Let’s be honest. Most corporate gifts don’t stand a chance. They arrive, get opened, there is a polite “thank you”, and then they quietly disappear into a drawer, a cupboard, or that mysterious office corner where all the branded mugs go to retire. Not because people are ungrateful, but because nothing about the moment made them feel anything. And that is the real problem. Not just because the moment was missed, but because businesses are already investing significant budgets into these gestures. Every forgotten gift is not only a missed emotional connection, it is wasted spend, and in many cases,…
Author: Staff Writer
The chief executive of South African Airways (SAA), Professor John Lamola, has resigned from the state‑owned carrier effective 30 April 2026, marking the end of a four‑year tenure that saw the airline emerge from business rescue and restore its operational footprint in a fiercely competitive global market. According to an announcement from the South African Government, the minister of transport, Barbara Creecy, acting in her capacity as shareholder representative, accepted the resignation alongside the SAA board following a formal board meeting. Lamola, who took the helm as interim chief in May 2022 before being appointed permanently in February 2025, guided the…
For decades, brand growth was built around a single idea: find the hero and push it harder than anyone else. Today, that model is starting to crack. Consumers are navigating rising living costs, hybrid working and an abundance of choice. As a result, their behaviour is no longer linear. The same shopper can be value-driven in the morning, indulgent in the afternoon and convenience-led by evening. They brew coffee at home, pick something up on the go between meetings and explore new flavours over the weekend. In this environment, growth is no longer about pushing one winning product harder. It…
South Africa’s hospitality sector is in a paradox. Guests are back. Occupancy is recovering and travel demand has returned with real momentum. According to Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille, South Africa welcomed 10.485 million international visitors in 2025, marking a historic record and surpassing pre-pandemic figures. Yet, according to the South African Hoteliers Report, 77% of hoteliers are struggling to recruit and retain staff, while 58% say profitability has either stagnated or declined over the past five years. These numbers should give every operator in our industry pause. Because if we are seeing demand recover while margins erode and teams…
The 2026 Budget Speech delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in February 2026 has in balance been referred to as a “good news” budget by the commentariat. At a macro level, the strides made toward fiscal consolidation and the raising of the VAT level for small-to-medium businesses are highly positive developments for key socio-economic measures, including employment. Government has been highly consistent in emphasising the importance of small-to-medium businesses as part of its overall national economic growth strategy. Page 39 of the National Development Plan 2030 explicitly states “that most new jobs are likely to be sourced in domestic-orientated businesses, and in…
lying Air France isn’t just about getting from A to B; it’s about arriving with a story to tell, and often that story begins with the meal tray in front of you. At 35,000 feet, where taste buds behave differently and space is at a premium, the airline has quietly mastered one of aviation’s most complex challenges: delivering a refined, quality dining experience in the sky. While many airlines treat onboard dining as a functional necessity, Air France approaches it as a signature experience – one that has been meticulously crafted long before take-off. From Business Class to Economy, every…
Award-winning Public Relations firm, Wimbart, marks its 10-year anniversary, celebrating a decade of delivering strategic communications services to African tech companies and ecosystem players. Launched in 2016 by IROKO alumnus Jessica Hope, the communications consultancy has become the go-to B2B PR partner for startups, scale-ups, venture capital firms and institutional organisations looking to reach African and international audiences. Over the past decade, the 15-strong team, located across London and Lagos, has advised some of the continent’s most recognisable tech companies and investors, including M-KOPA, Andela, MaxAB and Ventures Platform, helping shape communications around pivotal moments such as major funding rounds, product launches, crises, acquisitions…
Endeavor South Africa has announced the close of Harvest Fund III at R230 million. This venture fund brings together both entrepreneurs and institutional investors focused on backing and scaling the next generation of high-growth technology businesses across South Africa – and paying their successes forward. Harvest Fund III is a rules-based co-investment fund that invests alongside qualified lead investors, with the bulk of capital allocated to Series B and later-stage companies. The fund builds on the momentum of Harvest Fund II, and reflects growing confidence in the sector. Harvest Fund III reached its final close following a first close of…
Leading digital transformation specialist organisation, CASA Software reveals how treating AI as a standalone initiative rather than as a shared platform capability is, according to Broadcom, a common barrier to enterprise transformation. Broadcom predicts that during 2026, AI will move beyond isolated pilots and discrete services to become embedded across enterprise platforms, supporting application development, infrastructure operations, and data processing workflows. Gartner notes that by 2028, 70% of enterprises will have integrated AI-augmented software testing (AAST) tools into their software engineering toolchain, which is a significant increase from approximately 20% in early 2025. AI-augmented software testing tools integrate with AI code assistants, chat interfaces,…
Latest stats from the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) show that the domestic new-car market experienced its best February in over a decade, with nearly 53 500 vehicles sold in February 2026. Buoyed by lower inflation and better local economic conditions, many South Africans are entering the market – whether buying a new vehicle or trading in their current one. But as Marius Kemp, Head of Personal Lines Underwriting at Santam, warns, this is not a decision to take lightly. “Buying or selling a vehicle is a significant financial decision,” he says. “Understanding the full picture – from…