This Monday marks 50 years since television was officially launched in South Africa – on 5 January 1976, a lifetime ago. South Africa was late – very late – to launch television. While many countries embraced TV in the 1950s and 1960s, apartheid-era government concerns about foreign cultural influence and social change delayed its introduction…
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia — In Dar es Salaam’s train station, hundreds of passengers sat amid piles of luggage as a listless breeze blew through the open windows. Shortly before their scheduled 3:50pm departure on the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority’s (TAZARA) Mukuba Express train, an update crackled over the tannoy: the train…
The Southern African Large Telescope, or Salt The Southern African Large Telescope (Salt) celebrates 20 years of observing the sky. Salt is the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere. It’s been steadily revealing new science knowledge, ranging from the discovery of planets outside our solar system to understanding the unusual physics around black holes….
Pepkor claims it now accounts for eight out of every 10 prepaid handsets sold in South Africa. The fintech segment was a standout performer in retailer Pepkor’s financial results for the year ended 30 September. In its annual results published today, the JSE-listed Pepkor says its fintech segment increased revenue by 31.1% to R16.6 billion…
Netcare CEO Dr Richard Friedland JSE-listed private healthcare group Netcare has partnered with Dutch medical technology company Corsano Health to bring full-time diagnostics through wearable devices to its hospitals and clinics in South Africa. Netcare CEO Dr Richard Friedland said the partnership will allow for continuous patient monitoring and offer “numerous benefits” to Netcare’s staff…
TLDR Kenyan asset-financing startup M-KOPA has reported its first-ever profit after more than a decade of operations across Africa The Nairobi-based company posted a KES 1.2 billion ($9.2 million) profit in 2024, reversing a KES 3.2 billion ($24.7 million) loss in 2023 Founded in 2011 to provide solar home systems on credit, M-KOPA has since…
DStv celebrated its 30th anniversary on Monday, marking a milestone in South African broadcasting history. From humble beginnings in a caravan in Randburg, DStv’s parent – MultiChoice Group – has grown into a pan-African pay-TV powerhouse, now reaching more than 14 million homes across the continent. When it launched on 6 October 1995, the service…
DStv celebrated its 30th anniversary on Monday, marking a milestone in South African broadcasting history. From humble beginnings in a caravan in Randburg, DStv’s parent – MultiChoice Group – has grown into a pan-African pay-TV powerhouse, now reaching more than 14 million homes across the continent. When it launched on 6 October 1995, the service…
Banking group Absa and cloud services giant Amazon Web Services have announced an expansion of their commercial relationship that will see AWS become Absa’s “preferred cloud partner”. According to a statement on Monday, the partnership is aimed at delivering more agile, secure and customer-focused financial services. “This partnership reflects our ambition to be a digitally…
A recent surge in matcha’s popularity has led to a global matcha shortage, driven by soaring demand and limited production in Japan, where high-quality matcha is grown. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images TOKYO — When Chitose Nagao retired after nearly three decades in advertising to start a matcha cafe, she never imagined lines…
