have a significant impact or disruption on... 

DCDT to establish artificial intelligence advisory panel

The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) is preparing to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) expert advisory council as it moves to shape the policies and regulations... 

Telcos spend billions on batteries, generators to ensure customers remain connected during loadshedding

South African telecommunications operators spent billions of rands to keep communications infrastructure operational during bouts of loadshedding in the 12 months to September 30, 2023. The... 

Lowered profile, integral bogeys the answer as Condra is set to install crane in factory with limited headroom

Crane manufacturer Condra Cranes is preparing to embark on a crane installation to customer specifications in a factory that has no roof access and limited headroom. The team of Condra specialists,... 

Paratus Botswana completes Botswana Kalahari fibre route

Telecommunications and network services provider Paratus Botswana has completed the last leg of the new 840 km Botswana Kalahari Fibre (BKF) route between the Namibian border and Lobatse. The new... 

MTN South Africa, Investec, Electrum collaborate to introduce PayShap on MoMo

Information and communications technology group MTN South Africa has partnered with Investec and Electrum to introduce the PayShap solution on its Mobile Money (MoMo) platform. The collaboration... 

Icasa officially appoints new chairperson

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has appointed Councillor Mothibi Ramusi as chairperson, effective May 2, for a five-year term. The official appointment of Ramusi... 

Africa’s small businesses increasingly investing in technology to boost growth and resilience

Africa’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly investing in technology to bolster growth and enable resilience, a new report shows. The report, titled ‘Levelling the SME...