tech news
PoPIA Deadline Extended – Information Officer Registration Portal Broken
After a series of technical glitches with the Information Regulator’s registration portal for information officers looking to achieve compliance with the PoPI Act, the 1 July 2021 compliance deadline has been scrapped. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Information Regulator said that this decision is also based on numerous concerns raised by responsible parties regarding the registration process. “The regulator is currently looking into alternative registration processes and will communicate this in due course. We understand that our portal malfunctioning has caused a lot of anxiety and panic and for that, we really do apologise,” Information Regulator chair Pansy Tlakula said. Deadline Extended by 1 Year With this, the regulator has extended the applications for prior authorisation ...
Microsoft Reaches $2-Trillion Valuation Driven by Cloud Computing Offerings
Image sourced from NS Energy. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_df0.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_df0.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Microsoft has taken its place as the second US publicly traded company in history to reach a $2-trillion market value, joining predecessor Apple in a very exclusive club. The company has been buoyed by betting its dominance in enterprise cloud computing with Microsoft Azure. Microsoft seems set on continuing to release future enterprise software to users in a post-pandemic world. Its shares rose as much as 1.2% in New York on Tuesday, allowing Microsoft to briefly join Apple as one of only two companies trading at such a golden value before closing a little bit lower than the mark at $265.51. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_eb4.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left...
Mastercard and Zamtel Partner to Drive Financial Inclusion in Zambia
Today Zamtel, a government-owned telecommunication service provider in Zambia, and Mastercard have announced a strategic partnership that will enable Zamtel Mobile Money customers – even those without bank accounts – to make safe and seamless digital payments on the Mastercard network including international e-commerce transactions. This is expected to drive financial inclusion and improve access to the digital economy. Under the agreement, Zamtel will launch a suite of Mastercard products including a Mastercard virtual solution, a physical debit card, and Mastercard QR, giving its Mobile Money customers new ways to access and pay for products and services at the millions of merchants that accept Mastercard in Zambia and abroad. Virtual Payments via Zamlet Mobile Money With a Mastercard vi...
IoT is One of Medicine’s Biggest Tools – Also Its Weakest Security Link
Image sourced from HP Consultant. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_0e2.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_0e2.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Healthcare has always been on the cutting edge, with hospitals and healthcare providers typically quick to embrace any innovation that will translate into better, more efficient, more affordable care. From microscopic pill cameras and implantable devices to laser surgery and advanced monitoring techniques, medical technology is all about creating the best possible patient outcome. But when it comes to the latest wave of innovative products, powered by always-on, always-connected internet of things (IoT) technology, there are growing concerns that security issues may eventually harm medical institutions or the patients themselves. /* custom css */...
Investing in STEM Crucial for African Countries to Benefit from 4IR
Image sourced from STEMpedia. To ensure African economies benefit fully from the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), and the data economy it will bring, there are several trends that industries on the continent need to fully embrace. These include artificial intelligence, cloud, machine learning and the Internet of Things. Enabling the utilisation of these, however, requires two pivotal focuses. The first is an investment in infrastructure. The second is Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills development, so that African economies have the core competencies needed to participate in the data economy, says Adesh Nathalal, Education Manager at SAS in South Africa. The clock is ticking. By 2030, the above needs to be accomplished to ensure African economies can leapfrog devel...
Ramaphosa, Macron Announce “Landmark” Plan to Produce mRNA Vaccines in South Africa
French President Emmanuel Macron and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Image sourced from The Sowetan. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_eed.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_eed.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } South Africa is set to build a new hub for manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines, announces President Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa addressed a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday. The conference was facilitated by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Macron, who referred to Ramaphosa as “my friend”, said that the partnership was the result of his state visit to South Africa at the end of last month. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_7dd.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_7dd.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The WHO issued a call for Expression...
Sage Provides Award-Winning Cloud Solutions to Help All Businesses Perform at Their Best
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_620.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_620.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Sage is the global market leader for technology that helps small and medium businesses perform at their best. The company is trusted by millions of customers worldwide to deliver the best cloud technology and support, with our partners, to manage finances, operations, and people. “We believe in doing everything we can to help people be the best they can be, so the combined efforts of 12,000 Sage colleagues working with businesses and communities make a real difference to the world,” the company says. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_ea6.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_ea6.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “Sage. Perform at your Best.” Having similar humble origins to the myr...
MTN Commits $1.5-Billion for Broadband Access Across Nigeria
Sourced from TheTechieGuy (https://thetechieguy.com/) MTN Nigeria plans to invest 640-billion naira (approximately US$1.5 billion) over the next three years to expand broadband access across the continent’s most populous country, in line with the federal government’s 2020-2025 National Broadband Plan and in support of MTN Group’s Ambition 2025 strategy. “Nigeria is one of our most important markets. We have a proud history of partnering with Nigeria and Nigerians to drive faster and more inclusive growth through digital transformation,” said MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita after a three-day visit to Abuja and Lagos, in which he met a number of key stakeholders. These included President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice President Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo; Minister of Communications and Digita...
The Key to Boosting Women in Tech in South Africa
Sourced from Women in Tech Africa. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_365.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_365.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Women remain a largely untapped resource in the technology talent pool in South Africa. The statistics don’t lie: there are only 56000 women filling 236 000 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) roles in the country. That is 23%. Women fare even worse in emerging technology roles, such as cloud computing, and data and AI, with only 14% female participation in professional cloud computing and 28% in data and AI. Perhaps even more concerning is the lack of female talent filtering into the pipeline. For every two women who graduate with a STEM-related (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degree in South Africa, there are fiv...
New Renewables Offer Energy Security for SA’s Beleaguered Economy
Sourced from Saur Energy. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_bb6.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_bb6.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } In a bold move last year, the South African government launched an emergency energy procurement plan with a view to relieve the current energy crisis and limit load-shedding. The shortfalls are currently partially alleviated, however at great expense, as there is extensive use of diesel-based open cycle gas turbines. Such fossil-fuel-based contingencies undermine our ability to reduce carbon emissions, curb global warming, and achieve sustainable development. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_b0f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_b0f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Dubbed the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (RMIPPPP), t...
Uber South Africa is Offering 100,000 Free Rides to Get Teachers Vaccinated
Sourced from CNet. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_09d.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_09d.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The South African government has fast-tracked the vaccine rollout for teachers and staff at schools across the country. Educators and staff of schools will begin receiving their COVID-19 jabs on Wednesday 23 June in a two-week push project aiming to administer 582,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine. Teacher Vaccines Fast-Tracked Fast-tracking the rollout for teachers and schools staff is a major step in managing the country’s school system that has become embattled since the pandemic began in earnest. Thousands of teachers have succumbed to COVID-19 since March of 2020, and students have been living in anxiety of school closures and from h...
Wits University Robotics Team to Compete in AI-Powered “Robot Soccer World Cup”
Image sourced from the Mail & Guardian. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_0f9.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_0f9.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } For the first time, a Wits University team will compete in the international RoboCup tournament. RoboCup, the world cup for soccer robots, is a major annual event on the artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics calendar with a goal to advance the state of the art of intelligent robots. It sees teams from across the globe competing in different soccer leagues to show their mastery in AI and machine learning. The soccer robots can either be working physical robots or simulation robots. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_2e0.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_2e0.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Wits will be participating in the 3D simul...
