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For small and medium enterprises, technology must do one thing above all else: get out of the way. Unlike large corporations with dedicated IT departments, SMEs run lean – and every hour spent wrestling with systems is an hour not spent on the business itself.

In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, brought to you by iStore Business, Sudesh Pillay, executive head of iStore Business South Africa, and Tamia Nontsikelelo, founder and CEO of womenswear label Tol’Thema, explore how SMEs can make smarter technology decisions and why the Apple ecosystem is increasingly the answer.

They discuss:

The pressures SMEs face and why low-maintenance, cost-effective technology is critical to their survival and growth;

How Tol’Thema uses iPhone and Mac in the day-to-day running of the business, and the practical value they deliver to customers;

Why historically fragmented SME IT is giving way to integrated ecosystems, and what is driving the shift;

The total cost of ownership case for Apple hardware, and why the premium price tag isn’t the whole story for budget-conscious businesses;

How Apple’s on-device AI, built into its silicon, helps SMEs future-proof their hardware investment;

The support iStore Business provides to ease hardware transitions and reduce the disruption of moving staff onto a new operating system;

Why native security and data protection features matter enormously to small businesses with no dedicated IT or compliance function; and

Which software and AI subscription costs SMEs can avoid by making better use of tools built into the Apple ecosystem.

Pillay also explains what happens when an SME’s needs outgrow out-of-the-box solutions, and how iStore Business provides the specialist support to scale with them.

Don’t miss this practical conversation about technology that works for South Africa’s small businesses. TechCentral

Communications regulator Icasa’s draft rapid deployment regulations – a critical intervention for the sector – risk failing unless the regulator brings municipalities into the process, according to Nomvuyiso Batyi, CEO of the Association of Comms & Technology (ACT).

Speaking on the TechCentral Show with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, Batyi said Icasa had consulted network operators and fibre companies but not the South African Local Government Association, which represents the municipalities that will have to apply the rules.

“You cannot just develop regulations without talking to all the parties,” she warned, arguing that Icasa should follow energy regulator Nersa’s approach to municipal engagement.

Asked when final rules might realistically be in place, she said 24 months – provided Icasa works through local government first.

On enforcement she was more optimistic. Section 21 of the Electronic Communications Act, amended in 2014, already empowers Icasa to set uniform procedures for permits and approvals at a reasonable fee, she said. “A lot of people may have missed the amendment.”

The gap is dispute resolution: the draft assumes disputes between licensees, leaving operators without recourse when a municipality refuses a way leave. At Icasa’s public hearings this month, ACT proposed binding municipal deadlines, deemed approval and damages claims for failing to respond to requests in time from telecoms providers.

ACT also objects to the detail in Icasa’s proposed national infrastructure database. Batyi supports mapping in principle but said the granularity sought would expose competitively sensitive information and create construction mafia and cybersecurity risks.

Beyond rapid deployment, Batyi listed four priorities on her plate: the newly finalised Rica framework agreement on Sim card verification, licence renewals by 2028, Icasa’s end-user and subscriber charter regulations and the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill – which she described as “embarrassing” in its current form.

ACT represents Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, Cell C, Rain and Liquid Intelligent Technologies. – © 2026 NewsCentral Media TechCentral

South African businesses are spending millions on cloud – and many have very little to show for it.

That is the uncomfortable starting point for this episode of TCS+, in which Nkosinathi Ndlovu speaks to Joel Chacko, executive head of department for cloud services at Vodacom Business, and Jonathan Oaker, founder and CEO of CloudZA, about why the promise of cloud still isn’t matching the reality for so many organisations – and what it takes to close the gap.

Chacko and Oaker discuss why cloud has moved from the server room to the boardroom, with business resilience, agility and AI readiness emerging as the new drivers. They also examine why pressure to “move to cloud” can run ahead of strategy, leaving costs to climb faster than returns.

The pair also cover:

• Common pitfalls behind cost overruns, including poor governance, skills gaps and the slow adoption of cloud-native thinking;

• Why hybrid and multi-cloud architectures have become the baseline, and the strategic drivers behind that shift;

• The mindset organisations need to thrive in the cloud;

• What to look for when choosing a cloud partner; and

• What businesses should stop doing immediately, and where to redirect that energy instead.

Don't miss the discussion. TechCentral

Optasia is on target to distribute more than US$6-billion in credit across its markets in 2026 – and it carries every cent of the default risk itself. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, CEO Salvador Anglada unpacks how the JSE’s biggest recent fintech listing actually works.

Formerly known as Channel VAS, Optasia was founded in 2012 as a single-country airtime credit provider. It listed on the JSE main board on 4 November 2025 at R19/share – top of the range, and oversubscribed several times. FirstRand took a 20.1% stake ahead of the IPO and has since raised it to 26.1%.

Today, Optasia’s AI-driven credit decisioning platform operates in 38 countries through mobile operators – MTN and Vodacom among them – and financial institutions, serving more than 120 million monthly active users and making 1.5 billion credit decisions a month. Microfinancing now generates 72% of revenue, overtaking the airtime advance business on which the company was built.

In the interview, with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, Anglada discusses:

• What happens in the 30 seconds it takes an unbanked customer in Accra to get a loan – and why partner banks, the “lenders on record”, carry none of the risk;

• The algorithms behind it: more than 5 000 data points per customer, models tailored to each market and a blended default rate of just 1.2% on unsecured loans with no collateral – and no blacklisting of defaulters;

• Optasia’s plans for South Africa, where Anglada sees 15-20 million people without proper access to credit – and why local banks will be the channel;

• The Nigerian regulatory dispute that suspended its airtime credit services – a suspension Anglada calls “a little bit aggressive”;

• Why Optasia chose the JSE over London, and how it works with FirstRand; and

• The road to 2030: new markets including Ethiopia, Egypt and Mozambique, plus SME lending, buy now, pay later and a “virtual credit card” now in testing.

Optasia reports interim results in September, with revenue guided up by more than 50%. Don’t miss the discussion! TechCentral

In the latest episode of Watts & Wheels with Wills, host William Kelly is joined in the studio by Greg Cress, automotive and e-mobility industry lead at Accenture South Africa, and Gary Scott of Scottify -- two of the longest-serving voices in South Africa's electric vehicle scene, and co-authors of a new guide to buying and owning an EV.

The guide was born of the basic questions that keep surfacing: what is a kilowatt-hour? Where will I charge, and will the plug fit? After a lifetime of mindless refuelling at petrol stations, charging is suddenly something owners must think about. The pair's advice is to demystify the maths.

The cost and battery fears, they argue, are largely misplaced. Public fast-charging still works out at about 60% of the running cost of petrol, home charging closer to 25% -- and less still on solar. Early Teslas are passing 560 000km with battery health of 85-88%, no manufacturer offers a battery warranty shorter than eight years, and chemistry is advancing fast, from cheaper lithium-iron-phosphate cells to sodium-ion batteries now arriving.

South Africa, the pair believe, is approaching its tipping point. The global oil shock has pushed EVs into the mainstream conversation -- and cleared dealer stock in the process. The official numbers understate the shift: industry association Naamsa counted just 1 088 battery-electric sales in 2025, but that excludes BYD and other Chinese brands that don't report locally -- and sales nearly doubled year on year in the first quarter of 2026.

Counting the unreported brands, about 500 EVs are now being sold every month, the guests estimate, and Cress predicts about 6 000 for the year. True inflection -- 5% of new vehicle sales -- needs 2 000 sales month, with the under-R400 000 segment, where the pair say two-thirds of South African vehicle buying happens, the battleground to watch.

Their advice for prospective buyers: know why you're in the market before falling for the shiny technology -- and above all, drive one. As Kelly puts it: if you haven't driven an EV, don't tell him they're rubbish.

Don't miss a great discussion! TechCentral