TeleMasters, MiX Telematics and Altron are this year's best performers on the JSE, while 4Sight Holdings, Blue Label Telecoms and Net1 UEPS fared worst.

The company attributes the drop to subdued trading conditions, as well as delays in the delivery of a key rail project and a cyber security project.

Daka, CEO of JSE AltX-listed Etion, is the 40th winner of the prestigious IT Personality of the Year title.

Since 2017, a surge in demand for MLCCs and a parallel shortage of the raw materials needed to manufacture them has impacted heavily on supply, says Etion.

Etion was also ranked the most empowered company in the AltX and Management Control categories, and placed third overall under the new BEE codes.

The equity investments firm acquires 14.16% of Etion's shares to boost innovation in digital security.

Conexus Capital Growth Fund invests R27 million to boost innovation in digital security.

Identity is becoming critical to digital transformation, says Maeson Maherry, chief digital officer of Etion.

There are many similarities between what people want to achieve with smart cities and with what's being done in the digital mine, says Michael Walters, product engineer at Etion.

The ability to build digital capacity into legacy systems is crucial, as the financial and operational implications of having to replace entire systems are enormous, says Teddy Daka, Group CEO at Etion.

Group profit for the year also dropped by 50%, from R67.7 million a year ago to R33.4 million at the end of March 2018.