Category Archives: South Africa News

South Africa News

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 […]

South Africa: The unintended consequences of Most Favoured Nation Clauses in Tax treaties

By Francis Mayebe, Candidate Attorney, overseen by Virusha Subban, Partner and Head of Tax, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg Background Bilateral tax treaties are mainly based on the principle of reciprocity. Under this principle, one state negotiates better treaty terms with another in exchange for making a particular concession. As is clearly seen in most protocols, the […]

The Most Common Facebook Marketplace Scams—And How to Avoid Them

Carey van Vlaanderen, CEO of ESET South Africa shares critical safety tips when buying or selling on Facebook Marketplace and how to tell if you’re being scammed. Last year, Facebook Marketplace passed one billion global users. With this, it has become a giant in the consumer-to-consumer commerce space, allowing individual Facebook users to buy and sell seamlessly. Online […]

Africa’s Untapped Export Potential Worth $31 Billion

United National Conference on Trade and Development says Africa’s untapped export of $31 billion[1] can be achieved if Africa implements partial tariff liberalisation under the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) Agreement over the next five years. Currently, trade between African countries comprises 61% of processed and semi-processed goods. Infrastructure and the harmonisation of logistics will make the […]

New carbon-neutral online shopping service launches in South Africa

With a goal to curb carbon emissions, South African startup Curbon, will make carbon-neutral online shopping possible through the launch of the country’s very first plugin created to help fight climate change. Curbon’s unique offering gives shoppers the opportunity to take direct, meaningful climate action with every online purchase. Using data from the world’s leading climate […]

Sentech Africa Tech Week 2022: Connecting Africa for a Digital Future

Sentech Africa Tech Week 2022 made its fourth consecutive appearance this year, providing a platform where 5,000 attendees came together – in person and virtually – to learn, be inspired, and meet those in the industry who are making a remarkable impact on solving Africa’s unique challenges. Held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre […]

Using the power of technology to assist in breaking the silence in South Africa’s gender-based violence crisis

In the fourth quarter of 2021, South Africa’s rape figures were up by 13.7%. There were 1300 more rapes compared to the same period in the previous year. 10818 rapes were reported in the first three months of 2022, with 4635 rapes taking place at the victim’s home, or that of the rapist. Attacks on women and […]

Africa’s Largest B2B AI Focused Trade Event Celebrates 5th Anniversary & Announces Johannesburg Programme

AI Expo Africa, the largest business-focused Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Intelligent Automation (IA) trade event in Africa and celebrates its 5th Anniversary Edition on 19-20 September in the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa. Uniting 100s of buyers, suppliers, investors, innovators, SMMEs and global tech brands in the region, AI Expo Africa focuses on real-world applications […]

Hybrid work: How to create a digital transformation strategy that actually works

The working world has changed drastically. Today, survey after survey shows workers want a hybrid work model. But what does the future workplace look like and how can organisations create a digital transformation journey that fits the new paradigm? Marilyn Moodley, Country Leader for South Africa and WECA (West, East, Central Africa) at digital transformation specialist SoftwareONE, says […]

Crypto assets: Are you prepared for the taxman?

South African taxpayers must realize that the time to regularise their cryptocurrency assets with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has come, says Diane Seccombe, National Head of Taxation at Mazars. “While tax compliance in the crypto space has been a murky area until now, SARS and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) have followed […]

Flow Brings Billboard Advertising into the Digital World for Estate Agents

Nowhere in the world has an SMME been able to access major billboards in prominent locations before – but local proptech innovators Flow have handed estate agencies and individual agents the opportunity to mix with major global FMCG brands in the Digital Out of Home (DOOH) space, at a fraction of the cost. Having embarked […]

Cross-sector collaboration is turning unbanked into banked and can unlock financial inclusion in South Africa

By Nomvula Nyandeni, Business Development Lead at Pay@ Financial inclusion is a key enabler in reducing extreme poverty in Africa. It provides a step forward for consumers in underserved and unbanked markets across the continent, who previously had little or no access to useful, relevant, and affordable financial products that adequately meet their needs – these […]