Consumers Get New Weapon Against Phone Call Spam
South Africa has amended the Consumer Protection Act to require all direct marketers to register with the National Consumer Commission (NCC) and cleanse their databases monthly against a national opt‑out registry. The new regime imposes an initial registration fee of roughly $135, rising to $157 by 2029, with annual renewals around $102‑$118 and a per‑entry cleansing fee of 0.8‑1.5 cents. Marketers must also ensure bulk electronic messages identify the sender’s name, address and contact details, and they now face overlapping obligations with POPIA. The NCC’s limited resources raise questions about its ability to maintain the registry.
Standard Bank Data Breach Fallout Deepens
Standard Bank confirmed that data stolen in a March cyber‑attack has now been posted online, exposing client names, identification numbers, contact details and limited credit‑card information. The breach, attributed to a hacker using the handle “ROOTBOY,” involved a three‑week intrusion...
South Africa’s AI Moment Is Now – and We Risk Blowing It
AI investor Stafford Masie warns South Africa’s draft AI policy focuses on governance while ignoring the nation’s critical compute and power shortages. He argues that without affordable GPU access, reliable electricity, and clear incentive mechanisms, local AI startups will continue...
Stafford Masie: South Africa Risks Regulating Away Its AI Future
Prominent investor Stafford Masie has publicly warned that South Africa's draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy could "regulate away" the country's AI future. He argues the draft creates seven governance bodies before any investment in compute infrastructure or a clear energy...
Fibre: The Backbone of South Africa’s Digital Health Ecosystem
Mweb’s survey of over 40,000 digitally active South Africans shows that the internet, especially fibre, is now central to health‑seeking behaviour. Seventy‑three percent of respondents research symptoms online, while roughly half of those using the web for medical queries have...
Avast Business and Avert IT Distribution Rewrite the SMB Cybersecurity Playbook
Avast Business and its African distributor Avert IT Distribution are revamping cybersecurity for small and mid‑size firms by delivering a unified, cloud‑managed security suite combined with education and channel support. The platform consolidates endpoint protection, patch management, remote access and...
The Cameras Behind Artemis II’s Stunning Lunar Images
NASA enlisted two professional photography instructors to give Artemis II astronauts 20 hours of hands‑on training before the April 1 launch, focusing on composition, lighting and equipment handling. The crew relied on a Nikon D5 DSLR—renowned for radiation tolerance and low‑light performance—as the...
Uber in Big Pivot to Autonomous Robo-Taxis
Uber Technologies announced a more than $10 billion commitment to autonomous‑vehicle deployment, marking a departure from its traditional asset‑light gig model. The plan combines roughly $2.5 billion in equity stakes with over $7.5 billion to purchase and operate robo‑taxi fleets. Partnerships with Baidu,...
ACT Abandons Home Affairs Identity Fees Lawsuit
The Association of Comms & Technology (ACT) has withdrawn its high‑court challenge to Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber’s steep identity‑verification fee increase, opting for members to negotiate directly with the department. The fee rose from 15 cents to R10 per query...
AI Literacy Goes Mainstream in South Africa’s Jobs Market
South Africa’s March 2026 Pnet Job Market Trends Report shows AI literacy has moved from niche technical roles to a baseline expectation for white‑collar positions, including finance, administration, education and management. The shift accelerated after OpenAI’s ChatGPT launch in late 2022, with...
The Hidden Risk in South Africa’s Payment Infrastructure
South Africa faces a looming risk of being excluded from the global SWIFT network because its payment data does not meet the ISO 20022 standard slated for November 2026. The new format replaces legacy MT messages with structured XML, demanding precise address...
Anthropic Tightens the Screws on OpenAI
OpenAI, valued at $852 billion, closed a $122 billion funding round that set a Silicon Valley record. The company has twice altered its product roadmap in six months, moving from consumer‑focused ChatGPT to an enterprise‑centric strategy to counter threats from Anthropic and...
The End of MultiChoice as We Know It
Six months after Canal+ acquired MultiChoice, the South African pay‑TV giant is being reshaped under CEO David Mignot. A price freeze follows the loss of 2.8 million linear subscribers, and the underperforming Showmax service is being retired. The business now leans...
Thyspunt Emerges as Frontrunner for New Eskom Nuclear Plant
Eskom’s draft environmental scoping report recommends Thyspunt on the Eastern Cape as the preferred site for its proposed 5.2 GW nuclear power plant, citing superior proximity to transmission lines and existing wind‑farm infrastructure. The 776‑page report limits further study of the...
Streaming Platform Bags Rights for Fifa World Cup in South Africa
SportyTV, an African‑focused streaming service, secured pay‑TV rights from FIFA to broadcast all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup in South Africa. The agreement shifts the platform from its original free‑to‑air model to a subscription‑based offering and directly challenges...
