TCS | South Africa’s Sociable wants to make social media social again
The digitisation of social interactions has made it easier for people to maintain contact and build online communities. However, there has been a decrease in in-person interaction that has contributed to a sense of disconnect.
South African-made social media platform Sociable hopes to solve this problem by combining online engagement with in-person meetups, connecting people based on shared interests.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Sociable co-founder and CEO Jason van Dyk tells TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about the importance of community and how Sociable is helping drive its development.
In the show, Van Dyk delves into:
• How community builders benefit from using the Sociable platform;
• The features Sociable provides to communities and their members to enhance engagement;
• How meeting spaces including coffee shops, bars and restaurants benefit from the in-person component of Sociable’s community meetups;
• Sociable’s approach to safety for its users;
• How Sociable positions itself against large social media platforms like Facebook;
• Some of the most popular communities on the platform; and
• The impact of AI on the social media landscape.
Don’t miss the conversation!
--------
23:32
--------
23:32
Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U
Spar Group is determined to play a significant role in the on-demand grocery delivery space in South Africa despite coming from behind, its omnichannel executive for Southern Africa has told TechCentral.
Speaking to the TechCentral Show, Blake Raubenheimer took the publication’s editor, Duncan McLeod, through the retailer’s plan to compete directly with the likes of Shoprite Holdings’ Sixty60, which gained an early market lead during the Covid lockdowns.
Spar has every intention of becoming a meaningful player in app-based on-demand deliveries, according to Raubenheimer, who unpacked the retailer’s plan to gain market share in the increasingly competitive but fast-expanding segment with Spar2U.
South Africa’s grocery sector has become increasingly competitive as price-conscious consumers look for value, convenience and distinctive products.
Shoprite and Woolworths are keeping their rivals on their toes as they continue to sign up customers. Pick n Pay, which is also coming from behind, is aggressively targeting the space, too.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Raubenheimer discusses:
* How Spar’s business model – the vast majority of stores are run by franchisees – has complicated its move into the on-demand grocery game, and how it's working to turn this to its advantage;
* How Spar is working to convince consumers to try Spar2U over other on-demand services;
* The group’s broader omnichannel strategy, where the retailer is positioned in the market, where it wants to get to, and how it plans to do it;
* Its focus on the township and rural markets through partnerships with companies like KasiD and Delivery Ka Speed – and why it’s important;
Spar’s partnership with Uber Eats;
* How Spar’s SAP enterprise software implementation in KwaZulu-Natal went awry and how it impacted the retailer; and
* What Spar is working on from a technology perspective.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion about how technology is transforming the retail industry in South Africa.
--------
22:36
--------
22:36
Nomvuyiso Batyi on Starlink, BEE reform and spectrum
What should one make of the noise surrounding the licensing (or non-licensing) of Starlink in South Africa? And what of the plans to reform the rules around black economic empowerment in the sector?
To make sense of these developments – and others – TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod sat down this week with Nomvuyiso Batyi, CEO of the Association for Comms & Technology (ACT), an industry body that represents South Africa’s six largest telecommunications operators: MTN, Telkom, Vodacom, Rain, Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Cell C.
In the interview, for the TechCentral Show, Batyi unpacked communications minister Solly Malatsi’s draft policy directive to communications regulator Icasa on so-called “equity equivalents” and why ACT believes there needs to be fairness in the licensing process. If the new rules apply to satellite operators, she said, they should apply to all licensees in the sector equally, including the big telecoms operators ACT represents.
In the show, she also discussed:
• Whether Starlink – and other low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite internet companies pose a threat or an opportunity for South Africa’s network operators;
• The role of LEO satellite operators in South Africa’s future telecommunications mix – and can they help bridge the digital divide?;
• The latest on the planned switch-off of 2G and 3G networks in South Africa, and why 3G will be the first to go;
• Whether national treasury’s recent move to cut ad valorem tax on basic smartphones goes far enough – and what other measures ACT would like to see to get smartphones in the hands of everyone in South Africa; and
• What is happening regarding the next spectrum auction.
Don’t miss a great discussion!
--------
50:39
--------
50:39
Sentiv, and the story behind the buyout of Altron Nexus
Altron Group announced last week that it was selling its Altron Nexus businesses in a management buyout led by Nexus MD Louis du Toit and BriteGaze founder and technology entrepreneur Reshaad Sha.
Sha and Du Toit are our guests in this episode of the TechCentral Show, where they tell TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the acquisition and their growth plans for the business.
As part of the acquisition – which is still subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions, which should be concluded by the end of June – Altron Nexus will be rebranded as Sentiv, a portmanteau of “sentient” and “intuitive”.
Sha will serve as Sentiv’s executive chairman while Du Toit will be CEO.
“Together they will steer Sentiv’s transformation into a future-orientated technology partner offering intelligent, context-aware, mission-critical communications and industrial internet-of-things solutions,” according to a statement from the acquiring parties.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Du Toit and Sha tell McLeod about:
• How the deal came about;
• The assets and businesses housed in Altron Nexus; and
• The plan to turn the business around.
Don’t miss a great conversation!
--------
23:49
--------
23:49
Signal restored: Unpacking the Blue Label and Cell C turnaround
TechCentral’s guests in this episode of the TechCentral Show believe Blue Label Telecoms and its affiliate (and soon to be subsidiary) Cell C present a compelling investment case.
Philip Short, global portfolio manager at Flagship Asset Management – which counts Blue label as its sole South African investment – and Dylan Bradfield, portfolio manager at Sharenet, tell TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod that they believe the turnaround taking place at Cell C is real, and will have a meaningful impact on Blue Label shares.
Blue shares, which have already rallied strongly – which have more than doubled in the past six months – could still have plenty of room to run, according to Short.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Short and Bradfield unpack:
• Blue Label’s announcement earlier this month that it is considering a JSE listing for Cell C;
• Why Cell C’s restructured operating model and strategy makes sense, and why that’s good news for Blue Label shareholders;
• The role of Cell C CEO Jorge Mendes in the turnaround – and what the opportunity is for the mobile operator with its new “asset-light” model of running its network – management of its radio access network has effectively been outsourced to partners (and competitors) MTN and Vodacom;
• Which operators would be most vulnerable to a resurgent Cell C;
• The importance of Cell C’s strategy around mobile virtual network operators and the significance of its relationship with Capitec;
• The move by Blue Label to sell Comm Equipment Company to Cell C – good move or not?
• Whether Cell C can compete with Telkom, Vodacom and MTN in the business market, something Mendes has signalled his desire to do;
• What the listing of Cell C could look like, what management’s focus should be before the listing and what kind of valuation the business could attract; and
• How much more value could be unlocked for Blue Label shareholders.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion!
The TechCentral Show (TCS, for short) is a tech show produced by South Africa's leading technology news platform. It features interviews with newsmakers, ICT industry leaders and other interesting people.
South Africa