Author: Tshepo Chauke

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), together with Vodacom Business, is celebrating a successful registration season for 2026 school placements through its newly minted Online Admissions platform. The platform is aimed at making the application process easier and more transparent for parents and teachers. Vodacom charges no price for Admission Education MEC Matome Chiloane described the platform as one of the department’s most important tools. “By digitising and streamlining the admissions process, we are reducing barriers for parents, increasing transparency, and strengthening accountability,” he said. Upon launch on 24 July 2025, the system saw more than 78,000 Grade 1 and…

With recent attacks on ride-share drivers by the taxi industry, Bolt is strengthening security measures for its drivers by adding ‘High Risk’ and ‘Unsafe’ zones so drivers know when they’re heading into the bad part of town. Drivers won’t be charged a penalty for declining rides to these zones, giving them greater latitude to keep themselves safe and focus on driving to those areas that they’ll get to leave again. Bolt to action These moves are likely triggered by the recent murder of Uber driver Mthokozisi Mvelase, who was gunned down while picking up a passenger at Maponya Mall in Pimville,…

Meta is bringing Instagram’s ‘Close Friends’ feature to WhatsApp. The feature allows users to cordon off a select group of people in their contacts to share their most intimate moments. Close Friends has been an Instagram staple for years, a boon particularly for people with large followings to share more private information with their closest friends and family without the need for a secondary account. WhatsApp goes up close While the platform remains a novelty in the US, WhatsApp has surged to a user base of 1.5 billion daily. Meta has been shipping novelty features from its more popular platforms…

The JLab Lux ANC headphones are one of the brand’s more high-end headphones aimed at the average consumer; only the self-explanatory Studio Pro ANC headphones pack better sound and features (for a bigger price tag, of course). For the price, these headphones offer everything a regular listener needs: a durable build, reliable battery, competent ANC, and (at least) decent sound quality. It’s hard to think of many headphones that offer as smooth and dependable an experience as these can at their price point. Body politic If you’re familiar with our last JLab review, much of this will sound similar. The…

TikTok is finally bringing its TikTok For Artists analytics programme to South Africa. The platform is home to hundreds of African musical creators, giving it a continuous supply of viral songs, dances, and memes. This analytics feature enables aspiring musicians to hone in on the content their fans engage with most, giving them a better perspective for their next move. TikTok takes time for music TikTok For Artists provides musicians with analytics on their presence on the platform, the same way ‘studio’ versions of sites like YouTube do for content creators. The Chinese social media platform launched the feature early…

When it comes to prestige and price, the Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 is one of the most premium pairs of bluetooth earbuds (not headphones) we’ve ever had grace our desks, so you can imagine the hype and anticipation when we unboxed them. Our thoughts after spending about two weeks with these? Well, we have a lot, and it’s a mixed bag. The Amiron 300 aces the sound test. It’s a cleaner mix that may sound a bit flat to the average person, but audiophiles will love that it renders the sound accurately, not relying on the fun factor of big bass…

The Colmi i28 Ultra smartwatch is an interesting budget option if you’re an active individual interested in an affordable, low-maintenance fitness tracking with just enough features to justify usefulness outside of a sporting context. It skimps on RAM, CPU, and overall build to give you more in sensor accuracy (though this is still lacking). If you can get past the underwhelming UI and the slightly confusing app, then there’s at least something packed into the Colmi i28 Ultra that you can find space for in daily life. Skin Trade Our version of the i28 came with a silicone magnetic strap…

Instagram is rolling out three long-requested updates to make it even easier to share and start conversations. The social media platform is launching an easier Reels reposting function, live location sharing, as well as a new kind of Reels section that is curated entirely by your friends’ liked or original content. Instagram reels ’em in The first and likely most anticipated allows users to repost others’ posts and reels. Previously, sharing reels required downloading and manual reposting. Now, users can repost to their profiles while crediting the source. This will make sharing easier and allow creators to expose themselves to…

YouTube is finally bringing the essential ‘jump ahead’ feature to its TV app, at long last. The new feature appeared on the video-sharing platform’s support page and has already been spotted in the wild by Android Authority. YouTube gives TV the jump ahead It’s quite crazy that premium subscribers haven’t had access to the jump ahead feature until now. Even crazier considering that the primary mode of viewing the platform in America is TV. The feature has been a boon for mobile app viewers who want to skip things like sponsorship segments and lengthy b-roll, and has finally arrived for…

Sketchers is releasing a line of AirTag-compatible kids’ shoes. The Find My Sketchers initiative is introducing children’s shoes with a built-in AirTag slot, which may be tracked through Apple’s Find My app. While there are ethical concerns around, you know, spying on your kids, it should prove easier to keep track of a child through something as fundamental as their shoes, rather than a phone or a smart watch. Modern tech is a helicopter parent’s dream. You can track your kids via their smartphones, smart watches, and online accounts. Now you can add shoes to that list. Sketchers puts a…