South Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure.

He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a century ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility.

Van Binsbergen also discusses the rise of imported vehicles in the sales mix in South Africa – including the rapid expansion of Chinese brands. China is a market he knows well, having spent three years there with BMW.

In the interview, TechCentral Show viewers will also hear about:

• The state of the local automotive manufacturing industry;

• What South Africa needs to implement in policy reform to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa – and why this is urgent;

• How the country must adapt to the global shift to electric mobility;

• The role of BMW’s IT Hub in South Africa;

• BMW’s global EV strategy, and what that means for South African EV buyers; and

• BMW’s Neue Klasse vehicles, which run the company’s next-generation EV platform, and why they are significant to its future.

Don’t miss a fascinating discussion! TechCentral

Altron earlier this month announced that it has deployed an "AI factory" in one of Teraco’s new Johannesburg data centres. Powered by Nvidia AI infrastructure and software, the factory is has already gone live with half a dozen customers.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Altron Group chief technology officer Bongani Andy Mabaso explains the rationale for the investment, what building the factory entailed and what the anchor tenants are using the platform to do.

Mabaso tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod:

• What an AI factory is exactly and why Altron has decided to build one;

• What’s involved in deploying AI infrastructure, especially from a power and cooling perspective – and why Altron decided to locate its AI factory at Teraco;

• What companies like Lelapa AI, MathU and Dataviue are using the Altron AI Factory to do;

• Why Altron partnered with Asus and HPE on the project;

• How the infrastructure can be used; and

• The advantages of hosting an AI factory in South Africa, as opposed to an offshore data centre – it’s not only about better network latency.

Don’t miss the conversation! TechCentral

Vodacom Business recently appointed an “extraordinary business advisory board”, a strategic initiative designed to strengthen its enterprise expertise and support organisations on their digital transformation journeys.

To unpack the decision to appoint an advisory board, TechCentral is joined in this episode of TCS+ by Videsha Proothveerajh, director of Vodacom Business, who explains that it’s all part of Vodacom’s shift from being a traditional telecommunications provider to a “techco”, or technology company.

In this episodes Proothveerajh chats about:

• The advisory board, who it is comprised of and the purpose it is meant to serve in the business services landscape in South Africa;

• The fact that the pace of technology change has accelerated coming out of Covid and how this influenced Vodacom Business’s approach to digital transformation;

• How the new advisory board influences Vodacom’s approach to guiding enterprise clients on digital transformation;

• The role the latest telecoms technologies, including 5G and the internet of things, are playing in the business-to-business environment in which Vodacom Business operates;

• How Vodacom Business tailors its digital transformation solutions to meet the needs of different industries or enterprise segments, or indeed of customers that might not be as advanced as others in their application of technology;

• The most common obstacles South African enterprises face when it comes to technology adoption and digital transformation; and

• The emerging trends and technologies that will have the biggest impact on the business market in the next few years.

Don’t miss an informative discussion! TechCentral

The invention of the silicon transistor was fundamental to the success of the digital age, driving the core of the modern-day digital economy.

The rise of generative AI has put hardware at the epicentre of the next wave of economic growth, with chip makers such as Nvidia and AMD reaching record valuations as demand for advanced chips far outstrips supply.

But as AI data centres expand, so, too, does their consumption of resources, with their demand for water and electricity rising exponentially.

FinalSpark is a Swiss biocomputing company exploring more efficient ways of computing – and it’s turned to human neurons as a potential solution.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Fred Jordan, co-founder and co-CEO of FinalSpark, gives insight into “wetware” (in effect, living hardware) and what it means for the future of computing.

Jordan delves into:

• What inspired him turn to living neurons as a means of processing;

• Parallels between his training as a signal processing engineer and his work with living neurons;

• Why FinalSpark uses human neurons and not any other like those from a cat on an octopus;

• How skin cells are used to “create” the neurons;

• How the neurons are fed, stored and kept alive;

• How long the neurons live for and the sort of computations FinalSpark has made them perform; and

• His views on the future of computing.

Don’t miss this intriguing discussion! TechCentral

In today’s hyperconnected society, mobile connectivity is key to running a successful business, helping keep employees connected to each other, to organisational resources and to customers.

To manage communications effectively, businesses need to have a clear view of the entire Sim estate across the organisation. Monitoring usage and having the control needed to provide (or restrict) resources such as voice minutes and data quickly and easily are critical to managing costs effectively.

MSB Micro Systems is a company specialising in managed network connectivity for corporate entities. In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, MSB Microsystems founder and CEO Danny Stemmet talks about the ins and outs of Sim management.

Stemmet delves into:

• MSB Micro’s history and how the company changed from being a software development house to a services company;

• How the rise of hybrid work environments and remote teams have affected demand for Sim management services, especially among mobile workforces;

• How MSB Micro Systems supports Sims that perform machine-to-machine communications and other internet-of-things functions;

• How MSB’s network-agnostic approach provides flexibility its resellers and, by extension, their clients;

• How MSB’s pricing model supports businesses at every stage growth, helping them scale appropriately when they need to;

• The key benefits for a company that chooses to use a managed connectivity service rather than managing their mobile estate directly with an operator; and

• Why MSB Micro is changing its business model from being a managed service provider to a platform business.

Don’t miss this informative conversation. TechCentral

Cryptocurrencies are increasingly moving beyond being seen as an investment asset as users find more real-world uses in everyday contexts. It appears that crypto is becoming more like cash – with users prepared to use it as the point of sale.

Crypto payments specialist MoneyBadger recently signed a deal with fintech Scan to Pay allowing crypto wallet users pay at more than 650 000 stores nationwide.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, MoneyBadger CEO Carel van Wyk and Luno country manager for South Africa Christo de Wit tell TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about what the partnership means for crypto platforms, their users and the broader economy.

Van Wyk and De Wit delve into:

• The mindset shift that happens when users move from being crypto investors to day-to-day users of digital currencies;

• How crypto payments allow for immediate settlement in rands and what that means for merchants and users;

• How merchants benefit by supporting crypto payments at their stores;

• Why a crypto investor might want to consider using it to make payments;

• The tax implications that must be considered before investing in or using crypto for payments;

• The role cryptocurrencies play in promoting financial inclusion; and

• The role cryptocurrencies will play as the Reserve Bank modernises the National Payment System.

Don’t miss an interesting discussion! TechCentral

When most people think of Amazon Web Services, they automatically assume they should go directly to AWS. However, for the diverse ecosystem of AWS partners – including managed service providers and independent software vendors – the real secret to achieving significant growth often lies in leveraging the distributor model.

Consider this analogy: if AWS is a powerful cloud engine, then the reseller acts as the skilled driver. But who manages the complexities of operating the vehicle, such as maintenance, refuelling, training and necessary pit stops? That administrative heavy lifting falls to the distributor.

In this episode of TCS+, Senzo Mbhele, MD at Cloud On Demand, explains the AWS distribution model and its advantages.

Mbhele discusses:

• The main business challenges that the AWS distribution model addresses;

• How distributors create financial value and improve return on investment for others in the ecosystem, including end customers;

• The support distribution partners provide to internal teams, enabling them to achieve more without the need to hire additional staff;

• The expertise distributors offer to help chief information officers and chief technology officers manage risk, security and governance throughout their cloud journey;

• Common misconceptions that may cause executives to hesitate before partnering with a distributor; and

• Indicators that suggest it might be time for a business to consider the services of a distribution partner, along with the benefits this can bring.

Don’t miss this engaging conversation! TechCentral

E-commerce will soon reach an important milestone in South Africa: by January, according to World Wide Worx research, online shopping will top 10% of total retail sales for the first time. The move to 15% and then to 20% will come much quicker.

That’s the view of Frederik Zietsman, CEO of Naspers-owned Takealot Group – South Africa’s largest online retailer – who was speaking to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show.

In the interview, Zietsman unpacks what’s driving the rapid adoption of online shopping in South Africa – Covid-19 was a key trigger – and what the future holds as international e-commerce giants step up their investments in the country.

He also discusses:

• How the competitive dynamics of the market have changed in recent years;

• The impact of the entry of international giants such as Amazon and Walmart and how this will reshape the market in the coming years;

• The decision to expand subsidiary Mr D’s focus from fast food to include new product categories;

• The township opportunity and how Takealot is working to crack that market;

• Takealot’s plans to move to electric vehicles in its logistics fleet, including a look at what’s needed to introduce electric motorbikes at scale;

• The challenge of crime in the logistics chain and what’s being done to fight it;

• Why Takealot is getting into the home loans business; and

• What’s going to drive the company’s growth in the next few years.

Don’t miss a fascinating conversation! TechCentral

Seacom last week announced that it plans to build one of the highest-capacity subsea broadband cable systems the world has ever seen.

Dubbed Seacom 2.0, the cable system – which will have an expected design capacity of a staggering 2 000Tbit/s – will be larger than the company’s original system, which brought high-speed connectivity to Africa’s eastern coastline when it was launched in 2009.

The new system, which will include an “express route” from South Africa to Singapore and leg around South Africa to Lobito in Angola – and which will also cover much of the same East African coastline as the first system – will use the latest fibre-optic technology and 48 fibre pairs to deliver its extreme total capacity.

Alpheus Mangale, CEO of Seacom, sat down with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod for an exclusive first interview with the TechCentral Show to unpack the announcement and provide much greater detail about the deployment – including its timelines and the technology that will be used.

In the interview, Mangale touches on a range of topics, including:

• What’s involved in building a submarine cable system of this magnitude;

• Why Seacom has chosen the routing for the cable that it has;

• The need for great redundancy around the African continent, and how this fed into Seacom’s planning for Seacom 2.0;

• The commercial model for the new system and what this means for the region;

• The assumptions Seacom is making about future internet demand and how that feeds into its return-on-investment forecasts;

• How the system will be funded and who is backing it;

• The risks inherent in building telecommunications infrastructure at this scale; and

• The terrestrial infrastructure that will be deployed to support Seacom 2.0, including landing stations and edge data centres.

Don’t miss a fascinating interview! TechCentral

South Africa’s payments ecosystem is evolving at a rapid pace. PayInc – previously BankservAfrica – sits at the core of the country’s payments infrastructure. As the builder and manager of the PayShap instant payment rails, PayInc is central to the Reserve Bank’s plans to drive digital inclusion through payment modernisation.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Stephen Linnell, CEO of PayInc, tells TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu about the strategy behind the rebrand to PayInc and how that fits into the utility’s vision of the payments ecosystem in South Africa and the broader Southern Africa region.

Linnell delves into:

• PayInc’s new ownership structure with the Reserve Bank taking over 50% ownership from the private banks;

• How the Reserve Bank’s participation will help PayInc achieve its goals;

• An assessment of PayShap since its 2023 launch and what comes next;

• What the proposed inclusion of non-bank players including fintechs, retailers and telecommunications operators in the national payments and settlements system means for the economy;

• The efforts PayInc is making to implement instant payments at a regional level; and

• Emerging payment technologies like central bank digital currencies and stablecoins.

Don’t miss this informative discussion. TechCentral