TechCentral

Donald Valoyi saw the potential market for on-demand grocery delivery in South Africa early on, and his company Zulzi was a pioneer in the space.

It even went on to help Shoprite Holdings launch the Checkers Sixty60 app.

Zulzi was founded in 2013 as an “aggregator” of various shopping outlets to help consolidate online shopping for customers.

Today the company provides support to Sixty60 and continues to operate as a separate entity through seven of its own “dark stores”, or warehouses.

Zulzi founder Valoyi joins the TechCentral Show to chat about the company's journey, which began with his exit from corporate South Africa into entrepreneurship.

He shares his views on the innovations reshaping the e-commerce sector and how South African businesses should equip themselves to handle competition from international players.

Valoyi also chats about:

• His entrepreneurial ambitions and why he chose e-commerce as his focus;

• The early days of Zulzi, and how he built the business;

• How Zulzi’s relationship with Shoprite and the Checkers Sixty60 app came about;

• Why Valoyi believes the Post Office is key to driving e-commerce growth in South Africa;

• Why the medical sector is ripe for e-commerce disruption; and

• How technologies like artificial intelligence are changing the online shopping experience.

Don’t miss the interview!

Twice yearly, ESET publishes its Threat Report in which it unpacks the latest trends and developments in the world of information security.

Adrian Stanford, group chief technology officer at ESET Southern Africa, is our guest in the latest episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, and he provides a succinct overview of the key trends identified in the latest ESET Threat Report, for the first half of 2024.

Stanford provides a brief overview of the findings before delving into:

• The threat posed by generative AI, including how bad actors are using the technology to break into systems and target victims;

• The rise of deepfakes and the threat they pose, particularly in mobile;

• The threat posed to Linux-based systems – and why there’s a misconception that malware doesn’t target Linux (or macOS); and

• The latest on plug-in malware impacting WordPress-based websites.

Don’t miss this informative discussion about the evolving world of cyberthreats and how they could impact you and your business. TechCentral

Twice yearly, ESET publishes its Threat Report in which it unpacks the latest trends and developments in the world of information security.

Adrian Stanford, group chief technology officer at ESET Southern Africa, is our guest in the latest episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, and he provides a succinct overview of the key trends identified in the latest ESET Threat Report, for the first half of 2024.

Stanford provides a brief overview of the findings before delving into:

• The threat posed by generative AI, including how bad actors are using the technology to break into systems and target victims;

• The rise of deepfakes and the threat they pose, particularly in mobile;

• The threat posed to Linux-based systems – and why there’s a misconception that malware doesn’t target Linux (or macOS); and

• The latest on plug-in malware impacting WordPress-based websites.

Don’t miss this informative discussion about the evolving world of cyberthreats and how they could impact you and your business.

South African scientists have launched a cost-effective air-quality monitoring system built using internet of things and artificial intelligence technologies.

Bruce Mellado, professor of particle physics and director of the Institute for Collider Particle Physics at Wits University, is one of the key people behind the new initiative, which is aimed at improving air quality in South Africa and eventually other markets around the world. He recently joined Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show to discuss the project.

Mellado, who also director at the iThemba Laboratories for Accelerator Based Sciences – a unit of South Africa’s National Research Foundation – takes TechCentral through the devices, how they were built and how they’re being deployed in South Africa to detect reportable problems with air quality.

“We decided to create, for the first time in South Africa, a cost-effective air-quality monitoring system based on sensors, IoT and AI. We have named this system Ai_r.,” Mellado wrote in a recent article for The Conversation and published on TechCentral.

“Our team of 25 people includes more than 20 years of experience as particle physicists in working with sensors, communications and AI,” he wrote.

“There are only 130 big air-quality measuring stations in South Africa. They only measure the air quality in the vicinity of the station. This is why we need cost-effective, dense networks made up of Ai_r systems set up all around these stations, to measure air quality in a much wider area. Our vision is to place tens of thousands of these devices all over South Africa.”

In this episode of TCS, Mellado chats about:

• The latest developments in particle physics, some of the work he is involved in and how a particle physicist got involved in an air-quality monitoring project;

• Where the idea for the Ai_r device came from, its development and how it works;

• The role of IoT and AI in the device, and why the development team made the technology choices it did;

• The data that’s been collected so far, and what it can be used for;

• How much the solution costs, and how you can buy one to monitor your air quality at home.

Don’t miss a great conversation! TechCentral

South African scientists have launched a cost-effective air-quality monitoring system built using internet of things and artificial intelligence technologies.

Bruce Mellado, professor of particle physics and director of the Institute for Collider Particle Physics at Wits University, is one of the key people behind the new initiative, which is aimed at improving air quality in South Africa and eventually other markets around the world. He recently joined Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show to discuss the project.

Mellado, who also director at the iThemba Laboratories for Accelerator Based Sciences – a unit of South Africa’s National Research Foundation – takes TechCentral through the devices, how they were built and how they’re being deployed in South Africa to detect reportable problems with air quality.

“We decided to create, for the first time in South Africa, a cost-effective air-quality monitoring system based on sensors, IoT and AI. We have named this system Ai_r.,” Mellado wrote in a recent article for The Conversation and published on TechCentral.

“Our team of 25 people includes more than 20 years of experience as particle physicists in working with sensors, communications and AI,” he wrote.

“There are only 130 big air-quality measuring stations in South Africa. They only measure the air quality in the vicinity of the station. This is why we need cost-effective, dense networks made up of Ai_r systems set up all around these stations, to measure air quality in a much wider area. Our vision is to place tens of thousands of these devices all over South Africa.”

In this episode of TCS, Mellado chats about:

• The latest developments in particle physics, some of the work he is involved in and how a particle physicist got involved in an air-quality monitoring project;

• Where the idea for the Ai_r device came from, its development and how it works;

• The role of IoT and AI in the device, and why the development team made the technology choices it did;

• The data that’s been collected so far, and what it can be used for;

• How much the solution costs, and how you can buy one to monitor your air quality at home.

Don’t miss a great conversation!

Jorge Mendes has been in the hot seat at Cell C for just over a year, and the turnaround at the long-troubled mobile operator is starting to gain traction.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), Mendes sits down with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod for a detailed interview in which he provides an update on what’s happened in the past year at Cell C, paints of a picture of the state of the business today, and sets out what comes next for the mobile operator.

To signal the management team’s intentions, and to declare the business is on a new strategic footing and is in the market for the long term, Cell C recently refreshed its brand identity and signalled its intention to take back market share from its bigger rivals.

In this episode of TCS, Mendes tackles a range of questions, including:

• Why he left what seemed to be a plum job at Vodacom to take on the difficult challenge of turning around Cell C;

• What went through his mind in the first few days on the job;

• Cell C’s plan to recapture the title of third largest mobile operator from Telkom – and to take the fight to MTN and Vodacom;

• Why Cell C has struggled to compete, how it accumulated huge amounts of debt and why the new strategy is its best but last chance of success;

• The state of Cell C’s finances – and especially its balance sheet – following the recent recapitalisation led by its largest shareholder, Blue Label Telecoms;

• His relationship with Blue Label founders and co-CEOs Brett Levy and Mark Levy;

• The role of regulatory support, especially in call termination;

• Why Cell C handed back the spectrum it secured in the 2022 spectrum auction, and its plans for participation in future auctions;

• The role of mobile virtual network operators and wholesale services in Cell C’s recovery plan; and

• Cell C’s strategy to capture more of the lucrative contract market.

There’s plenty more in the interview with Mendes – don’t miss the conversation! TechCentral

Jorge Mendes has been in the hot seat at Cell C for just over a year, and the turnaround at the long-troubled mobile operator is starting to gain traction.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), Mendes sits down with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod for a detailed interview in which he provides an update on what’s happened in the past year at Cell C, paints of a picture of the state of the business today, and sets out what comes next for the mobile operator.

To signal the management team’s intentions, and to declare the business is on a new strategic footing and is in the market for the long term, Cell C recently refreshed its brand identity and signalled its intention to take back market share from its bigger rivals.

In this episode of TCS, Mendes tackles a range of questions, including:

• Why he left what seemed to be a plum job at Vodacom to take on the difficult challenge of turning around Cell C;

• What went through his mind in the first few days on the job;

• Cell C’s plan to recapture the title of third largest mobile operator from Telkom – and to take the fight to MTN and Vodacom;

• Why Cell C has struggled to compete, how it accumulated huge amounts of debt and why the new strategy is its best but last chance of success;

• The state of Cell C’s finances – and especially its balance sheet – following the recent recapitalisation led by its largest shareholder, Blue Label Telecoms;

• His relationship with Blue Label founders and co-CEOs Brett Levy and Mark Levy;

• The role of regulatory support, especially in call termination;

• Why Cell C handed back the spectrum it secured in the 2022 spectrum auction, and its plans for participation in future auctions;

• The role of mobile virtual network operators and wholesale services in Cell C’s recovery plan; and

• Cell C’s strategy to capture more of the lucrative contract market.

There’s plenty more in the interview with Mendes – don’t miss the conversation!

Meet the CIO is presented by Wipro.

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There is much more to being a chief information officer than being an advocate of the latest technology. In fact, articulating a vision, and architecting it, is critical.

That’s according to Shabhana Thaver, CIO at Investec Specialist Bank, who is the guest in the hot seat in episode 2 of TechCentral’s new interview series, Meet the CIO, which is presented by Wipro.

According to Thaver, technology is changing banking and many other industries in fundamental ways, and CIOs need to play a big role in providing an holistic view to the rest of the C-suite of what those changes mean for their company and for their industry.

“You have to be a risk officer, you have to be a compliance officer, you have to be a CIO, you have to understand the commercials and the revenue side of things… I'm a technologist, I love the fancy new stuff and dabbling and playing with it, but being in in a bank, which is systemic, you have to consider the impact of what you are doing, not just the change and the benefit.”

In the interview, Thaver discusses:

• Her career background in software development, and what led her to Johannesburg from Durban, her hometown, and then to Investec;

• Her career at Investec, leading to her appointment as CIO;

• The role of the CIO in a modern bank like Investec, and how the role of an IT leader differs in a bank compared to other industries;

• What makes a good CIO – and the role the CIO should play in helping establish organisational strategy;

• The big IT projects she is leading at Investec and the impact these will have on the bank;

• Investec’s technology stack and how it compares to other banks in South Africa;

• The likely impact of artificial intelligence – including generative AI – on Investec and its clients, including a look at how the bank is approaching AI;

• How AI will impact the banking industry – as well as what it means for productivity and jobs; and

• How else technology is changing the banking industry

Don’t miss a fascinating interview. TechCentral

Meet the CIO is presented by Wipro.

---

There is much more to being a chief information officer than being an advocate of the latest technology. In fact, articulating a vision, and architecting it, is critical.

That’s according to Shabhana Thaver, CIO at Investec Specialist Bank, who is the guest in the hot seat in episode 2 of TechCentral’s new interview series, Meet the CIO, which is presented by Wipro.

According to Thaver, technology is changing banking and many other industries in fundamental ways, and CIOs need to play a big role in providing an holistic view to the rest of the C-suite of what those changes mean for their company and for their industry.

“You have to be a risk officer, you have to be a compliance officer, you have to be a CIO, you have to understand the commercials and the revenue side of things… I'm a technologist, I love the fancy new stuff and dabbling and playing with it, but being in in a bank, which is systemic, you have to consider the impact of what you are doing, not just the change and the benefit.”

In the interview, Thaver discusses:

• Her career background in software development, and what led her to Johannesburg from Durban, her hometown, and then to Investec;

• Her career at Investec, leading to her appointment as CIO;

• The role of the CIO in a modern bank like Investec, and how the role of an IT leader differs in a bank compared to other industries;

• What makes a good CIO – and the role the CIO should play in helping establish organisational strategy;

• The big IT projects she is leading at Investec and the impact these will have on the bank;

• Investec’s technology stack and how it compares to other banks in South Africa;

• The likely impact of artificial intelligence – including generative AI – on Investec and its clients, including a look at how the bank is approaching AI;

• How AI will impact the banking industry – as well as what it means for productivity and jobs; and

• How else technology is changing the banking industry

Don’t miss a fascinating interview. TechCentral

The big mobile network operators in South Africa “have never shown a willingness to … accommodate smaller players”, so the notion that they should be entitled to “Fair Share” is “difficult to swallow for smaller operators who have been at the end of their [unfair] business practices”.

That’s the view of Dominic Cull, a leading specialist South African ICT lawyer and regulatory adviser to the Internet Service Providers’ Association (Ispa), who was speaking to the TechCentral Show (TCS) in an interview (published below).

Cull’s criticism of Fair Share – at least in the form being advanced by the large telecoms operators – comes as the Association of Comms & Technology (ACT), a lobby group that represents the country’s largest telecoms providers, agitates for its adoption by policymakers in South Africa.

Fair Share is an idea that has gained traction among operators in Europe, where margins have been pressured in a competitive market. They argue that so-called OTT – “over the top” – companies, which include streaming video providers such as Netflix, Disney+ and TikTok, should contribute a “fair share” to the development of broadband infrastructure.

Critics have said this is simply a move by infrastructure providers, which have experienced margin compression with the move from voice to data services, to try to claw back lost profits.

Speaking at last month’s Datacentrix Showcase 2024 event in Sandton, ICT industry stalwart Andile Ngcaba – who founded Convergence Partners – said the move by ACT to pressure policymakers and regulators over “Fair Share” is not needed or wanted in the South African context.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” said Ngcaba, who is a previous policymaker in South Africa and who served as director-general of communications in the Nelson Mandela administration.

In the interview with TCS, Cull echoed this view and said ACT’s lobbying for Fair Share is partly aimed at “catching the ear” of newly appointed communications minister Solly Malatsi and influencing what is included in forthcoming amendments to legislation that governs the ICT sector in South Africa.

In this episode of TCS, Cull chats about:

• Whether ACT has a point about Fair Share;

• How big content players impact smaller operators and internet service providers, and why the call for Fair Share is coming from the industry’s biggest players;

• The investments by the OTT players in both terrestrial and subsea fibre infrastructure, including Google’s investment in the Equiano cable and Meta Platforms’ involvement in 2Africa;

• Whether mobile network operators doomed to become low-margin “dumb pipes” like other utility industries. Can they somehow avoid that fate?

Don’t miss the discussion, and if you enjoyed it, check out our December 2023 interview with Dominic Cull on Starlink in South Africa. TechCentral