The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Aerospace Systems Research Institute (ASRI) has set a goal to launch a South African satellite into orbit on a locally built rocket by 2030, preceded by a suborbital space flight targeted for 2028. Achieving these milestones depends on securing significant financial backing and rapidly expanding human capital. ASRI estimates that developing…
South Africans’ fear of crime and low economic growth act as a shield against AI-related crime. (Graphic: Nicola Mawson | Unsplash and Magnific) South Africans’ street smarts as a result of the high levels of crime, as well as a low per capita gross domestic product (GDP), are proving to provide a level of protection…
In March 2026, Standard Bank publicly warned about AI-generated voices, cloned emails and deepfake content being used to mimic legitimate bank communications and staff. This type of activity has continued through to mid-2026 with the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) also warning that criminals are using AI tools to impersonate bank officials, create…
Herotel CEO Van Zyl Botha Amazon’s Leo satellite constellation is coming to South Africa in 2027 through Herotel. TechCentral deputy editor Fanie van Rooyen speaks to Herotel CEO Van Zyl Botha about Evry, the brand that will sell Amazon Leo to South African homes, and about how a company with no local licence walked into…
South Africa is asking several other African governments to reimburse it for the cost of sending tens of thousands of their citizens back home. The request comes after South Africa deported or helped repatriate more than 80,000 immigrants, following protests and violence against illegal immigration. According to the country’s Home Affairs department, which briefed lawmakers…
I have spent 28 years in African telecommunications watching operators compete for customers. The playbook has been consistent: build the network, own the spectrum and control the customer. The assumption underneath all of it is that the company with the infrastructure wins. Capitec is about to test that assumption in the fixed broadband market, and…
South Africa could put a satellite into orbit on a locally built rocket by 2030 – if someone finds R3-billion and the team building it grows sixfold. That is the ambition of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Aerospace Systems Research Institute (ASRI), which is developing the liquid-fuelled Saffire engine and the two-stage commercial launch vehicle (CLV)…
African women’s football giants South Africa and Nigeria clash on Thursday in Casablanca under high-pressure circumstances neither team envisioned. Following shocking quarter-final exits at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), one of the continent’s last two champions will see their 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification hopes officially vanish. South Africa’s Banyana Banyana fell…
A man looks at a stock index board showing South Korea’s benchmark stock index (KOSPI) after the close of trading in Seoul on July 28, 2026. Greg Baker | Afp | Getty Images South Korea’s Kospi has staged a reversal from its latest rout, returning to bull-market territory as investors pile back into the country’s…
The Republic of South Africa formally assumed the Chairship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Council of Ministers on 12 August 2026 in Durban, South Africa, from August 2026 to August 2027, following its tenure as Interim Chair since November 2025 Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, Honourable…
