Unscrupulous Trading Platforms Probed Amid Rising Investor Losses
The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has launched more than ten investigations into South African online trading platforms after a surge in retail investor losses. The market, worth about $115.9 million in 2025, is projected to grow to $201.3 million by 2033 at a 7.2% CAGR, driven by easy‑access products such as CFDs and foreign‑currency instruments. Regulators flagged aggressive AI‑powered social‑media marketing, deep‑fake endorsements, and copy‑trading models as key risk drivers. In response, the FSCA is deploying suptech tools and an Integrated Regulatory System to tighten oversight.
Tech at Centre of SA’s Border Control over Easter
South Africa’s Border Management Authority reported a 24% drop in illegal crossings during the 2026 Easter period, intercepting 4,763 travelers versus 6,253 the previous year. The decline coincided with a 22% rise in arrests of migration facilitators, reaching 138 individuals....
Tech Personality Masie Leaves ABC Board
African Bitcoin Company (ABC) announced that long‑time tech entrepreneur and Bitcoin advocate Stafford Masie has resigned as chairman but will remain as executive director amid a board reshuffle. The firm, Africa’s first listed company to hold Bitcoin on its balance...
AgileSP Builds Momentum Inside Teraco’s Carrier-Neutral Ecosystem
Agile Solutions Provider (AgileSP) has expanded its footprint by operating points of presence (POPs) in five Teraco Data Environments facilities—JB1, JB3, DB1, CT1 and CT2—across Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The carrier‑neutral model of Teraco lets AgileSP deliver IP Transit,...
Modern Digital Identity Is Win for Government, People and Banks
South Africa is at a turning point as it moves from paper‑based verification to a reusable digital identity layer. The 2024 South Africa Identity Index shows 44.8% of organisations still depend on in‑person checks, while AI‑driven fraud is flagged by...
A Legal Imperative for Strengthening Data Governance, Protecting Personal Information
South African companies face mounting pressure from the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) to tighten data governance as digital transformation creates fragmented record‑keeping environments. Mohammed Vachiat of Konica Minolta South Africa argues that integrating digital record systems is now...
ITWeb TV: Microsoft SA CEO Talks SMME Development, Upskilling at Scale
Microsoft South Africa CEO Vukani Mngxati told ITWeb TV that building small, medium and micro‑enterprises (SMMEs) is the nation’s primary engine for growth and job creation. He highlighted Microsoft’s Black Economic Empowerment fund, which invests in and certifies young, women‑led,...
Naspers Feels Heat as Tencent Faces AI Reality Check
Naspers, through its 55%‑owned arm Prosus, holds a 24% stake in Tencent, and all three entities have seen their shares slump amid growing investor scepticism about AI‑driven spending. Tencent’s stock is down 18.38% year‑to‑date and has lost a similar share...
Automating Financial Operations for Faster, Safer Financial Reporting
South African firms are adopting MoData’s integrated Record‑to‑Report suite—Accurate, Adra and Cadency—to automate reconciliation and accelerate the financial close. The automation cuts manual reconciliations by up to 90% and reduces month‑end close time from 10‑11 days to 5‑7 days. The...
Canon Named a Leader in Latest IDC MarketScape: Worldwide High-Speed Inkjet 2025 Vendor Assessment
Canon has been named a leader in IDC's Worldwide High‑Speed Inkjet 2025 Vendor Assessment, confirming its strong market presence and growth in installations and page volume. The report highlights Canon’s expanded high‑speed inkjet portfolio, including a new 1,200 dpi piezo printhead...
IC Logistix Introduces Fujikura 99S Fusion Splicer
IC Logistix has launched the Fujikura 99S Fusion Splicer, a next‑generation fiber‑optic splicing tool that combines advanced core alignment, high‑speed splicing, intelligent automation, rugged construction, and extended battery life. The device is engineered for Africa’s rapidly expanding fiber networks, promising...
Can Universities Adopt AI and Remain in Control?
Universities confront a 92% student adoption rate of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini, raising alarms over plagiarism, hallucinations and data security. Edward Müller of Mint Group argues that institutions should move from restriction to building in‑house, governed AI...
SA’s R142bn Connectivity Plan: The Real Question Isn’t Funding; It’s Execution
South Africa unveiled a costed roadmap investing roughly R142 billion (about $7.7 billion) to deliver 100 Mbps broadband to every household by 2035. The plan spreads the spending over ten years, aligning public and private capital rather than creating new funding. Analysts argue...
AI’s Stealth Is Business Leadership and IT Concern
AI’s stealth integration means it often appears in existing tools without formal governance, turning it into a business leadership issue rather than just an IT concern. Centrax Digital COO Sarah Msimango warns that AI influences outcomes silently, exposing gaps when...
The Ghost in the Machine: Securing Non-Human Identities
BeyondTrust will address the growing risk of non‑human identities at the ITWeb Security Summit in Johannesburg, highlighting how machines, applications and service accounts are becoming prime attack vectors. The firm warns that attackers now prefer logging in with over‑privileged or...
AI Both Boon and Bane for SA’s Channel
AI is reshaping South Africa’s formal ICT channel, offering unprecedented speed, scale and intelligence while exposing deep‑seated legacy systems, data silos and skills gaps. GrowthGuru.ai’s co‑founders argue that AI can be a great equaliser for SMEs, but only if partners...
Fire Risk Sparks Power Bank Recall in SA
South Africa’s National Consumer Commission (NCC) has ordered a recall of ESR HaloLock Kickstand Wireless Power Banks (model 2G505B) after nine reports of lithium‑ion batteries overheating, catching fire and causing property damage. The devices, imported from China and sold through...
North West Accelerates Digital Shift with SmartGov Rollout
The North West province of South Africa launched its SmartGov platform across all departments on April 1, shifting from paper‑based to integrated digital administration. The rollout includes migration to Microsoft 365, Azure cloud, real‑time dashboards and strengthened cybersecurity, aiming to streamline procurement,...
New CEO Appointed at Technology Innovation Agency
The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) announced Dr. Titus Mathe as its new chief executive, effective 1 April, succeeding acting CEO Ismail Abdoola. Mathe brings senior leadership experience from Eskom, CSIR, Sappi Saiccor, SA Cyanamid, and the South African National Energy Development...
Digital Tools Fuel 46% Rise in Deportations Across SA
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs reported a 46% jump in deportations, reaching 109,344 over the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years. The surge stems from intensified campaigns such as Operation New Broom and the rollout of biometric verification, drones, and...
National Gambling Board Intros Portal to Verify Operators
The National Gambling Board (NGB) has launched an online portal that lists every gambling operator licensed in South Africa, giving the public a single source to verify legitimacy. The move targets a booming illegal betting market that siphons roughly R50 billion...
Cross Switch, Absa Expand Secure Checkout with Absa Pay
South African bank Absa has partnered with payments‑infrastructure provider Cross Switch to launch Absa Pay, a bank‑authenticated checkout option for e‑commerce merchants on the Cross Switch platform. The solution uses a payment‑initiation API that lets customers pay via phone number...
Broadband for All Still a Distant Goal in SA
South Africa’s regulator ICASA reports that only 4,377 of 21,878 public schools, clinics, libraries and traditional authority sites – about 20% – were linked to broadband by October 2025, far short of its universal‑access goal. Mobile network reach is near‑ubiquitous (99.5%...
Sentiv, Formerly Altron Nexus, Buys Stake in Visiosoft
Sentiv, the rebranded Altron Nexus, has purchased a majority equity stake in South African IoT specialist Visiosoft. The deal creates a strategic collaboration that will blend Sentiv’s mission‑critical communications expertise with Visiosoft’s hardware and firmware capabilities. Executives say the partnership...
Standard Bank Notifies Clients of Data Breach
Standard Bank, Africa’s largest lender by assets, disclosed a data breach that exposed business client records such as account numbers, limited account information, business names, and ID or registration numbers. The bank emphasized that its transactional banking systems were not...
Jobs Threat: Who Loses and Who Survives Automation Wave?
The Planera report identifies the ten occupations most vulnerable to automation by 2026, highlighting that routine, manual roles such as cashiers, data‑entry clerks and warehouse pickers face exposure rates up to 89 % in sectors like agriculture. Conversely, jobs requiring real‑time...
ESIM Capability Boosts FNB Connect’s Subscriber Volumes
FNB Connect, the bank‑owned MVNO in South Africa, says eSIM‑enabled plans now account for 10% of its sales, with a 96% year‑on‑year jump in eSIM revenue. The digital‑SIM push has driven a 180% surge in data consumption, totaling 26 petabytes, and...
When Silicon Got Serious About Security
The article traces cryptography’s evolution from the 1970s Data Encryption Standard (DES) to today’s Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). It highlights how silicon’s exponential speed gains exposed DES’s 56‑bit weakness, prompting the 1998 Deep Crack break. The...
Networks Emerge as Critical Bottleneck in AI Adoption
South African firms risk stalling AI projects unless they modernize their networks, HPE executives warned. While global AI adoption sits near 30%, Africa lags at roughly 27%, and many deployments are reactive and fragmented. HPE argues that legacy networking lacks...
Melon Digital Secures Global eSIM Deal
Melon Digital, an MVNO platform‑as‑a‑service provider, has teamed up with global eSIM specialist Airalo to deliver instant digital connectivity for international visitors in South Africa. The partnership launches an eSIM offering through Melon Mobile, allowing travelers to access data, voice...
Senior Tech Talent in Demand as AI Changes iGaming Hiring
The 2026 iGaming Talent Trends report shows the sector shifting from rapid growth to operational maturity, prompting firms to favor senior technical talent as AI automates routine work. Companies are scaling back entry‑level hires and focusing on experienced engineers in...
OpEd: UK Just Levered Open Multicloud in the Precedent SA Needed
Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority has compelled Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure to provide standardized egress terms for individual services, eliminating hidden fees and ensuring continuity during migration. The new rules, part of the UK’s broader push for cloud...
Data Prices Ease, but Affordability Gap Persists
South Africa’s Competition Commission released its second Cost of Living Report, showing data prices remain below headline inflation but still hinder digital inclusion for low‑income households. Wired broadband growth stayed just under 15 % annually, while wireless data stabilized around 2 %...
ITWeb TV Biz: Solving for Transparency in Parliament with Data and Tech
South Africa’s Parliament has launched ParliMeter, a civic‑tech dashboard that consolidates years of committee minutes, budget review reports and other parliamentary records into a searchable, visual platform. Developed by OUTA, OpenUp and the Parliamentary Monitoring Group with co‑funding from the...
Cell C, GirlCode Collab to Train 500 Unemployed Women
Cell C and GirlCode have partnered to train and certify 500 unemployed South African women in artificial intelligence and cloud computing. The six‑week online bootcamp runs from 13 April to 22 May, targeting females aged 18‑35, and includes Microsoft Elevate AI certification vouchers,...
Finding Africa’s Next-Gen Social Entrepreneurs
Change The World (CTW) 2026 in Cape Town featured 11 African impact startups pitching for funding, with Urobo Biotech winning top honors for its enzymatic bioplastic‑to‑fuel technology. Lightaceutics earned second place for AI‑powered smart glasses for the visually impaired, while...
IiDENTIFii Joins Microsoft Digital Natives Programme
Cape‑based biometric verification startup iiDENTIFii has been accepted into Microsoft’s Digital Natives Programme, a support track for fast‑growing, cloud‑native firms. The company already listed its identity platform on the Azure Marketplace in August 2024, using Microsoft Azure to power secure...
Maziv Commits R9bn to Expand Fibre, Create 10K Jobs
Maziv, the open‑access fibre network owner of Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa, announced a R9 billion (approximately $486 million) investment pledge over the next five years to accelerate South Africa’s high‑speed broadband rollout. The plan includes a dedicated commitment to generate 10,000...
Ozow Appoints Chief Risk and Governance Officer
South African payments firm Ozow announced the appointment of Tendi Nyathi as its first chief risk and governance officer, effective 1 April. The newly created role consolidates risk, governance, and legal functions under a single executive. Nyathi, who has been Ozow’s...
Google SA, DHET Partnership Brings AI to Higher Education
Google South Africa and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) have signed a two‑year memorandum of understanding to upskill students and staff across the country's public universities, TVET and community colleges with AI and digital capabilities. The deal...
Telemetry Data Exposes Scale of Unplanned Power Outages
Telemetry from Wetility’s national solar‑battery network recorded 91,934 unplanned grid outages across South Africa in 2025, showing households endured six to nine outages per month. While Eskom reports an improved Energy Availability Factor of 65.31% and a 46.7% drop in...
Huawei Secure SD-WAN Full SASE Solution: Secure, Intelligent Connectivity for Modern Enterprises
Huawei has launched its Secure SD‑WAN Full SASE solution, a unified platform that blends networking, security and AI‑driven management for enterprise connectivity. The solution dynamically routes traffic over MPLS, broadband, LTE or 5G while encrypting tunnels and providing integrated firewall,...
Top ICT Tenders: SASSA Looks to Modernise WAN
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has issued a tender to modernise its wide‑area network across 461 offices in all nine provinces. The agency seeks a secure, resilient SD‑WAN solution that integrates its existing APN service, provides automated failover,...
AI Helps Discovery Life Thwart Fraudulent Claims
Discovery Life, the JSE‑listed insurer, has embedded in‑house artificial intelligence and machine learning into its claims operation, enabling rapid identification of the less than 0.5 % of claims that appear fraudulent. In 2025 the company paid roughly $605 million in claims, of...
Solar Experts Pivot From Backup Power to Grid Resilience
Industry leaders at Solar & Storage Live Africa 2026 urged South Africa to move from isolated backup islands to integrated microgrids, emphasizing smart management and design efficiency over sheer battery capacity. Panels highlighted aggressive demand‑side efficiency, AI‑driven optimization, and tiered...
Stats SA Confirms Data Breach as Hackers Demand R1.7m Ransom
Stats SA confirmed that hacker group XP95 accessed its HR recruitment database, stealing roughly 154 GB of personal data and demanding a $100,000 (R1.7 million) ransom. The agency rejected the demand, citing compliance with South Africa’s Public Finance Management Act and plans...
Huawei Urges ‘Grid-Forming’ Tech to Stabilise SA’s Energy Transition
Huawei is urging South Africa to adopt grid‑forming technology to address transmission bottlenecks as the nation accelerates its solar and battery energy storage rollout. The company highlighted that photovoltaic generation will surpass coal globally by more than 22% by the...
Training Room Partners UBU to Launch AI-Powered Training Platform
Training Room Online (TTRO) has teamed with AI‑driven metaverse firm UBU to launch Red Horizon, an immersive 3‑D simulation platform for corporate leaders, university students and early‑career programs. The system combines TTRO’s simulation pedigree with UBU’s virtual environment, featuring an...
Phakamo Tech Champions Integrated GRC Approach at ITWeb Security Summit 2026
Phakamo Tech announced its sponsorship of the ITWeb Security Summit in Johannesburg, scheduled for 2‑3 June 2026, where it will present an integrated cyber security, governance and risk management (GRC) framework. The company argues that African organisations must align security controls...
Discovery Bank Drives Super App Ambition with AI, Integration
Discovery Bank is transforming its mobile platform into a "super app" that merges banking with health, insurance, investment and lifestyle services across the Discovery Group. AI underpins the experience, delivering a virtual financial assistant, real‑time fraud alerts and personalised nudges...
