Barney Harmse on building Paratus Group – and working with Starlink
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 on the Namibian coast.
In this lively interview with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, Harmse unpacks the Paratus story, touching on:
• What building telecoms infrastructure across the vast reaches of Southern Africa has entailed, including memorable moments along the way;
• The company’s financial backers, and its capital-raising plans – including a possible future listing in New York;
• Why it built a network of long-distance fibre across Southern Africa;
• Paratus’s relationship with Elon Musk’s Starlink, and why it’s a key role player in the launch of the low-Earth orbit satellite provider’s offering across the region;
• The launch of the mobile network in Namibia and why it’s a significant development in the Paratus story; and
• The opportunities still ahead for Paratus Group.
Don’t miss a great interview!
--------
56:37
--------
56:37
Maziv goes massive: CEO Dietlof Mare on Vumatel’s big roll-out plans
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 initially recommended that the transaction be blocked on competition grounds;
• Vumatel’s deployment plans – where it’s going to focus next with its new fibre builds and why;
• The economics of rolling out fibre into townships and into low-income communities, a key focus for the business over the next five years;
• What the conclusion of the deal means for the sector, including the potential for further consolidation of fibre network operators;
• The policy and regulatory changes Maziv would like to see to help it speed up the deployment of fibre in South Africa; and
• How the Maziv business is expected to change in the coming years.
Don’t miss a great discussion about the future of broadband internet infrastructure in South Africa!
--------
52:01
--------
52:01
The story behind Nedbank’s R1.65-billion iKhokha deal
Nedbank announced last week that it was acquiring Durban-based fintech iKhokha in a R1.65-billion deal that could signal the start of further consolidation in the payments industry in South Africa.
Nedbank described the deal as a “significant milestone” in its strategy to target small and medium enterprises.
iKhokha co-founder and CEO Matt Putman is TechCentral’s guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show. He unpacks the deal with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, explaining how it came about and what it means for the company’s further growth.
Founded in Durban in 2012, iKhokha provides mobile point-of-sale solutions to SMEs. Its products include card machines and a mobile app that allows merchants to accept card payments, with added business management tools.
It was founded by Putman, Ramsay Daly and Putman’s father Clive.
Putman tells the TechCentral Show about:
• How the deal with Nedbank happened;
• The origins of iKhokha and its growth over the past 13 years, leading to the sale to Nedbank – a deal that is still subject to regulatory approval;
• How iKhokha will work with Nedbank (it will remain an independent brand within the banking group), including a possible expansion into new markets in Africa; and
• The exit of iKhokha’s backers, including Crossfin Technology Holdings, Apis Partners and the International Finance Corporation.
Don’t miss a great discussion!
--------
26:43
--------
26:43
Alan Knott-Craig unveils Fibertime’s big bet on township fibre
Alan Knott-Craig’s new fibre internet business has been flying below the radar for some time now, but the serial telecommunications entrepreneur has finally unpacked his plans for the business.
Speaking to the TechCentral Show this week, Knott-Craig – who has led a range of well-known tech businesses, including Mxit, World of Avatar, Project Isizwe and iBurst – talks about why he believes there’s money to be made in wiring up townships with fibre and how Fibertime (stylised as “fibertime”) hopes to reach millions of data-poor South Africans who, until now, have had to rely on expensive mobile data for connectivity.
In the interview, with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, Knott-Craig also chats about:
• What’s been involved in building Fibertime;
• The Fibertime business model and the economics of township fibre;
• The network’s footprint and where the company plans to build next (it is currently deploying infrastructure in Alexandra in Johannesburg);
• Why fibre beats wireless for township internet services;
• The difficulties of working in township settings, including the threat posed by crime;
• Plans to list the business, possibly in 2027; and
• The recently approved Vodacom/Maziv deal, and what that means for the telecoms sector.
Don’t miss a fascinating interview!
--------
22:19
--------
22:19
Pick n Pay’s Enrico Ferigolli on building asap! and taking on Shoprite
Although Shoprite Group stole a march on many of South Africa’s retailers in on-demand online grocery delivery during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Pick n Pay has a clear plan to make up lost ground and compete aggressively for market share.
Enrico Ferigolli, who co-founded the liquor delivery app Bottles – which was later acquired by Pick n Pay to form the basis of its online shopping push with asap! – joins the TechCentral Show to unpack the journey Pick n Pay is on, and how the e-commerce market is likely to develop in the coming years.
Ferigolli tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about:
* Why and how technology has become fundamental to modern retail;
* The launch of Bottles and what led to the Pick n Pay acquisition;
* The dynamics of on-demand delivery and what it takes to be a successful player;
* How Pick n Pay is working to convince people to try asap! for their grocery needs;
* The role of AI (and AI agents) in future omnichannel retail environments;
How online shopping is likely to change the way Pick n Pay designs its physical stores;
* Pick n Pay’s relationship with Takealot Group, and where that alliance is headed;
* Pick n Pay’s plans to expand into townships and other underserved markets with on-demand deliveries; and
* The threat posed by international e-commerce companies that don’t have a presence in South Africa but which ship goods to local consumers.
It’s a great interview about the future of e-commerce in South Africa – be sure not to miss it!
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