Techcentral Podcast

Newly minted small businesses often struggle to establish themselves as reliable service providers among their more established competitors. To help cloud-focused business thrive, Amazon Web Services has created the AWS distribution model to support small businesses and help them grow. In this episode of TCS+, Cloud on Demand’s Xenia Rhode and Developmenthub’s Odwa Ndyaluvane explain how the AWS distribution model benefits partners in the same ecosystem. In this episode, Rhode and Ndyavulane discuss: • An overview of the AWS distribution model and its ecosystem partners; • Who Developmenthub is and how the company started; • The support Cloud on Demand, an AWS select partner, provides to Developmenthub; • The business outcomes that Developmenthub has achieved through the partnership; • The business development support available within the partner ecosystem; • The new market access opportunities Cloud on Demand was able to avail to Developmenthub; and • New revenue streams that Developmenthub was able to tap

South Africa’s big three telecommunications operators have all reported numbers in recent weeks, and the theme is clear: competition in prepaid has intensified sharply. Telkom’s resurgence has put pressure on both MTN and Vodacom, with MTN acknowledging it has “discernibly” lost prepaid market share. This is one of the topics covered in this wide-ranging and exclusive TechCentral Show interview with MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita, who sat down earlier this week with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod to discuss this and other major topics, including: • The impact of online gambling on the telecoms sector; • The need for further consolidation in South African telecoms, and why Mupita won’t completely rule out a deal with Telkom, provided the “stars align”; • Vodacom’s acquisition of a co-controlling stake in Vumatel parent Maziv and how MTN will respond; • The impact of low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity on the telecoms industry and how MTN plans to work with companies like SpaceX/Starlink and Amazon Leo – and w

Returning to the TechCentral Show is ICT regulatory expert Dominic Cull, founder of Ellipsis and regulatory advisor to the Internet Service Providers’ Association. Cull recently attended communications minister Solly Malatsi’s policy colloquium in Pretoria – the first under a non-ANC communications minister. Cull says there is a discernibly different tone from Malatsi compared to his predecessors: more openness, more willingness to engage stakeholders and a stronger focus on evidence-based policymaking. However, while the intent is encouraging, South Africa’s ICT policy environment remains inconsistent, slow and fragmented. In the podcast, Cull discusses: • Malatsi’s policy colloquium and what came out of it • The state of ICT policy and regulation in South Africa • The biggest policy bottlenecks holding back growth in the ICT sector • Why government doesn’t fully grasp the economic impact of digital infrastructure • The latest on the next spectrum auction • The EU’s decision to hand much of the 6GHz band to

Welcome to season 2 of Meet the CIO, TechCentral’s podcast series that dives into the minds of South Africa’s top technology leaders. Meet the CIO is brought to you by NTT DATA – where global experience meets local impact. After a highly successful first season featuring CIOs from across the corporate landscape, we’re kicking off season 2 with a conversation with Khaya Mbanga, chief information and digital officer at BDO South Africa, where he also heads the firm’s growing BDO Digital division. BDO is one of the world’s largest professional services firms, specialising in audit, tax and advisory. Headquartered in Belgium, its name comes from the three founding firms – Binder, Dijker and Otte – that merged to form the organisation. In this wide-ranging episode, Mbanga reflects on his career journey through consulting, FMCG and mining; how he first got into technology; and the evolution of the CIO role into one that now straddles digital strategy, cybersecurity, AI and organisational change. He also unpacks his

South Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure. He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a century ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility. Van Binsbergen also discusses the rise of imported vehicles in the sales mix in South Africa – including the rapid expansion of Chinese brands. China is a market he knows well, having spent three years there with BMW. In the interview, TechCentral Show viewers will also hear about: • The state of the local automotive manufacturing industry; • What South Africa needs to implement in policy reform to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa – and why this is ur

Altron earlier this month announced that it has deployed an "AI factory" in one of Teraco’s new Johannesburg data centres. Powered by Nvidia AI infrastructure and software, the factory is has already gone live with half a dozen customers. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Altron Group chief technology officer Bongani Andy Mabaso explains the rationale for the investment, what building the factory entailed and what the anchor tenants are using the platform to do. Mabaso tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod: • What an AI factory is exactly and why Altron has decided to build one; • What’s involved in deploying AI infrastructure, especially from a power and cooling perspective – and why Altron decided to locate its AI factory at Teraco; • What companies like Lelapa AI, MathU and Dataviue are using the Altron AI Factory to do; • Why Altron partnered with Asus and HPE on the project; • How the infrastructure can be used; and • The advantages of hosting an AI factory in South Africa, as opposed to an offsh

Vodacom Business recently appointed an “extraordinary business advisory board”, a strategic initiative designed to strengthen its enterprise expertise and support organisations on their digital transformation journeys. To unpack the decision to appoint an advisory board, TechCentral is joined in this episode of TCS+ by Videsha Proothveerajh, director of Vodacom Business, who explains that it’s all part of Vodacom’s shift from being a traditional telecommunications provider to a “techco”, or technology company. In this episodes Proothveerajh chats about: • The advisory board, who it is comprised of and the purpose it is meant to serve in the business services landscape in South Africa; • The fact that the pace of technology change has accelerated coming out of Covid and how this influenced Vodacom Business’s approach to digital transformation; • How the new advisory board influences Vodacom’s approach to guiding enterprise clients on digital transformation; • The role the latest telecoms technologies, includin

The invention of the silicon transistor was fundamental to the success of the digital age, driving the core of the modern-day digital economy. The rise of generative AI has put hardware at the epicentre of the next wave of economic growth, with chip makers such as Nvidia and AMD reaching record valuations as demand for advanced chips far outstrips supply. But as AI data centres expand, so, too, does their consumption of resources, with their demand for water and electricity rising exponentially. FinalSpark is a Swiss biocomputing company exploring more efficient ways of computing – and it’s turned to human neurons as a potential solution. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Fred Jordan, co-founder and co-CEO of FinalSpark, gives insight into “wetware” (in effect, living hardware) and what it means for the future of computing. Jordan delves into: • What inspired him turn to living neurons as a means of processing; • Parallels between his training as a signal processing engineer and his work with living n

In today’s hyperconnected society, mobile connectivity is key to running a successful business, helping keep employees connected to each other, to organisational resources and to customers. To manage communications effectively, businesses need to have a clear view of the entire Sim estate across the organisation. Monitoring usage and having the control needed to provide (or restrict) resources such as voice minutes and data quickly and easily are critical to managing costs effectively. MSB Micro Systems is a company specialising in managed network connectivity for corporate entities. In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, MSB Microsystems founder and CEO Danny Stemmet talks about the ins and outs of Sim management. Stemmet delves into: • MSB Micro’s history and how the company changed from being a software development house to a services company; • How the rise of hybrid work environments and remote teams have affected demand for Sim management services, especially among mobile workforces; • How MSB Micro Sy

Cryptocurrencies are increasingly moving beyond being seen as an investment asset as users find more real-world uses in everyday contexts. It appears that crypto is becoming more like cash – with users prepared to use it as the point of sale. Crypto payments specialist MoneyBadger recently signed a deal with fintech Scan to Pay allowing crypto wallet users pay at more than 650 000 stores nationwide. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, MoneyBadger CEO Carel van Wyk and Luno country manager for South Africa Christo de Wit tell TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about what the partnership means for crypto platforms, their users and the broader economy. Van Wyk and De Wit delve into: • The mindset shift that happens when users move from being crypto investors to day-to-day users of digital currencies; • How crypto payments allow for immediate settlement in rands and what that means for merchants and users; • How merchants benefit by supporting crypto payments at their stores; • Why a crypto investor might want to

When most people think of Amazon Web Services, they automatically assume they should go directly to AWS. However, for the diverse ecosystem of AWS partners – including managed service providers and independent software vendors – the real secret to achieving significant growth often lies in leveraging the distributor model. Consider this analogy: if AWS is a powerful cloud engine, then the reseller acts as the skilled driver. But who manages the complexities of operating the vehicle, such as maintenance, refuelling, training and necessary pit stops? That administrative heavy lifting falls to the distributor. In this episode of TCS+, Senzo Mbhele, MD at Cloud On Demand, explains the AWS distribution model and its advantages. Mbhele discusses: • The main business challenges that the AWS distribution model addresses; • How distributors create financial value and improve return on investment for others in the ecosystem, including end customers; • The support distribution partners provide to internal teams, enabli

E-commerce will soon reach an important milestone in South Africa: by January, according to World Wide Worx research, online shopping will top 10% of total retail sales for the first time. The move to 15% and then to 20% will come much quicker. That’s the view of Frederik Zietsman, CEO of Naspers-owned Takealot Group – South Africa’s largest online retailer – who was speaking to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show. In the interview, Zietsman unpacks what’s driving the rapid adoption of online shopping in South Africa – Covid-19 was a key trigger – and what the future holds as international e-commerce giants step up their investments in the country. He also discusses: • How the competitive dynamics of the market have changed in recent years; • The impact of the entry of international giants such as Amazon and Walmart and how this will reshape the market in the coming years; • The decision to expand subsidiary Mr D’s focus from fast food to include new product categories; • The township opp

Seacom last week announced that it plans to build one of the highest-capacity subsea broadband cable systems the world has ever seen. Dubbed Seacom 2.0, the cable system – which will have an expected design capacity of a staggering 2 000Tbit/s – will be larger than the company’s original system, which brought high-speed connectivity to Africa’s eastern coastline when it was launched in 2009. The new system, which will include an “express route” from South Africa to Singapore and leg around South Africa to Lobito in Angola – and which will also cover much of the same East African coastline as the first system – will use the latest fibre-optic technology and 48 fibre pairs to deliver its extreme total capacity. Alpheus Mangale, CEO of Seacom, sat down with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod for an exclusive first interview with the TechCentral Show to unpack the announcement and provide much greater detail about the deployment – including its timelines and the technology that will be used. In the interview, Manga

South Africa’s payments ecosystem is evolving at a rapid pace. PayInc – previously BankservAfrica – sits at the core of the country’s payments infrastructure. As the builder and manager of the PayShap instant payment rails, PayInc is central to the Reserve Bank’s plans to drive digital inclusion through payment modernisation. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Stephen Linnell, CEO of PayInc, tells TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu about the strategy behind the rebrand to PayInc and how that fits into the utility’s vision of the payments ecosystem in South Africa and the broader Southern Africa region. Linnell delves into: • PayInc’s new ownership structure with the Reserve Bank taking over 50% ownership from the private banks; • How the Reserve Bank’s participation will help PayInc achieve its goals; • An assessment of PayShap since its 2023 launch and what comes next; • What the proposed inclusion of non-bank players including fintechs, retailers and telecommunications operators in the national payments

Not every organisation that has migrated to the cloud has reaped the rewards promised in terms of faster development and deployment cycles, simplified infrastructure management, and most importantly, a reduction in costs. Some are going as far as repatriating their infrastructure back into on-premises environments, perhaps because they understand it better and they find they can more reliably predict their costs there. Deon Stroebel, chief innovation officer at cloud computing specialist LSD Open, argues against this move, saying that issues relating to cost and efficiency are better solved in the cloud than outside of it. In this episode of TCS+, Stroebel delves into: • The biggest mistakes companies make after migrating into the cloud; • The real difference between just running an application on the cloud versus building it in a truly cloud-native way; • The mindset shift that comes with cloud adoption and why on-premises thinking should not be applied in a cloud environment; • How containerisation and Dev

The Invigilator, the developer of a South African application that helps educational institutions monitor web-based assessments to prevent cheating, recenty secured US$11-million (R195-million) in funding to help it expand internationally. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Nicolas Riemer, co-founder and CEO of The Invigilator, joins TechCentral’s Nkosinathi Ndlovu to discuss how the start-up is going to use the cash injection to take on international markets. He also gives insight into the app’s software and the company behind it. In this episode, Riemer delves into: • How The Invigilator app got started during the Covid-19 lockdown; • The markets it plans to expand into internationally; • The challenges of developing an app like The Invigilator in the South African market and why this may have set the company up for international success; • How the app uses AI to minimise network and storage demands while improving outcomes; • Barriers to The Invigilator’s adoption, like resistance from students,

AI has advanced at breakneck speed in the last few years, with most knowledge workers using the technology to enhance their work in some shape or form. Most of this computing has been happening in the cloud. However, the advent of the neural processing unit, or NPU, has made it possible to move AI computation to the edge, which not only improves speeds but also protects personal and company data. In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, we were on location at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton where HP recently hosted its 2025 Future of Work event. The event brings together industry leaders, decision-makers and innovators and explores the evolving landscape of work in the age of artificial intelligence. Ertug Ayik, vice president and MD for Middle East and Africa at HP, connects the dots between the company’s new AI-infused product line and broader concepts shaping the way in which work is being done. Ayik delves into: • HP’s shift from a product focused company to a solutions and services outfit; • Why on-device AI

Paratus Group executive chairman Barney Harmse joins the TechCentral Show to share the story of the telecommunications group’s rise from small beginnings in Angola and Namibia more than 20 years ago and how it became one of Southern Africa’s biggest ICT infrastructure players. Paratus started life in Angola in 2003, evolving from a local internet service provider into a pan‑African telecoms powerhouse. Co-founded by Harmse with Schalk Erasmus, Rolf Mendelsohn, Martin Boese and Miles October, it grew rapidly and now has infrastructure across the region, including in Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, the DRC and Namibia. This week, it officially launched the first privately owned mobile network operator in Namibia, which will compete directly with the state-owned incumbents. Today the business works closely with the likes of Starlink, Google and Meta Platforms and plays a significant role in long-distance, metropolitan and access networks across the region. It also helped land Google’s Equiano cable o

Maziv, the company that owns Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa, plans to spend R12-billion over the next five years as its ramps its deployment of fibre infrastructure across South Africa. Poised for a big injection of cash and assets from Vodacom, which is buying a 30% co-controlling stake in the business, it has unveiled big plans to deploy fibre in townships and other underserved parts of the country. In this exclusive podcast interview, CEO Dietlof Mare unpacks Maziv’s ambitious plans with the TechCentral Show, telling TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about: • The painful three-and-a-half years it took to get the deal over the line with the competition authorities and how these delays undermined investment in new fibre builds in South Africa; • Why regulators need to reflect on the time it took to conclude the transaction, and why they need to be quicker in adjudicating M&A activity to grow the economy; • How the merging parties eventually secured the approval of the Competition Commission, which had init

What does it really take to defend a business in an era of AI-driven attacks? In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+ ,Clare Loveridge, vice president and GM for Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea), and Johnny Ellis, senior director of Emea channel sales, both at Arctic Wolf, go beyond the buzzwords to confront the uncomfortable truth: despite billions spent on security tools, cyber losses are still mounting. Arctic Wolf’s answer is a different model, one that combines its artificial intelligence-powered Aurora Platform with human expertise in a concierge delivery approach. It’s a strategy that tackles the industry’s “effectiveness gap” head-on by integrating people, processes and platforms to deliver outcomes, not just alerts. The conversation is blunt about the shifting threat landscape: AI has overtaken ransomware as the top emerging risk, and no single tool can fix it. What organisations need is visibility at every layer – from endpoints and cloud to people. Equally compelling is Arctic Wolf’s commitment