Cell C's R12.6bn Turnaround | ITWeb Tech Headlines | 17-22 August 2026
These are the stories making headlines on ITWeb this week. Cell C added 1.3 million subscribers and cut net debt by 64% in its first full year as a JSE-listed company, with group revenue climbing to R12.64 billion. Meanwhile, Standard Bank is shifting from just using AI tools to becoming a fully AI-enabled organisation, with more than 39 000 staff, 72% of its workforce, now active generative AI users.
Mall-based kiosks become central to Nedbank’s strategy, as it transforms traditional branches into tech-enabled service centres.
The big-four bank’s half-year results show 72% of employees were active users of GenAI tools, with 87 approved use cases.
NTT Data Ditches Data Centres for Services | ITWeb Tech Headlines 27 Jul – 1 Aug 2026
These are the stories making headlines on ITWeb this week. NTT Data South Africa has sold seven data centres in a sale-and-leaseback deal with Open Access Data Centres, shifting its focus from owning infrastructure to delivering integrated managed services. Meanwhile, Standard Bank's business and commercial banking unit says data and AI are now its top priority, with CIO Fezile Dali revealing GenAI is helping staff anticipate client needs faster.
The enterprise software giant positions GenAI copilot Joule as the nerve centre for managing AI agents across business systems.
The facility will support the procurement and importation of telecommunications infrastructure and related services across Africa.
The financial services sector emerges as one of the fastest adopters of AI, quickly moving to operational deployments.
RMB and Standard Bank have put R330 million behind Bridgement's AI-driven push to get SA's SMEs funded faster.
Home Affairs expands smart ID replacement, processing more than 250 000 transactions in just over three months.
The bank’s mobile virtual network operator introduces an eSIM offering, starting with customers with existing mobile plans.
By year-end, 750 bank branches will offer smart ID services, and doorstep delivery is coming as the DHA cracks the whip on fraud.
The bank accelerates efforts to build in-house cloud expertise, signalling a strategic shift towards greater self-sufficiency in critical digital skills.
National Treasury wants to bring crypto assets formally within SA’s forex framework, despite an ongoing court case around their status.
AI Shopping Surge, Polmed Breach Probe and Cell C Leadership Shift Lead SA Tech Headlines
In this week's tech news roundup, In this week's top ITWeb news, South Africa's media landscape continues to evolve, with experts noting that streaming and traditional broadcasting will coexist rather than compete. On the consumer front, nearly half of South African shoppers now use AI tools weekly to guide their purchasing decisions.
Efforts to slow AI roll-outs in the name of governance may be creating bigger risks, warns Standard Bank’s Sibusiso Ngubeni.