Episodios

  • PayInc CEO Stephen Linnell on South Africa's payments revolution

    PayInc CEO Stephen Linnell on South Africa's payments revolution
    Sep 25 2025
    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 and settlements system means for the economy;
    • The efforts PayInc is making to implement instant payments at a regional level; and
    • Emerging payment technologies like central bank digital currencies and stablecoins.
    Don’t miss this informative discussion.
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    25 m
  • From lockdown idea to global player: The Invigilator bags $11-million funding

    From lockdown idea to global player: The Invigilator bags $11-million funding
    Sep 23 2025
    The Invigilator, 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 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, and how they were overcome; and
    • The future technologies Riemer is most excited about in the ed-tech space.
    Don’t miss the conversation!
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    35 m
  • Barney Harmse on building Paratus Group – and working with Starlink

    Barney Harmse on building Paratus Group – and working with Starlink
    Sep 3 2025
    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!
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    57 m
  • Maziv goes massive: CEO Dietlof Mare on Vumatel’s big roll-out plans

    Maziv goes massive: CEO Dietlof Mare on Vumatel’s big roll-out plans
    Aug 26 2025
    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!
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    52 m
  • The story behind Nedbank’s R1.65-billion iKhokha deal

    The story behind Nedbank’s R1.65-billion iKhokha deal
    Aug 22 2025
    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!
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    27 m
  • Alan Knott-Craig unveils Fibertime’s big bet on township fibre

    Alan Knott-Craig unveils Fibertime’s big bet on township fibre
    Aug 15 2025
    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!
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    22 m
  • Pick n Pay’s Enrico Ferigolli on building asap! and taking on Shoprite

    Pick n Pay’s Enrico Ferigolli on building asap! and taking on Shoprite
    Aug 14 2025
    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!
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    50 m
  • Britehouse MBO: Graham Parker on what’s next for software firm

    Britehouse MBO: Graham Parker on what’s next for software firm
    Jul 30 2025
    A recent management buyout of Britehouse from NTT Data – previously Dimension Data – has put the software development house on a new trajectory.
    In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Duncan McLeod chats to Britehouse executive chairman Graham Parker about the MBO of Britehouse Mobility and what it means for the future of the business.
    Dimension Data acquired the 60% of Britehouse it didn’t already own in a 2015 transaction, buying out shareholders that included Remgro and Convergence Partners. The IT group had held a 40% stake since 2007 before buying out other shareholders eight years later.
    “Britehouse is embarking on a new era of innovation and independence following a management buyout transaction that effectively acquired the business from NTT Data,” a statement at the time said. “The acquisition from NTT Data marks a pivotal moment in Britehouse’s journey.”
    Following the deal, Britehouse Mobility will operate as a fully independent company. The Britehouse brand will cease to exist inside NTT Data, but the latter will retain the enterprise applications business, with specific focus on SAP and Microsoft, it said.
    “After several successful years of operating as part of the global NTT Data group, Britehouse is excited to return to its roots as an independent, South African-led business,” said Parker at the time.
    Parker tells the TechCentral Show about:
    • His history with Dimension Data and Britehouse;
    • The story of Britehouse; and
    • What the business looks like today, and management’s plans for growth.
    Don’t miss the discussion!
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    25 m