South African consumers are fundamentally reshaping their digital spending habits, moving away from traditional entertainment towards services that prioritize productivity, functional value, and everyday convenience. According to the Discovery Bank SpendTrend26 report, while the overall volume of online subscriptions is rising, the “composition of the basket” has shifted toward utility-driven tools like Artificial Intelligence (AI)…
Consumers show cautious openness to 3D-printed food. (Image created by Gemini) A study by the University of Johannesburg (UJ) has found that consumer attitudes, rather than technological capability, will ultimately determine whether 3D-printed food gains mainstream acceptance in South Africa. The research, conducted by the Centre for Innovative Food Research within UJ’s Department of Biotechnology…
Bruce Mellado Scientists at the University of Witwatersrand have designed South Africa’s first app to warn residents of pollution levels, as Johannesburg suffers a spike in coal emissions in recent weeks, causing breathing problems and other health issues. Africa’s wealthiest city lies not far from the country’s coal mines and the rotten-egg smell of sulphur…
Half find it difficult to obtain health care, identity documents, and police assistance. Key findings On average across 38 countries, public services dominate Africans’ agenda for needed government action. Health tops the list of citizens’ concerns, and education, infrastructure/roads, water supply, crime/security, and electricity all rank in the top 10. Africans are dissatisfied with the…
Majority of citizens say they suffered shortage of clean water during the past year. Key findings On average across 38 countries, water supply ranks third among the most important problems that Africans want their government to address, trailing unemployment and health and tied with education, the increasing cost of living, and infrastructure/roads. Water outranks all…
At the Arise News Women of Impact in Africa 2026, revered South African anti-apartheid activist Sophie Williams-De Bruyn called for African youths to take risks and push borders. In her acceptance speech as one of the honourees, she urged the continent’s youth to see themselves as the future, adding that “the future is bright.” Williams-De…
Nearly two-thirds of South African consumers have used artificial intelligence to assist with shopping-related tasks, according to new survey data from Visa that points to a rapid shift in how locals interact with digital payment technologies. The Visa Spending Shift Survey, conducted by Morning Consult among a thousand South African adults in October 2025, found…
The ongoing RAM shortage, driven by suppliers shifting their production lines to higher-margin high-bandwidth memory used for AI workloads in data centres, is already affecting the smartphone market as the Samsung Galaxy S26 launched at prices slightly higher than its predecessor on Wednesday evening. Speaking to TechCentral in a post-launch interview following the Johannesburg leg…
Many say they worry that others will track or steal their personal data. Key findings On average across the seven surveyed countries, among adults who access Internet content, a vast majority (84%) say they do so “every day” or “a few times a week.” Mobile phones are the primary mechanism for accessing the Internet (85%)….
Assessments of election quality have worsened over the past decade. Key findings On average across 38 countries, about three-quarters (74%) of Africans support choosing their leaders through regular, open, and honest elections. This is the majority position in every surveyed country, although support for elections has weakened over the past decade. Strong majorities favour multiparty…
