Gugu Lourie

3 days ago | techfinancials.co.za | Ihsaan Haffejee |Gugu Lourie

The streets of Soweto came alive at the weekend as scores of young people showed off their customised BMX bicycles. This cycling subculture was born out of the more commonly known car “stance” culture, where vehicle owners spend a lot of time and money customising their cars with specialised paint jobs, flashy wheels and loud sound systems. Many young people in townships like Soweto may not have the resources to buy and customise their own cars.

5 days ago | techfinancials.co.za | Gugu Lourie

As Daybreak Farms faced a catastrophic week with starving chickens and unpaid staff, chairperson Bojane Segooa secured a R625,000 payout before resigning abruptly, reports the Sunday Times. The taxpayer-funded poultry producer, already reliant on billions in state support, had recently been denied a R1.5bn bailout by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).

5 days ago | businesslive.co.za | Gugu Lourie

Imagine a young, enterprising South African living in a far-flung rural area opening a spaza shop with a loan from Postbank. The rural-based entrepreneur orders stock via Spaza Eats or Delivery Ka Speed on a smartphone, connected to an affordable mobile network operated by the South African Post Office (Sapo). Picture the entrepreneur's children accessing free online educational content through a partnership with Telkom. They could even develop an app for the local community safety forum...

5 days ago | techfinancials.co.za | Gugu Lourie

Fintech company Lesaka (formerly Net1 UEPS) reported adding 89,000 new EasyPay Everywhere (EPE) users in Q3 2025, increasing its market share among social grant recipients to 13%. The company now serves 1.7 million grant beneficiaries and aims for 20% market penetration within 3-5 years. CEO Lincoln Mali credits Lesaka’s growth to competitors’ struggles, particularly Post Bank’s Sassa card expiration issues.

5 days ago | techfinancials.co.za | Gugu Lourie

The South African Post Office (Sapo) has the potential to become a digital lifeline for rural communities by offering Wi-Fi, e-government services, and e-commerce access, writes Gugu Lourie in the Sunday Times. With its vast infrastructure – including 657 branches, a 160,000km fibre network, and a Postbank financial arm -Sapo is uniquely positioned to bridge the digital divide. Private telecom operators often neglect rural areas due to low profitability, leaving millions offline.