Lelapa AI's Ambitious Growth Plan | ITWeb Tech Headlines | 31 Aug – 5 Sept 2026
These are the stories making headlines on ITWeb this week. South African AI start-up Lelapa AI is expanding its Vulavula platform with text-to-speech capabilities and new languages beyond Africa, as it builds efficient AI models tailored for African languages. Meanwhile, Discovery Bank posted its first full year of profit, with normalised operating profit of R370 million and client numbers growing 26% to 1.57 million, as it leans on AI to power its new "super bank" strategy.
The justice portfolio committee invites nominations for suitable people to be appointed as members of the Information Regulator.
The encrypted in-app audio recording will improve ride safety, resolve disputes fairly and encourage respectful interactions.
The justice portfolio committee recommends Alison Tilley and Nomagcina Mtshontshi to join the Information Regulator.
Despite progressive cyber crime laws, the lack of skills and resources lead to a significantly low conviction rate and ever-escalating cyber attacks.
The National Consumer Commission calls for stronger legislation and enforcement to address issues within SA’s e-commerce sector.
The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services seeks input on the CVs of 21 Information Regulator candidates.
Lasting change comes from how companies design and govern data across the application life cycle throughout the year, says Marius Nauhaus, product manager at Blue Turtle.
The uncertainty around AI and privacy is daunting. But there are already ways to reduce those risks.
The right host becomes your website’s silent guardian, working behind the scenes to fend off threats and protect your data.
Besides draining the fiscus, there will be a substantial overlap between the Information Regulator and the proposed Cyber Commissioner, legal experts say.
Romance scams are prevalent schemes, where fraudsters create fake profiles on dating platforms or social media to build emotional connections with their victims.
With increasing concerns around data privacy and security, African nations will likely introduce even more specific regulations governing data storage and processing.