Altron has effectively increased its shareholding in subsidiary Bytes through a R669,2m cash deal in terms of which Bytes South Africa has acquired 27% of its equity held by two empowerment partners. The JSE-listed technology holding company controlled the Venter family said on Friday that it had acquired the shares from Kagiso Strategic

Before I moved house earlier this year, I used to drive along a road to the office that snakes through the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. As with most suburban roads in this part of the world, traffic can get a little out of hand during peak hours. Although I certainly don’t mind spending some time stuck in a jam, I used to get

Alan Knott-Craig has stepped down as CEO of Cell C following the stroke he suffered in November last year. Jose Dos Santos, who had been running the company in an acting capacity in Knott-Craig’s absence, will take the reins at the company on a permanent basis with immediate effect. Knott-Craig is not lost to Cell C, however. In a

Vodacom has become the latest operator to debut a low-cost, own-branded smartphone aimed at getting more South Africans connected to the Internet. Following the launch early this year by MTN of the Steppa smartphone, which costs R499 – read TechCentral’s review of it – Vodacom has announced it will also begin selling a

State, a fast-growing international social communications network built around user sentiment and personal opinion, has been launched in South Africa. The London-based State was founded by British-Lebanese entrepreneurs and brothers Alexander and Mark Asseily. They want to change the way we look at social networks by

Gijima has moved to fill its crucial sales leadership function, naming IT industry veteran Bill Hoggarth as its new chief sales officer, effective immediately. According to Gijima, Hoggarth has more than 30 years of executive, general management and sales experience in the IT sector. He joins the company, which has had a torrid time

Huawei has announced its newest flagship smartphone in Paris, France. Like its predecessor, the Ascend P6, which has sold more than 4m units, the new Ascend P7 is just 6,5mm thick, making it 1,1mm thinner than Apple’s iPhone 5s. And it boasts a 5-inch full-HD display with a pixel density of 445ppi – a figure the fast-growing Chinese company

Any person can lay a charge against someone caught taking a “selfie” of their ballot at a voting station, Electoral Commission of South Africa chief electoral officer Mosotho Moepya said on Wednesday. “Anyone that is aware of prohibited conduct can lay a charge,” Moepya said at the IEC results centre in Pretoria. “They must be

A new start-up, Johannesburg-based Rocmypeer, wants to help consumers advance cash online to each other through a smart “peer to peer” platform that allows people to advance and recoup money from their peers directly. CEO and founder Grant Mashale, a former television producer, says the system also allows small businesses

International advertising holding company WPP has acquired a controlling interest in fast-growing marketing agency Quirk, the two companies announced on Tuesday. The deal, which is still subject to regulatory approvals, comes just months after WPP acquired a majority stake in Cerebra, which specialises in communications