Star 2025-08-07

MTN South Africa has announced the full-scale deployment of digital ID system with real-time biometrics on any device across all MTN stores nationwide as it seeks to transform the customer experience and strengthening identity security. The rollout follows a highly successful six-month pilot across 20% of its stores, where the biometric identification system significantly improved onboarding efficiency and reduced identity fraud, all while delivering a more seamless customer experience. Building on this momentum, MTN is now the first mobile operator in South Africa to implement this technology at scale. Cornelia van Heerden, Executive: Customer Operations, MTN South Africa, said, “At MTN, our customers are at the heart of everything we do. The deployment of this biometric system is part of our ongoing investment in innovation that makes our customers’ lives…

MTN drops concerns over proposed merger between The Prepaid Company and Cell C MTN no longer has concerns regarding the proposed merger between The Prepaid Company (TPC) and struggling Cell C, which the Competition Commission feels will get a new lease of life under majority control by Blue Label Telecoms. Blue Label’s interests in Cell C are held through TPC. The Competition Tribunal is holding a hearing into the acquisition of a controlling stake in Cell C by TPC. Advocate Themba Mahlangu, representing the commission at Wednesday’s hearing at the Tribunal, said Cell C stood to get a new lease of life under majority control by Blue Label. This had helped the Commission to consider approving the merger and acquisition transaction at a time Cell C has been facing turbulent…

The latest report from Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), released this week, reveals troubling forecasts for South Africa's beef production, with estimates indicating a decline of 20 000 tons year-on-year, bringing total production down to 764 000 tons by 2025. Despite this downturn, the report affirms that the country maintains a supply surplus, albeit amidst a backdrop of significant challenges within the industry. RMIS notes the past five years have proven particularly challenging for both the beef and sheep sectors. A combination of rising feed costs, erratic weather patterns, ongoing loadshedding, and global disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to a perilous financial landscape for farmers, feedlots, and abattoirs. With profit margins squeezed, stakeholders have struggled against high input costs and weakened consumer demand. However, there is a…

South Africa, currently selling about 1 000 electric vehicles (EV) a year constituting 1% of the 13 million vehicles on the road, is still miles from realising its EV ambitions. Panelists at a discussion on a South Africa's EV roadmap on Wednesday said the country's ambitions were hampered by infrastructure, energy uncertainty, policy developments, decarbonisation deadlines, fuel quality, import tariffs, and the pricing to suit the market. They pointed to the high grid carbon intensity, which will have to be reduced to comply with Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAM) and other decarbonisation penalties. The discussion was a reflection on the Norwegian experience, which has been in the fast lane to electrify its passenger car sales by 2025. In the first half of 2025, all-electric cars made up a record 94.3%…

Merlog Foods is calling on the Border Management Authority (BMA) to implement the use of an online electronic verification system to verify health certificates and prevent further delays to poultry imports. These delays, caused by a reliance on paper-based certificates, are undermining food security and contributing to rising protein costs in South Africa. Veterinary health certificates for poultry exports from Brazil are issued both as hard copies and as secure electronic records accessible through an internationally recognised online portal. Both the Border Management Authority and the Directorate of Animal Health under the Department of Agriculture already have access to this online system. Currently, even when poultry shipments are pre-cleared using the online system, the poultry is held at a South African port until the original paper-based certificates arrive, which adds…

Economic activity remained resilient through July though economic pressures persist, according to The BankservAfrica Economic Transactions Index (BETI). The BETI, which tracks the value of all electronic transactions cleared through BankservAfrica at seasonally adjusted real prices, continues to reflect South Africa’s underlying economic resilience amid prevailing risks and financial strain. Shergeran Naidoo, BankservAfrica’s Head of Stakeholder Engagements, said, “The BETI increased for the third consecutive month to reach an index level of 139.3 in July 2025, 0.2% up on June’s level." The BETI is up 1.9% year-on-year, signalling that the quarter two uptick in economic activity is extending into quarter three, albeit with slightly moderated momentum. “The economy continues to demonstrate resilience, though significant challenges and risks persist. In particular, uncertainty around the impact of US import tariffs — both…