Category: Technology

South Africa is sitting on a fertiliser factory’s worth of untapped agricultural resources, and government has a plan to put it to work for emerging farmers. Speaking at NAMPO Cape in Bredasdorp, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Dr Jack Bloom outlined an ambitious drive to convert the country’s municipal wastewater into low-cost fertiliser and irrigation water, offering relief to a sector grappling with drought and rising global fertiliser prices.

South Africa produces nearly 640 000 dry tonnes of municipal wastewater treatment sludge every year from its large treatment plants, with a further 378 000 to 567 000 tonnes generated by smaller plants and pit toilets. Most of it is currently treated as waste for disposal, despite its enormous potential in the fields.

“This is not a stockpile. It is a fertiliser factory’s worth of raw material, going into the ground instead of onto your fields every single year,” Bloom told delegates.

The science says it is safe

The plan is backed by solid South African research. The Department of Water and Sanitation pointed to Water Research Commission trials at Bishopstowe and Appelsbosch farms in KwaZulu-Natal, where co-composted sludge was tested against conventional fertilisers on chillies, tomatoes and maize. The results were striking: E. coli counts on harvested crops came in roughly 1 000 times below the legal safety threshold for food crops.

And the model is already working in practice. In Pietermaritzburg, a partnership between Msunduzi Municipality, uMngeni-Uthukela Water, the University of KwaZulu-Natal and private company Duzi Turf converts wastewater sludge and green waste into compost that is registered with the Department of Agriculture and sold to farmers and landscapers.

Pilots and partnerships taking shape

The department is now piloting the conversion of the Esther Park Wastewater Treatment Works into a dedicated sludge treatment plant, in partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Ekurhuleni Water Care Company. Since 2022, municipalities have been legally required to divert sludge away from landfill sites towards facilities that treat it for beneficial use, in line with national norms and standards.

Bloom called on Grain SA and emerging farmers to help identify suitable locations for future pilot projects. “We will keep pushing municipalities toward decentralised treatment near the towns where you farm,” he said.

Growing together at NAMPO Cape

The announcement landed on fertile ground. NAMPO Cape 2026, held at Bredasdorp Park from 9 to 12 September under the theme Together We Grow, brought together farmers, agribusinesses, researchers and communities from across the agricultural value chain, with more than 500 exhibitors showcasing the latest agricultural technology and innovations.

For emerging farmers squeezed by input costs, the message from Bredasdorp was one of practical hope: the resources South Africa needs to grow more food, more affordably, may already be flowing through its towns, and science, government and industry are lining up to harvest them. The full announcement is available from SAnews.

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South Africa is embracing the age of artificial intelligence with a clear promise: the technology revolution will be built around people. Speaking at the National Economic Development and Labour Council’s (NEDLAC) 31st Annual Summit in Pretoria, Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa set out a vision of an AI-enabled economy that lifts workers, entrepreneurs and young people along with it.

Delivering the keynote address on behalf of Deputy President Paul Mashatile, Ramokgopa said the digital wave sweeping the global economy is rich with possibility for South Africa.

“AI can improve productivity, support innovation, strengthen service delivery, create new industries and open new opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment,” the minister said.

Investing in people first

The centrepiece of the government’s approach is human capital. Ramokgopa said the transition towards a tech-enabled economy must be cushioned by targeted investments in education and training, with upskilling and re-skilling initiatives ensuring that young South Africans and current workers are fully equipped for a shifting labour market.

“We must therefore ensure that our approach to AI is centered on people. This requires investments in education, skills development, re-skilling, and lifelong learning. Our young people in particular must be equipped to participate meaningfully in the digital economy,” he said.

New occupations will emerge and existing ones will evolve, the minister noted, which is why lifelong learning sits at the heart of the plan.

An opportunity to boost competitiveness

Ramokgopa told the summit that the age of AI presents South Africa with an “opportunity to improve South Africa’s productivity and competitiveness”, and that the challenge now is to make sure those gains reach everyone.

“Technological advancements must support investment, strengthen enterprises, particularly small and emerging businesses, and contribute to sustainable employment creation,” he said.

Social dialogue as a superpower

One of South Africa’s unique strengths in navigating the transition is NEDLAC itself, the long-standing forum where government, business, labour and community organisations shape solutions together.

“The concept of social dialogue is central to our democratic project. It provides a platform through which government, business, labour and the community constituency can engage, identify areas of interest and work towards solutions,” Ramokgopa said, adding that business, labour and government will work hand in hand so that technology improves productivity while supporting workers through periods of transition.

With skills investment on the agenda and all social partners around one table, South Africa is positioning itself to ride the AI wave on its own terms, turning one of the century’s biggest shifts into new industries, new careers and inclusive growth.

Source: SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa’s construction industry is being invited to step boldly into the digital age. Speaking at the Built Environment Summit at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, Public Works and Infrastructure Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala urged the sector to embrace technological innovation to lift safety and performance on construction sites across the country.

Zikalala told delegates that modern project management must increasingly rely on technological tools to strengthen inspection, oversight and delivery outcomes, describing technology in construction as no longer simply a matter of modernisation but an “indispensable intervention” needed to improve performance, reduce failure rates and ensure projects are completed efficiently, on time and within budget.

AI as a Partner, Not a Threat

The Deputy Minister tackled one of the big questions of the moment head-on: will artificial intelligence take construction jobs? His answer was an emphatic no. AI, he said, should be seen as an accelerator of productivity rather than a threat to employment.

“The integration of technology presents an opportunity to revolutionise how projects are monitored, controlled, and delivered. Far from being a threat to employment, AI serves as a powerful catalyst for efficiencies and productivity gains. By automating routine and repetitive tasks, AI frees up skilled professionals to focus on higher-value activities that require critical thinking and creativity,” Zikalala said.

It is a vision in which South African engineers, quantity surveyors and site managers spend less time on paperwork and more time on the skilled judgement calls that machines cannot make.

Drones, Digital Models and Smarter Inspections

Zikalala highlighted the growing role of a whole toolkit of technologies in strengthening the country’s inspection systems, including:

• Building Information Modelling (BIM), which creates rich digital models of projects before and during construction;
• Drones that give inspectors eyes over every corner of a site;
• Artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics that spot patterns humans might miss.

Together, he said, these tools can enhance visibility on sites, provide stronger evidence-based oversight and help identify risks earlier, before they escalate into failures. That means safer sites for workers and better-built infrastructure for the communities who use it.

Growing the Inspector Corps

Technology alone is not the whole answer, and the Deputy Minister also called for closer coordination across all spheres of government to increase the number of registered building inspectors, describing this as critical to protecting both construction infrastructure and the workers on the ground.

The message from the summit was one of confidence in the sector’s future: a South African built environment where digital tools and skilled professionals work hand in hand, delivering the roads, schools, clinics and homes the country needs, done right the first time.

With industry leaders gathered in Cape Town to chart that course together, the foundations for a smarter, safer construction sector are already being laid.

Source: SAnews.gov.za

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

South Africa’s power utility is betting on brainpower. During a site visit to Eskom’s Research, Testing and Development (RT&D) Centre in Johannesburg this week, Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the facility’s capabilities can power the utility into what he called “a green and prosperous future”.

“We really want to position Eskom as a leader in terms of technology innovation, so there’s a lot of investment that needs to be made in terms of research and development,” Ramokgopa said, according to SAnews.

An Unmatched Advantage

The Minister was unambiguous about where he believes Eskom’s edge lies. “The real advantage that Eskom has is in research, development, innovation and technology going into the future. In this area we are unmatched, and we are beginning to position ourselves,” he said.

With Eskom back in profit, Ramokgopa committed to ploughing earnings into the lab: “We will look to invest more and more of the earnings that Eskom is recording so that we go back to the glory days and in fact, surpass those.”

The RT&D Centre gives Eskom the in-house capability to test, validate and scale solutions — both for immediate operational needs and for the electricity landscape of the future.

Cleaner Air Around Power Stations

Among the live projects at the facility is work on reducing emissions at Eskom’s coal-fired power stations, in line with regulations issued by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. “We have every intention of complying,” the Minister said.

While countries such as China and Japan are further along with emission-reducing technology, Ramokgopa said he was happy to see first-hand that South Africa is doing the work too. Though not yet at commercial scale, he said the team is “getting there slowly” — and the payoff is significant.

“The positive outcome of this is that we will be able to continue to exploit our natural endowments … and we are able to meet our obligations with regard to emission standards, and we are able to protect lives in the immediate footprint of our various coal-fired power stations,” he said. Government will also look to partner with more advanced technology players and domesticate those solutions locally.

Green Hydrogen on the Horizon

Eskom’s ambitions stretch well beyond compliance. The utility has established Eskom Green to pursue the country’s renewable energy endowments, and the research team is already investigating opportunities in green hydrogen — a field where South Africa’s sun, wind and industrial know-how could make it a global player.

“We are on the right path,” Ramokgopa said.

For a utility that has spent recent years rebuilding its operational performance, the message from Johannesburg is a hopeful one: the next chapter of South Africa’s energy story is being written not just in power stations, but in laboratories — by South African engineers and scientists.

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Artificial intelligence should open doors for every South African woman, from newsrooms and universities to the most remote rural villages. That was the inspiring message from the third annual Women in Media and Communications Panel Discussion, hosted in partnership by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) and the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) on Wednesday.

Held during Women’s Month under the theme Coded for Equality: Women, AI and the New Media Landscape, the gathering brought together government, academia, media and industry representatives to examine women’s representation and influence as AI increasingly shapes how information is created, distributed and consumed.

Technology that reaches every village

GCIS Chief Director for Products and Platforms Zanele Mngadi urged the sector to think beyond careers and consider how AI can improve the lives of women still underserved by the digital economy.

How can we use these tools to make information more accessible to a woman in a rural village, in her own language and through a platform she can access? How can we connect her more effectively to information about healthcare, education, agricultural support, business opportunities and government services?

Mngadi said women journalists and communicators are perfectly placed to lead that change. “In the hands of women journalists and communicators, AI can become a powerful tool for inclusion, enabling us to deliver credible and useful information further, faster, in more languages and in forms that speak to the realities of women wherever they live,” she said.

From representation to real influence

Keynote speaker Tumi Lebaka, CEO of the Gauteng Film Commission, challenged women to aim beyond simply securing a seat in the technology and media sectors. Meaningful transformation, she argued, means women having influence over resources, decisions and intellectual property.

Equality cannot depend on women becoming better at surviving unequal systems. We therefore have to participate in redesigning systems themselves.

Lebaka drew a powerful parallel between the historic struggle for representation in media and the new frontier she called the algorithm room, the space where the technologies of tomorrow are designed. She encouraged women to move beyond being users of AI and become developers, researchers, policymakers, regulators, entrepreneurs, investors and owners, so that the systems of the future are trained on the values of an equal South Africa.

A new generation takes note

With students, academics and industry leaders sharing one stage, the panel showed South Africa’s tech conversation at its best: forward-looking, inclusive and rooted in the belief that innovation is strongest when everyone helps write the code.

Source: SAnews.gov.za

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Filing taxes from your couch. Applying for a grant without a long queue. Proving who you are with a trusted digital identity. South Africa’s vision of government in your pocket is steadily becoming reality, as digitisation efforts across the public service gain momentum.

In the latest step, the Department of Home Affairs has launched Phase II of its highly successful Trusted Employer Scheme, part of modernising the immigration system to reduce red tape, attract investment and support economic growth and job creation, SAnews reports.

A roadmap with the citizen at the centre

The bigger picture is the Roadmap for the Digital Transformation of Government, launched in May 2025, which unifies previously fragmented digital initiatives into a whole-of-government vision for an inclusive, secure and people-centred digital government by 2030.

In the roadmap’s foreword, President Cyril Ramaphosa notes that important steps have already been taken: digital platforms have expanded to the point where South Africans can file taxes, apply for grants and access a growing number of services online.

“This roadmap is government’s commitment… It sets out a focused plan to modernise how we deliver services by investing in shared systems, improving coordination and removing the barriers that make it difficult for people to get what they need.”

MyMzansi: one front door for government

Central to the vision is the MyMzansi platform, designed to provide a single access point to government services and information. Through digital identity, trusted online platforms and digital payment systems, South Africans will increasingly be able to apply for services, receive payments, verify their identity and access information from wherever they are.

The expected wins are practical and personal: less paperwork, lower travel costs, better access to services, stronger security and less fraud – with the biggest benefits flowing to those who live furthest from government service centres.

No one left behind

Importantly, government has committed to ensuring rural communities and vulnerable groups continue to access services through multiple channels as digital services expand, so the digital leap lifts everyone.

Beyond convenience, the digital transformation programme is expected to boost the economy itself, reducing administrative burdens, supporting innovation and opening more opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship. A smarter, simpler, more connected Mzansi is on its way.

Source: SAnews.gov.za

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

As National Science Month draws to a close, there is plenty for South Africans to celebrate: the country remains a continental leader in science, innovation and technology, with home-grown breakthroughs that have changed lives around the world.

In a feature published by SAnews, Government Communications’ William Baloyi charts the country’s proud scientific record, from historic firsts to world-leading facilities in the Karoo.

Inventions that save lives

Consider the Lodox scanner. First developed in the mining industry to detect smuggled diamonds through low-dose, full-body X-ray imaging, the technology is today used in trauma centres and hospitals in South Africa and internationally, producing full-body images within seconds while exposing patients to significantly less radiation than traditional X-rays or CT scans.

South Africa’s record of medical firsts goes back decades. The world’s first successful human-to-human heart transplant was performed by Professor Christiaan Barnard at Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital in 1967, and South African researchers continue to contribute to global health through advances in infectious disease research, HIV prevention and vaccine development. At the University of Cape Town, the Cancer Research Initiative is advancing prevention, diagnosis and treatment research that responds to the needs of African populations.

Eyes on the universe from the Karoo

South Africa’s leadership in astronomy is on spectacular display in the Northern Cape, where the country hosts the African site of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), an international project to build the world’s largest radio telescope with a collecting area equivalent to approximately one square kilometre.

Its precursor, the MeerKAT radio telescope in the Karoo, has already produced important discoveries, including detailed observations of the centre of the Milky Way, positioning South Africa as a key contributor to global astronomy.

The country’s space credentials also include SumbandilaSat, its first locally developed microsatellite, launched in 2009 and a demonstration of growing local expertise in satellite technology.

A research powerhouse

The numbers back up the reputation. In 2023, South Africa produced 25 775 scientific articles, placing the country 29th in the world and second in Africa. Plant breeders’ rights applications grew from 263 in 2022 to 318 in 2023, placing South Africa among the global leaders in agricultural innovation, with local scientists strengthening food security through climate-smart agriculture and improved crop varieties.

Behind it all stands a strong ecosystem: the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the National Research Foundation, universities and research institutions that turn ideas into solutions.

From the operating theatre at Groote Schuur to the radio dishes of the Karoo, South African science is a story of curiosity, excellence and impact, and its next chapter is already being written by a new generation of researchers and innovators.

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Getting a Smart ID Card just got a whole lot easier. Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber has launched a new online service that lets South Africans instantly find their nearest participating bank branch where they can apply for the secure Smart ID Card.

The platform, available at myhomeaffairsonline.dha.gov.za, shows participating bank branches across the country in real time. As more branches join the department’s digital partnership with the banking sector, they are automatically added to the website, so the information is always up to date, the Department of Home Affairs said, as reported by SAnews.

A Partnership Growing at Speed

The launch comes as the department’s collaboration with banks continues to expand rapidly. South Africans can now access Smart ID services through 372 participating bank branches nationwide — making it easier than ever to replace the old green barcoded ID book with the modern, secure Smart ID Card.

The numbers tell a remarkable story. Since the digital partnership launched on 9 March 2026, more than half a million South Africans have applied for Smart ID Cards through participating bank branches — clear evidence of the demand for simpler, faster and more secure services.

Services That Fit Into People’s Lives

Speaking at a digital partnership media event with FNB at Canal Walk in Cape Town, Schreiber said every reform should make government services easier to reach.

“This new online service makes it easier than ever for South Africans to find their nearest participating bank branch and switch to the secure Smart ID Card. Every reform we implement should make our services easier to access, and this is another practical step towards achieving that goal,” he said.

The Minister described the approach as bringing Home Affairs to where people already are. “Home Affairs @ home is about bringing our services closer to where people live, work and bank, so that secure Home Affairs services fit into the lives of South Africans instead of expecting South Africans to fit into ours. That is how we will continue delivering dignity for all,” he said.

How to Use It

Anyone still using the green barcoded ID book can visit the new website, type in their location, and see at a glance where to go for a Smart ID. With over half a million applications already processed through banks and hundreds of branches on board, the queue-free, bank-based route to a secure identity document is fast becoming the new normal — another practical win for digital government in South Africa.

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A Cape Town-headquartered fintech is having quite a moment, literally. Moment, the payments infrastructure company built to serve enterprise merchants across Africa, has closed a $22 million (about R364 million) Series A funding round to accelerate its continental expansion, TechFinancials reports.

The round was led by AlphaCode Venture Partners, the venture arm associated with some of South Africa’s most successful fintech bets, with continued backing from global investor General Catalyst and JSE-listed MultiChoice, and a vote of confidence from a new investor, French media group Canal+. The raise brings Moment’s total funding since inception to $55 million, more than R900 million.

Ten Million People a Month

The numbers behind the raise tell the real story. Moment processes around 600 000 transactions every day and reaches 10 million people a month through some of Africa’s leading consumer brands, with a network spanning more than two million physical payment locations.

“Within three years of launch, we are processing for 10 million people a month across some of Africa’s leading brands,” said CEO Joel Yarbrough.

Three years is worth pausing on. This is a young company scaling at remarkable speed, and doing it from a South African home base. While Moment’s headquarters sit in Cape Town, its footprint already stretches across the continent and beyond, with offices in Johannesburg, Lagos, Kigali, Dubai and London, and operations in markets including South Africa, Nigeria and Rwanda.

The Plumbing of African Commerce

Moment’s products are the kind of invisible infrastructure that makes digital commerce work: payment collections for large merchants, recurring payments and billing integration, failed-payment recovery and customer engagement tools. When a subscription renews smoothly or a payment that would have bounced gets recovered, that is the plumbing Moment builds.

The company says the new capital will be used to deepen its payment network, enhance its technology platform and accelerate expansion across African markets, simplifying digital commerce for businesses along the way.

Another Win for the Cape Town Tech Story

The raise adds to a growing list of proof points that South Africa, and Cape Town in particular, has become a genuine launchpad for technology companies with continental ambitions. A local team building payments infrastructure trusted by leading brands, backed by investors from Johannesburg to Silicon Valley to Paris, is exactly the kind of story that keeps the ecosystem compounding: capital attracts talent, talent builds companies, and companies attract more capital.

For South African consumers and businesses, the benefit is practical. Better payments infrastructure means fewer failed transactions, smoother subscriptions and easier digital commerce, in rand, naira or francs. And for the next generation of South African founders watching from their laptops, Moment’s trajectory is a reminder that a world-class fintech can be built from the southern tip of Africa in three years flat.

The moment, it seems, is just getting started.

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South Africa has just wrapped up its first ever National Science Month – an expanded version of the annual National Science Week held throughout July under the theme Science, Technology and Innovation Are for Everyone. And as Explain News reports, local researchers gave the country plenty to celebrate.

Home-grown green hydrogen

One of the month’s biggest moments came in Sasolburg, where South Africa launched a locally developed 2kW Proton Exchange Membrane electrolyser – a machine that uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. When powered by renewable energy, the hydrogen it produces is a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels for transport and heavy industry.

The laboratory-scale unit was built using publicly funded South African intellectual property, through a partnership between the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, North-West University, the South African National Energy Development Institute and Sasol. Researchers will now use it to test green hydrogen technology under real South African weather and renewable-energy conditions – building the local skills base for an industry the country intends to compete in, rather than importing every piece of the puzzle.

A telescope for the community

Outside Hammanskraal, a compact, low-cost Transient Array Radio Telescope is giving researchers and community members direct access to the radio sky. The open-source instrument monitors the whole sky and can track satellites, near-Earth objects and brief cosmic events. Installed in 2025, it returned to the spotlight during Science Month with a four-day workshop that combined astronomy with African Indigenous Knowledge – putting real research equipment and training within reach of young people who might otherwise never touch a telescope.

Ancient jaws, modern insights

Wits University researchers examined 71 fossil jaws from human ancestors that lived between 5.3 million and 2.6 million years ago, finding that early members of the Homo group suffered far more loss of tooth-supporting bone – linked to gum disease – than their Australopithecine relatives. The team proposes that gum disease may have interacted with genetic changes that produced smaller teeth and weaker chewing muscles, possibly contributing over generations to our flatter modern faces.

Stronger institutions, smarter medicine

The South African Medical Research Council established seven new extramural research units from 1 April, bringing its total to 30. Based at universities and partner institutions, the units tackle pressing health challenges from childhood brain conditions and pre-eclampsia to cancer treatments – with one using artificial intelligence to improve public-health decisions and another developing nano-sized drug-delivery technology.

The flower that chooses sides

And in a delightful piece of pure discovery, an international team including University of Cape Town researchers identified two genes that decide which way South Africa’s butterfly lily bends its flowers – each plant leans consistently left or right, an arrangement that reduces self-pollination. They even found that gravity helps guide the flower’s development, a clue to how living things break left-right symmetry.

From cleaner energy to ancient teeth and flowers with a preferred direction, South African science is asking big questions – and finding some wonderfully unexpected answers.

Photo: explain.co.za