Category Archives: South Africa News

South Africa News

Investing in software development skills is a strategic imperative for all sectors

Rather than being concentrated in certain industries, coding is crucial across the economy By Jessica Hawkey, Managing Director of redAcademy The highest unemployment rate in the world, where almost three in five youth are unemployed, and a crippling skills shortage – especially in the technology industry – exist side by side in South Africa creating […]

The Annual Top Women Conference is Accelerating Africa’s Growth by Empowering Female Decision-Makers

(Left to right: Leanne Manas, South African Award winning Journalist and TV Presenter; Devi Sankaree Govender, Award-Winning Investigative Journalist and ​​Ille Potgieter, Managing Director, M&C SAATCHI ABEL) Making a comeback for the seventh year, the biggest annual Standard Bank Top Women Conference gathered over 14 000 delegates to celebrate and empower African women in business. Under the theme ‘Rise Above […]

How AI is Transforming Paediatric Radiology in Africa

The 10th annual AFRICA HEALTH CONGRESS will be held at Gallagher Estate from 26-28 October. This year’s Congress is expected to include representatives from 56 countries and offer free CPD conferences. A possible topic of interest at this year’s event is discussed in the content below. This article looks at the reasons why African radiology […]

Businesses must prioritize cybersecurity just as they do physical security in order to protect their most valuable assets

Cybersecurity is possibly even more important than locks, vaults and walls in protecting the modern business. This is according to members of the Institute of Information Technology Practitioners South Africa (IITPSA) Cybersecurity Special Interest Group (SIGCyber). In a statement marking international Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which is held every October, the IITPSA SIGCyber members noted that […]

Pre-employment background checks – essential in verifying job candidates are who they claim to be

Background checks reduce a company’s risk for reputational damage and criminal activities such as fraud and theft. They can also verify information on an applicant’s resume and assist HR professionals in determining whether an individual is the right fit for the job description says Sameer Kumandan, Managing Director of SearchWorks, South Africa’s largest and most innovative […]

Local is really lekker: The secret to streaming success is authentically African content

Ever think that a series shot in Korean and overlaid with questionable dubbing – with no famous actors to speak off – would achieve global cult status and go on to become one of Netflix’s most-watched shows ever? Well, that is exactly what happened in the case of Squid Games, Netflix’s 2021 series about a fatal contest centred around […]

Energy Entrepreneur Flies South Africa’s Flag High In Prestigious French Think Tank Listing

Linda Mabhena-Olagunju, founder and CEO of DLO Energy Resources Group whose company owns the largest wind farm in South Africa has been ranked 7th out of 100 in the prestigious Choiseul 100 Africa listing making her the only South African on the list and 1 of 4 women included in this ranking. It is also […]

Digital security for entrepreneurs: How to protect your online business

As South Africa’s entrepreneurial spirit blossoms, digital security is more important than ever, warns Steve Flynn, Sales and Marketing Director at ESET Southern Africa. The pandemic fundamentally changed the working world forever. Not only are more employees working remotely, but more people are starting their own businesses – often from home. There has been a significant […]

Dashpay Donations Terminals rolled out to support organisations across SA

The most recent crime statistics released in South Africa tell a horrific story – particularly for women and children. 392 children in South Africa were killed in just 90 days last year, with another 394 surviving attempted murder. 2 048 additional children were victims of physical assault in the same period. With police services overwhelmed […]

How useful is Google Trends for Digital Marketing?

Jacques Du Bruyn, Managing Director, Flume  In South Africa, 94% of online information searches are made via Google, meaning that the data gleaned by the platform is an incredibly accurate measure of what South Africans are searching for – as well as when and possibly why. That information can be accessed via Google Trends, and […]

To build trust, payment providers need to ensure they are compliant and follow standards

By Thabiso Serake: Information Security Officer at Pay@ October is Cyber Security Awareness month and is observed globally to help individuals protect themselves online as threats to technology and confidential data become more common. Former South African finance minister Tito Mboweni recently made headlines when his bank account was hacked, and a large sum of money was […]

The short answer to long passwords

Our digital world has become increasingly risky where hackers access personal data and steal identities with little effort. It’s said that nearly half of all South African consumers have either been a victim of ID theft, or know someone who has, costing in the region of R1 billion a year to the economy. Identity theft is big […]

As SA’s ICT sector looks to globalise, employers and practitioners are in search of the right skills

The number of South African employers reporting they are recruiting ICT skills overseas has increased dramatically in the past year – up from 38% to over 50%. This is a key finding in the 2022 JCSE-IITPSA ICT Skills Survey – the 12th to carried out by Wits University’s Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) in partnership […]

E-commerce app marketers are spending billions of dollars on user acquisition, according to a new report from AppsFlyer

AppsFlyer, the global marketing measurement leader, has released the 2022 edition of its State of eCommerce App Marketing report. Within the report, AppsFlyer outlines key global trends, guiding marketers in building a mobile-first experience that will drive engagement and sales for the upcoming holiday season. Following the past few years of significant e-commerce growth resulting […]

10 trends impacting the business event (MICE) industry

The scrapping of South Africa’s final lockdown restrictions has opened the door wide for the meetings, incentives, conference and event (MICE) sector to get back to business, and South Africa is following global trends with both outbound and inbound business events seeing a strong rebound as companies look to network, share knowledge and incentivise their […]

Breaking the boys’ club: If investing in women yields good returns, then why are we still fighting for their inclusion?

The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs According to research by Statistics South Africa, nearly half (47%) of South African women are unemployedi. This comes as would-be female employees have a tougher time finding work than men, thanks to the inequalities they face, including unequal pay and fewer leadership positions among others, while at the same […]

The State of ICSID Arbitration in Africa

By Kylie Slambert, Associate and Ethan Chetty, Candidate Attorney, Dispute Resolution, overseen by Darryl Bernstein, Partner and Head of the Dispute Resolution Practice, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg The International Centre for the Settlement for Investment Disputes (ICSID) has, since 1966, been recognized widely as the leading institution for alternative dispute resolution in disputes between states and […]

The Power of Quantified Creativity

By Ciaran McKivergan, CEO and founding partner at 8909  We live in a data-driven world, with more information – and therefore more insights – available than at any point in human history. So why aren’t we using that data to create better… everything? Nothing is more powerful in advertising than an epic idea – but […]

Vaccinations: Beyond Covid-19 Hesitancy

What are the ethical, legal and human rights considerations in preparing for future pandemics and human disasters in Africa? Pandemics constitute major public health concerns that affect the entire population, causing widespread human suffering, often requiring population-scale behavioural change, and bringing in myriad new ethical, legal, and medical practice paradigms. The past two years have […]

Sustaining Heritage Begins With Supporting Local Businesses

By Catherine Wijnberg, Chief Executive Officer of Fetola  Heritage Day is an important date in the South African calendar. It is an opportunity to celebrate the cultural wealth of our people; a day on which we honour the vibrant diversity that forms our Rainbow Nation. Yet, amid a backdrop of rolling blackouts, economic contraction, and […]

A Payment Solution for Africa That Bypasses Complexity

Understandably, merchants are finding it increasingly difficult to keep abreast of all the latest payment products and solutions that are available. “It is complex and costly for merchants to manage their own integrations into multiple solution providers. Merchants should be focusing on their core businesses and leave payment complexities to specialist companies,” says Andrew Springate, […]

CX is the key to staying ahead of the competition

Immersion Group’s new head of experience design, Ismail Dawjee, believes that the company’s recent rebranding efforts will help it become a leading player in the experience industry by setting a new standard for how all experience disciplines work together. According to Dawjee, this unified approach will maximize profitability and growth potential for the company. Immersion […]