Bolt drivers earned R42.3bn in SA | ITWeb Tech Headlines 29 Sept - 3 Oct 2026
These are the stories making headlines on ITWeb this week. Bolt says it has paid more than R42.3 billion to driver operators in South Africa since launching in 2016, onboarding just over 500 000 drivers and serving more than 30 million passengers. Meanwhile, Home Affairs plans to use machine learning to make yes or no decisions on visa applications through its Electronic Travel Authorisation system, with humans stepping in only when an anomaly is detected, and study and work visas joining in early 2027. In addition, MTN has lost its bid to halt US anti-terrorism lawsuits, with a New York court denying its request to reconsider an earlier ruling and sending the Zobay and Long cases to discovery. At the same time, Xpatweb's preliminary 2026 Critical Skills Survey finds 25% of employers struggle to recruit ICT specialists, and 22% struggle to find AI and emerging technology skills. Finally, Capitec's fintech net income rose 30% to R2.7 billion in the six months to August, as Capitec Connect grew to 1.8 million a
Preliminary 2026 Critical Skills Survey findings show persistent shortages across ICT, AI, engineering and artisan roles, with unfilled vacancies affecting business operations.
After investing over $819 million in skills development and infrastructure in Africa, AWS commits a further $1.5 billion until 2029.
Vaal University of Technology research finds AI adoption among lecturers and students outpaces institutional policies and ethical safeguards.
The bank scales AI across relationship management, payments and lending, while investing in governance, skills and infrastructure.
Vodacom, the University of Johannesburg and Amazon Web Services join forces to address SA’s growing demand for job-ready AI and data science skills.
Fragmented markets, talent shortages and imported technology are slowing Africa's AI competitiveness, says a BCG report.
Google and UpSkill Universe revamp the free academy programme to include anyone interested in using AI to advance their career.
Empower+ integrates HIV prevention with digital literacy, supporting youth empowerment and gender equality in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The tool for technical and vocational education and training college students enables the path to demand-led, digital economy careers.
Companies worldwide are fiercely competing for top AI talent, offering premium salaries to attract experienced AI professionals.
Two-thirds of African companies are upskilling or reskilling staff on AI specialisations, but it may not be enough, according to SAP research.
The path to rapid, widespread AI use is littered with regulatory, ethical, security, privacy and job loss challenges.