AGP Executive Report

AI Skills Push: Telkom pledges R100m to set up the Telkom AI Institute in Geneva, aiming to train young people, small businesses and underserved communities for an AI-driven economy. Digital Trust & Fraud: A new report says generative AI is forcing banks to rebuild cybersecurity from the ground up as synthetic identities and automated fraud scale. Clean Energy Trade: South Africa and the EU kick off a senior dialogue for the Clean Trade and Investment Partnership, targeting green hydrogen and critical raw materials supply chains. Health Tech Breakthrough: A University of Pretoria team wins a R3m grant to advance theranostics for earlier, personalised breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. STEM Recognition: UKZN professor Amir Mohammadi is ranked South Africa’s top engineering scientist, with global recognition for work in energy, fuels and environmental chemical engineering. Local Innovation & Research: NRF Board member Prof Glenda Gray is elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in London, recognised for pioneering HIV vaccine research. Construction Skills: cidb expands its ERWIC Awards with an Academic Excellence category to spotlight women advancing construction through teaching and research. Public Science Access: Cape Town’s South African Astronomical Observatory opens telescope nights and tours in July for National Science Month. Mobility & EVs: Absa and BYD deepen their NEV partnership as South Africa’s EV sales surge, with finance and dealership support expanding. Automotive Restructuring: Chery’s Rosslyn takeover signals a new phase in South Africa’s auto realignment as Nissan exits manufacturing.

Green Building Tech: Three South African SMEs (LEEP Solutions, House Harvest, Green X) are finalists in Attacq-backed Property Point’s 2026 Green Seeds accelerator, pushing practical energy and water-saving solutions for the built environment. Food Safety Engineering: BMG says stainless steel fasteners and proper bolt-securing systems can cut corrosion and contamination risk in food and beverage plants. Health Tech & Research: UWC nanoscientist Jaymi Leigh January is developing next-gen biosensors using nanotechnology for earlier detection of TB, cancer and viral diseases. Biodiversity From Space: A new review highlights how satellites can track forest change, but still struggle with key questions about what’s actually living on the ground—important for global biodiversity targets. Drone Innovation: A Cape Town YouTuber set a Guinness record with a custom multirotor drone endurance flight of 4h 21m 39s after months of redesigns. Public Sector Accountability: The NPA welcomed arrests linked to the Ekurhuleni Metro Madlanga Commission, with bail granted for senior officials. Border Tech Gaps: Parliament says Beit Bridge is operating with major shortfalls—only 40 body cameras for about 600 guards and just four drones nationwide. Ocean Conservation: Ballito Pro’s “Stop the Strangle” campaign targets ghost fishing gear to protect marine life.

Border & Deportations: Musina’s temporary repatriation centre is seeing deportations intensify, with provincial Home Affairs saying between 47,000 and 50,000 people have been processed and hundreds still arriving as the Durban centre closes. Public Health & Food Systems: A SA Human Rights Commission inquiry hears that about 14 million people go to bed hungry nightly, with 63.5% of households affected by food insecurity and a “triple burden” of malnutrition. STEM & Space: Seven South African pupils win a spot at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center after designing a sustainable moon settlement for 600 people, marking a first for Africa. Tech, Safety & Consumer Risk: UCT research flags traces of banned flame-retardant chemicals in some children’s products sold in SA, including toys and car seats. Energy & Industry: ADNOC Distribution agrees to buy Shell Downstream South Africa for R16bn, keeping the Shell brand while planning digital upgrades. Local Governance & Jobs: Wits research using SARS tax data finds foreign nationals hold just 3.4% of SA formal jobs, challenging job-loss claims driving anti-immigrant protests.

AI Skills Push: Telkom pledged R100m (USD 6.1m) to set up the Telkom AI Institute in Geneva, aiming to turn connectivity into AI capability, jobs and opportunity for South Africans. Energy Update: Eskom says five provinces are now free from load reduction, with 1.1-million customers removed from schedules and national eradication targeted for March 2027. Water & Mining Circularity: Nafasi Water Technologies and the IDC launched a R60m waste sludge processing facility in Mpumalanga, turning mine-impacted water treatment waste into fertiliser inputs. Mobility & Jobs: Afrirent secured a 60-month fleet management contract, creating hundreds of permanent roles and onboarding about 9,000 local automotive merchants over time. Health Policy Reform (Region): Zimbabwe’s Medical Services Amendment Act, 2026 expands patient-rights definitions and provider obligations, but highlights the gap between laws and real hospital capacity. Tech Culture & Research: A South Africa-linked “internet over pigeons” standard (RFC 1149) is revisited as a reminder that networking experiments can be wildly creative. Legal Profession (SA): The Legal Practice Council asks the Pretoria High Court to strike Busisiwe Mkhwebane from the advocates’ roll over alleged conduct unbecoming of an officer of the court.

AI Funding & Startups: South Africa-linked HyperDev, an AI coding platform, raised over R16m in pre-seed funding as it nears 100,000 users in under three months, aiming to turn AI-generated code into working software. SME Credit Tech: Bridgement secured R330m from RMB and Standard Bank to expand AI-powered business lending for SMEs that struggle with traditional collateral-based assessments. Digital Infrastructure & Cities: Cape Town’s MyCiTi received its first prototype electric bus for route testing, with more battery-electric buses planned for a 2027 rollout. Space Science: BRICS countries are building a network of telescopes to study short-duration space events, with South Africa’s SAAO joining. STEM Education: Limpopo pupils qualified for the Robotics for Good Youth Challenge finals in Geneva, showing momentum for SA’s coding and robotics curriculum. Circular Economy: Langa’s e-waste imbizo recovered 5.3 tonnes of hazardous material and paid residents incentives for recycling. Transport & Logistics Finance: Newlyn Group landed a R5bn financing package with Absa CIB to power South Africa’s logistics development pipeline. Policy & Governance: South Africa’s tax season is again flagged as prime phishing territory, with SARS warning about scams targeting eFiling users.

Home Affairs Boost: South Africa is recruiting 301 additional Immigration Officers to raise enforcement capacity from 868 to 1,169, with a stronger push for digital tools like Electronic Travel Authorisation. STEM in Schools: Limpopo’s Robo-Kidz and Roborise teams have earned spots at the Robotics for Good Youth Challenge Grand Finale in Geneva, highlighting progress from the DBE’s Coding and Robotics rollout. Regional Industry Push: South Africa will host the 9th SADC Industrialisation Week in Durban (27–31 July), focusing on resilient, sustainable, inclusive industrialisation tied to infrastructure, agriculture and critical minerals. Citizen Science for Conservation: The Endangered Wildlife Trust and International Crane Foundation are reviving a National Crane Census (24–27 July), using a WhatsApp reporting system to track South Africa’s Blue, Wattled and Grey Crowned cranes. Clean Transport in Cape Town: MyCiTi’s first battery-electric bus has arrived, with 38 low-floor e-buses planned for metro-south east expansion and local bus-body manufacturing. Energy Safety Warning: New “balcony power plant” solar kits are hitting shelves from about R7,500, but experts warn South Africa’s electrical regulations may not yet cover them.

Digital Governance & Telecom Scrutiny: Communications Minister Solly Malatsi defended his engagements with Resolve Communications and Starlink as part of his job, after parliamentary questions over Starlink’s unlicensed status in South Africa. AI & Industry Quality: MISA says Ford’s quiet rehiring of 300+ veteran quality inspectors after AI missed production flaws proves “human judgment remains irreplaceable.” Cybersecurity: A South African cybersecurity lead warns quantum computing is already creating risk via “harvest now, decrypt later,” pushing firms toward quantum-resistant security now. AI for Outsourcing: South Africa ranks #1 in Africa for AI readiness and 8th globally for AI outsourcing, but education and skills pipelines lag. Home Affairs Digital Access: Home Affairs plans to expand Smart ID-enabled bank branches from 250+ to 750 by year-end to bring services “Home Affairs @ home.” Healthcare Integrity: The Board of Healthcare Funders hears fraud, waste and abuse drain an estimated R30bn a year from SA’s healthcare sector. Payments & Compliance Tech: SCCG partners with Frame to unify payments and compliance for online gaming operators via a single API. Fintech in Africa: BanffPay (Liberia) wins a Payment Service Provider licence to launch a unified pay-in/pay-out API. Energy & Grid Reliability: Zimbabwe’s ZESA restored power after a transmission line fault destabilised the grid, highlighting regional interdependence. Startup Policy: A report says SA’s startup ecosystem is improving but still trails peers on regulatory efficiency, capital formation and global market access.

Immigration Enforcement Boost: South Africa’s Home Affairs will recruit 301 more immigration officers, pairing the move with biometric verification rollout via the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system to tighten compliance and border management. Energy & Industry: Rooftop solar in South Africa has surged past 8.3 GW, driven by Eskom tariff hikes and ongoing household adoption even as load shedding eases. Big Tech Connectivity: Google says it will build “connectivity hubs” across Africa, with the first Digital Exchange Port in the Eastern Cape to strengthen international switching and cloud resilience. Local Manufacturing Push: Chery officially opened its Rosslyn plant in Pretoria, shifting from importer to manufacturer with plans to ramp production from mid-2027 and create nearly 3,000 jobs. STEM & Youth Support: Ukiyo launched a Global Student Support Platform app in South Africa to connect young people with bursaries, jobs, mentorship and student services. Health Tech Market Watch: New research points to rapid growth in infant heart monitors and generative AI for healthcare, reflecting rising demand for remote and smarter clinical tools.

Automotive Manufacturing: Chery has taken over Nissan’s Rosslyn plant in Pretoria, aiming to turn South Africa into its African production hub, with upgrades and new vehicle production planned for mid-2027 and an initial focus on Jetour and Chery models. Digital Connectivity: Standard Bank Connect has launched eSIM in South Africa, letting customers activate mobile services digitally on compatible devices. STEM Outreach: South Africa kicked off the inaugural National Science Month to broaden public access to research and boost STEM engagement. Water & Tech for Communities: Minister Pemmy Majodina commissioned a R2m decentralized water project in KwaMhlanga, delivering four boreholes to more than 1,600 beneficiaries. Health & Language Access: A Hamburg Declaration push highlights how language barriers leave healthcare providers relying on untrained help or unreliable translation, risking misdiagnosis. Legal & Property Rules: The Constitutional Court clarified that customary marriages without antenuptial contracts default to community of property, affecting later civil marriage property changes. Mobility Safety: SAPS escalated action against illegal blue lights, charging suspects over unauthorized emergency lighting installations. ICT Skills Pipeline: Telkom Foundation’s RT15 learnership programme has certified 150+ unemployed youth in ICT qualifications.

AI for small farms: SAS is helping South Africa’s micro-farmers near the Cradle of Humankind make smarter planting choices using analytics, without needing expensive sensors, to boost yields and income. Digital retail AI: Pick n Pay is rolling out “Penny”, an AI grocery assistant inside its asap! app, letting shoppers build baskets via voice, photos and recipes, with smart substitutions. Public sector tech governance: Communications minister Solly Malatsi and the Public Service Commission are set to brief media after the PSC concluded its investigation into the State Information Technology Agency (Sita). Food security & policy: The 2026 Public Economics Conference in SA will focus on youth unemployment, using data and implementation-focused solutions, with Stats SA figures showing very high joblessness among young people. BRICS anti-drug cooperation: India will host BRICS Heads of Anti-Drug Agencies in Guwahati (July 6–7), with sessions on synthetic drugs, darknet trafficking and using digital tools for interdiction. Xenophobia and AfCFTA: AfCFTA’s secretary-general condemned attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa as harmful to the single African market vision.

South Africa’s Border Tech Push: Home Affairs says drones, biometric tools, tighter port screening and a digitised travel system are central to its longer-term plan to modernise border management after the June 30 protests. SARS Goes Digital on Crypto: SARS has launched draft guidance for taxing crypto assets, targeting about 5.8–6 million users, with audits ramping up and public comments open until 31 August. Auto Manufacturing Jobs Boost: Chery officially inaugurated the Rosslyn plant in Pretoria, keeping 692 jobs and aiming to support nearly 3,000 more via the supply chain, with production planned for mid-2027. VALR Perps Expansion: Johannesburg crypto exchange VALR will launch “Perps” on 6 July via Hyperliquid, adding 200+ cross-asset perpetual markets. Water Crisis on the Ground: Ratanda’s shortages have triggered violent protests and emergency talks after Rand Water throttled supply amid a debt dispute. Research Funding Shift: ICIPE reports income fell in 2025 amid grant changes, including reduced US-linked funding, even as it highlights breakthroughs. BRICS Anti-Drug Meeting: India will host BRICS heads of anti-drug agencies in Guwahati on 6–7 July, focusing on synthetic drugs, precursor diversion and intelligence sharing. SASSA Older Person’s Grant: A quick guide outlines eligibility for the 60+ grant, including citizenship/permit rules, means testing and required documents.

Cybersecurity Crisis: South Africa is facing a surge in cyberattacks, with reports citing hundreds of attacks per hour and deepfake-driven scams rising sharply, including WhatsApp voice-clone fraud that targets families and payment systems. AI Governance: Africa is pushing for a stronger seat at the AI governance table as a new global commission takes shape, with calls for compute access, skills, trusted data systems and open standards. Local Manufacturing & Jobs: Chery has officially launched and taken over the Rosslyn plant, shifting from importer to local manufacturer and promising technology transfer, automation and nearly 3,000 jobs, with production aimed for mid-2027. Transport Infrastructure: The draft R1.9-trillion National Rail Master Plan is out for comment but omits the long-delayed Moloto Rail Corridor, reigniting concerns from communities and transport activists. Migration & Public Safety: Fresh scrutiny follows nationwide anti-immigration protests, with officials facing pressure to provide credible numbers and measurable progress on illegal immigration enforcement. Science & Heritage: Researchers report protein fragments from Homo naledi teeth in South Africa, hinting at unexpected sex-specific burial practices.

AI in e-commerce: A Visa Stay Secure study says South Africans are embracing AI shopping tools, but only 23% trust AI to complete checkout—fraud fears and scam exposure remain the big barrier. Clean industry investment: Chinese automaker Chery officially opened its Rosslyn plant near Pretoria, shifting from importer to local manufacturer and promising technology transfer, automation and thousands of jobs. Healthcare affordability push: The Board of Healthcare Funders calls for reforms to improve access and affordability, pointing to tech-enabled models like micro-insurance and voluntary health cover. Pollution tracking in the wild: Researchers found heavy metals in Durban black mamba scales, suggesting the snakes could help cities monitor environmental health. Local tech at scale: Zimbabwean-born tech leaders Strive Masiyiwa, James Manyika and Ralph Tendai Mupita appeared with Ramaphosa at the Joburg AI Summit amid anti-immigration protests. Science and heritage: New research on Homo naledi raises fresh questions about sex-linked proteins in Rising Star cave fossils. Space/space-adjacent: ISRO is set to reset after satellite launch delays, as it looks ahead to upcoming missions.

Digital Identity & Services: South Africa’s Home Affairs digital transformation under the GNU is expanding “Home Affairs @ home”, including Smart ID services at 252 bank branches (300,000+ applications processed) and a wider rollout of Electronic Travel Authorisations with facial recognition and document checks. AI & Connectivity Push: Google says it has exceeded its $1bn Africa investment target and is rolling out a South Africa Eastern Cape connectivity hub, an applied AI lab in Ghana, and a Soweto digital innovation centre—aimed at boosting startups and digital skills. Manufacturing Jobs in Focus: Chery has taken over Nissan’s Rosslyn plant and plans upgrades ahead of production in mid-2027, targeting South Africa as an “auto centre” with nearly 3,000 jobs supported. Construction Safety Reform: Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson launched a National Built Environment and Construction Safety Framework, plus a Public Infrastructure Confidence Index, to curb building collapses. Circular Economy Clarification: DFFE says the Draft National Circular Economy Action Plan is still under development and not yet published, after conflicting claims. Youth Tech: Gauteng and Microsoft will host the Youth Tech Expo G13 Hackathon Finale in Johannesburg (7–9 July), backing young innovators with real-world solutions. Internet Blocking Rules: ISPA warns that any internet blocking for offshore online gambling must be grounded in clear legislation, not regulator discretion. Ebola Research Update: WHO reports the first patient has been enrolled in a DR Congo Ebola treatment trial for the Bundibugyo strain as mistrust and violence complicate response.

Construction Safety: Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson launched South Africa’s National Built Environment and Construction Safety Framework, aiming to tighten oversight and accountability after repeated building collapses. Rural Industry Boost: In the Eastern Cape, an Ingquza Hill programme has channelled over R2.5m into black and youth-owned enterprises, moving informal businesses toward sustainable job-creating companies. Humpback? No—Fin Whale: Cape Town conservationists are investigating a rare 23-metre fin whale stranding near Gansbaai, with teams documenting what may be the first recorded event in the area. Google for Africa’s Creators: Google Play and Google Cloud both pushed deeper into Africa’s digital economy—launching a $1m Indie Games Fund for 32 countries and unveiling new AI and connectivity investments with South Africa as a hub. HIV Prevention Rollout: Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi defended the limited rollout of Lenacapavir for HIV prevention, citing facility targets and early initiation numbers. Solar Momentum: SAPVIA’s AGM says South Africa crossed 10GW of installed solar PV capacity, with growth driven by utility-scale and corporate wheeling projects. Water Safety Tech: Bucket-based water filters are highlighted as an affordable way to improve drinking water safety across sub-Saharan Africa. Wildlife Citizen Science: After nearly two decades, South Africa’s crane census is back, using WhatsApp to collect sightings ahead of the July 24–27 survey.

AfCFTA Trade & Standards: SANAS says internationally recognised accreditation is cutting technical barriers for South African exporters, boosting compliance confidence and lowering duplicate testing costs across Africa. EU Regulatory Mismatch: A standards specialist warns SABS Mark certification doesn’t always map neatly to EU rules like CE marking, creating avoidable export hurdles even when products are good. Border Cash Controls: From 1 July, travellers crossing SA’s land and sea borders must declare cash and bearer instruments above R100,000 via a new reporting stream aimed at tackling illicit money movement. Industrial Tech in KZN: SEW-EURODRIVE reports rising demand for energy-efficient drive solutions and faster technical support as new entrants to industry need more practical know-how. Water & Farming Resilience: DamPro sealed a leaking earth dam on a maize farm without draining water, while the Clanwilliam Dam wall-raising project is at 47% and targets completion in 2028. Mining Life Extension: Rio Tinto approved the $473m Zulti South restart to extend Richards Bay Minerals’ operations to 2050. Digital Skills & Hackathons: Gauteng and Microsoft back a Youth Tech Expo G13 hackathon finale to turn young innovators into practical tech problem-solvers. Ebola Watch (DRC): Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya calls the DRC outbreak “very serious” with 400+ deaths and a clinical trial enrolling patients. AI in Retail: Pick n Pay’s AI grocery assistant and “Penny” push more shopping automation into South Africa’s mainstream. Automation Award: Standard Bank Real Estate Services wins a global Digie Award for AI-driven property, compliance and energy data management.