The Tefo Mohapi Show

At 47 years old, Isaac Mophatlane is easily a veteran in South Africa's ICT sector and the broader ICT sector across Africa. It is not because of his age but rather his experience in the industry that qualifies him as such.

From starting, together with his late twin brother Benjamin Mophatlane, as consumer and small business software salespeople at a retail software store in the mid-to-late 1990s in Pretoria, right up to selling a company he co-founded with his brother, BCX (formerly Business Connexion), for approximately $200 million to Telkom, he been in the trenches.

In this episode, Isaac shares how his journey is continuing as an investor into ICT companies, his thoughts on governance in South Africa, and more.

By default, when one thinks of Thebe Ikalafeng thoughts of his passion for Africa, marketing, and being an experienced and professional brand strategist come to mind. This is not only by default, but it is also by design.

In this episode Thebe joins Tefo to unpack what personal branding is about, especially explaining that it doesn't necessarily mean not being yourself. He further explores how we can continue to tell our stories as Africans.

Thebe also explores the topic of marketing Africa as one brand.

Even before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic happened, the world was already experiencing an economic slowdown. In South Africa for example, many big corporations were already laying off thousands of their staff.

Interestingly, technology companies, although some were experiencing some downturn in fortunes, weren't exactly the worst affected. But, how does one ensure that their startup can survive tough times?

In this episode of The Tefo Mohapi Show Alexandre Lazarow, a Venture Capitalist, Adjunct Professor, and Author argues that startups should focus more on becoming camels (to survive tough times) rather than unicorns. Alex also shares other thoughts on how tech startups should handle other functions such as recruitment, raising money, and more.

Over the past 5 years or so, we have witnessed an exponential growth of what is commonly known as fake news to influence not only political discussions online but every aspect of our lives. Some might say that fake news is a victimless offense but as we have come to experience over the years, there are real-life consequences to the rise in misinformation and disinformation that is circulated on the Internet.

There have been several suggestions on how we can stop fake news. Some have pushed for the use of fact-checking services while others have stated that emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence should be used to identify and stop fake news. In this episode, I spoke to Dr. Vukosi Marivate who is a Data Scientist to understand some of the methods being used to identify and attempt to stop the distribution of misinformation and disinformation.

Vukosi also takes some time to explain the difference between Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and what they are usually confused with - Automation.

Not only is the coronavirus (COVID-19) now a global pandemic as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), it has also disrupted life as we know it globally. As many countries around the world have announced various measures to try and "flatten the curve," some people are faced with uncertainty over where their next income cheque will come from.

Freelancers, small businesses, and self-employed people are some of the categories of people around the world who are about to be severely be affected by the many restrictions and lockdowns that are being implemented by various countries. This will even be more felt in countries like South Africa where not much financial relief is expected to be announced by governments for these categories of people. As such, for this bonus episode I caught up with Thabo Ngcangiso (Thiza), a property deal maker by profession (he's also a podcaster with the following podcasts under his belt: Property Khona - real estate related, and the No Hidden Agenda podcast - hip hop related), to hear what financial advice he has for freelancers, small businesses, and self-employed people. Although some of the advice is South Africa specific, the bulk of it is applicable to anyone around the world.

Later in this bonus episode, Itumeleng Mojaki, a Money Market Portfolio Manager for one of the best black owned investment funds in South Africa, joins the discussion as he offers some tips and options to the Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni, and the South African Reserve Bank governor, Lesetja Kganyago, on some of the measures they should look at implementing to navigate these uncertain times but more importantly to ensure the well-being of South African citizens is taken care of.

On 31 December 2019, the first reported outbreak of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) was said to be in Wuhan, China. Since that first reported outbreak in China, the disease has spread rapidly across the world and caused thousands of death and put many people in critical condition. However, it is also important to note that many who contracted the disease have also succesfully recovered from it.

In this bonus episode of The Tefo Mohapi Show I spoke to Dr. Mary Stephen, Technical Officer at the World Health Organization's Regional Office for Africa, about the coronavirus. Dr. Stephen explains what the disease is, clarifies some major myths, explains why we should take it seriously, and more.

What is also insightful, despite a lot of the fake news (disinformation and misinformation) that is being circulated about COVID-19, is that from a scientific point of view as Dr. Stephen explains in the podcast there is currently no known effective treatment or vaccine of coronavirus as research and investigations into its origins, transmissibility, and treatment are ongoing.

Higinio "w0rmer" Ochoa was once upon a time banned from using the Internet by the FBI. This was because as a formerly convicted hacktivist he, as part of the Anonymous movement supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement hacked into some police databases in the USA as well as being involved with shutting down several companies websites and and online services around 2011 and 2012.

However, that is some time ago as he is now an Information Security professional in the USA who cares about a secure, private and open Internet. In this podcast I got to chat with Hig' about various subjects ranging from exploring what culture is all about, how metadata in a photo lead to his FBI arrest, and we also explore various scenarios on the future of the Internet. With 20 years of experience in the Information Technology and specifically the Information Security field, he is undoubtedly one of the leading people to explore these topics with.

Hig' also had an episode of Showtime's Dark Net on Netflix dedicated to documenting how he lives without using the Internet and the devices he used in his "lab" on a daily basis during that time.

Nothando Migogo is arguably one of the foremost knowledgeable and experienced people across Africa when it comes to understanding copyright licensing in the creative industries. She has spent the last decade leading copyright licensing organisations, most recently as CEO of the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO). She has made a significant impact on the music royalty collection landscape both in South Africa and the African continent.

Naturally, she was the person I sought to speak to when it comes to understanding the legal side of music as well as seeking the answer to the perennial question: "why do South African music artists die poor?" However, as important, given Nothando's wide-ranging experience, I also talk extensively to her about culture and especially about how most African cultures have taken a "backseat" as Western colture continues to be a dominating culture.

We also talk about, as I was curious to find out, how she is able to practice as both a sangoma and an attorney. As well as how she navigates the negative connotations many people have about sangomas.

The podcast will be bringing you conversations with various people from across the world who have famously or infamously made an impact on our world. This is through the work they do through their businesses or organizations or through some of the technology they have developed. The aim is to try and understand the world we live in a bit better and find solutions to some of the problems we face.

I trust you will find the conversations insightful!

Kgotso!

South Africa has one of the world's best laws when it comes to data protection. However, unfortunately, it is only good enough on paper.

This is because since the Protection Of Personal Information Act (POPI Act) has been signed into law in South Africa, some of its provisions cannot be fully implemented pending the SA Information Regulator office being fully functional and resourced. As a result, the country has experienced some of the worst abuses of personal data collection, storage, and distribution without the responsible organizations being taken to task.

In this podcast episode, I spoke to Murray Hunter, one of the leading voices on digital privacy and free speech in South Africa. Murray was also a respondent on a big case that had to do with South Africa's State Security Agency conducting indiscriminate and mass surveillance on citizens during his time at Right 2 Know.