The fourth episode of TechCentral’s electric motoring show, Watts & Wheels, covers a packed news agenda, two vehicle reviews and an in-depth look at the 2026 South African Car of the Year semi-finalists. The episode opens with the latest EV news, including fresh import duty statistics from Donald MacKay of XA Global Trade Advisors and…
In a significant step toward the scaling of autonomous transport, Chinese robotaxi operator Pony AI has officially commenced commercial production of a driverless vehicle in partnership with its backer, Toyota Motor. The company announced on Monday that the first unit of a planned 1,000 all-electric Toyota bZ4X compact crossovers has rolled off the assembly line…
Safer Internet Day educates children, parents, educators and stakeholders about the risks associated with the online space. (Image source: 123RF) This year’s Safer Internet Day (SID) comes amid heightened interest in the development of tailor-made laws to combat social media harms, with Australia’s Online Safety Amendment serving as an example. Commemorated globally on the second…
Wiocc Group’s Joshua Smythwood The acquisition by Open Access Data Centres (OADC) of seven facilities belonging to NTT Data (previously Dimension Data) is a sign of a broader market trend, reflected both locally and internationally, which will lead to further consolidation in the data centre infrastructure market. Speaking to TechCentral at a ribbon-cutting event held…
YouTube sensation Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson is expanding his business empire into financial services. Through his holding company, Beast Industries, Donaldson has officially acquired Step, a fintech platform specifically designed to provide banking and investment tools to young people. Read: iPhone 17e to retain $599 entry price with major internals boost While the financial terms of…
Xiaomi unveils REDMI Note 15 Series. (Image: Xiaomi) Xiaomi South Africa has today announced the launch of the REDMI Note 15 Series, comprising three models: REDMI Note 15 Pro+ 5G, REDMI Note 15 Pro and REDMI Note 15. Defined by REDMI Titan Durability, the line-up highlights long-lasting battery performance, reinforced drop resistance and enhanced dust…
National treasury has stepped in to rescue state-owned broadcasting signal distributor Sentech, which is in dire financial straits and no longer a going concern due to the ongoing fees dispute with the SABC. Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani, director-general of the department of communications & digital technologies, told parliamentarians on Tuesday that in total, the treasury has granted…
South Africa’s financial and telecommunications sectors are undergoing a fundamental shift in how they verify customer identities. Faced with a staggering increase in the cost of accessing the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) national population database, banks and fintechs are moving away from routine database pings toward sophisticated, “reusable” digital identity systems. Read: Pony AI…
The African Financial Industry Barometer 2025 depicts a sector at a technology inflection point. (Image created using GenAI via ChatGPT) Africa’s financial sector is in the midst of a pronounced technological transformation, with digital innovation now being central to organisations’ competitive strategy. However, firms struggle to fully mature their tech adoption and face hurdles in…
Pick n Pay has unexpectedly warned investors that its headline loss per share for the current financial year will widen by more than 20% compared with the prior year, blaming a “highly constrained” trading environment over the critical Black Friday period that dragged down second-half performance. Its share price tanked, and was last trading down…
