Bună ziua,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- KRA axes manual tax filing for salaried workers
- South Africa’s central bank to own its clearing house
- Nedbank quietly launches mobile network
KRA axes manual tax filing for salaried workers
Kenyans who earn salaries can breathe easy. Why? You can now drop the manual tax filing routine. The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) says salaried workers no longer need to file tax returns manually, thanks to an internal integration that’s streamlining the process.
If your only income is salary — or if you make KSh 24,000 or less per month and file a nil return — you’re in luck. Starting next January, the iTax portal will auto-fill your gross pay, allowances, PAYE deductions, and other key data using pre-integrated datasets.
This upgrade replaces the old hassle of hunting down your P9 form from your employer and manually entering details. KRA has fully integrated its systems, so your annual returns are pre-populated, making filing a breeze and cutting down on errors.
Initially delayed due to complications from adding new deductions like the Housing Development Levy and Social Health Insurance Fund, the full transition is finally underway. KRA assures salaried employees the system is now ready to lighten their tax-filing burden.
This comes as a huge relief for many, especially after facing penalties like the KSh2,000 fine for missing the June filing deadline. Instead of paper forms, the system now lets employers or payroll systems auto-submit returns, giving taxpayers one less thing to worry about at year-end.
It’s part of a broader shift toward digitising HR and tax workflows — ditching old-school dot-matrix prints, file cabinets, and PIN lookups for smoother, real-time compliance. The move is symbolic of Kenya’s push to modernise the tax experience for both companies and employees.
South Africa’s central bank to own its clearing house
The Competition Commission has given the green light for the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to take full control of BankservAfrica, and it’s doing so with no strings attached, per TechCentral.
The move means the central bank will now become the sole owner of the country’s key payments clearing house, which sits quietly at the centre of South Africa’s financial plumbing, processing transactions between banks every single day. Up until now, BankservAfrica was owned by commercial heavyweights like Absa, FirstRand, Nedbank, and Standard Bank.
Per the commission, the takeover isn’t expected to harm competition or raise any red flags when it comes to public interest. In fact, it could give SARB more room to tighten the security and stability of the National Payment System, the backbone of how money moves across South Africa.
BankservAfrica itself isn’t a household name, but its services touch nearly every financial interaction in the country. From card swipes to EFTs and instant transfers, it ensures payments are switched, cleared, and settled seamlessly across banks. It even oversees key infrastructure through its Automated Clearing Bureau unit.
The acquisition also ties into the future of PayShap, the instant payment service BankservAfrica launched in 2023. With SARB now in the driver’s seat, the hope is that PayShap and other innovations can scale faster, making the payment system more secure, inclusive, and efficient for everyday South Africans.
First announced last November, the plan has always been pitched as a transition: turning BankservAfrica into a true national payments utility that balances commercial bank partnerships with the central bank’s mandate. Now, with the deal set to move forward, South Africa’s financial system could be entering a new era of modernisation and inclusion.
Nedbank quietly launches mobile network
Nedbank, a South African bank, has quietly stepped into the mobile game with its own virtual network, Nedbank Connect, per MyBraodband. The new service, which launched earlier this week, is only available to the bank’s customers through the Nedbank Money app or online banking. Think of it as a little bonus perk if you already bank with them.
This move comes a few weeks after Nedbank snagged up Durban-based payments fintech iKhokha in a R1.65 billion ($93.3 million) all-cash deal.
If your phone supports eSIM, you’re in luck. You can download and activate a Nedbank Connect eSIM for free. For those sticking with physical SIM cards, delivery costs R99, but it comes with a sweetener: R100 free airtime loaded upfront.
The bank also tied Connect to its Greenbacks loyalty programme. Link your account, and you could earn up to R300 free airtime every month. That’s basically the bank paying for part of your phone bill, which doesn’t sound bad at all.
On the contract-free side, Nedbank offers four month-to-month plans. All of them include unlimited calls and SMSs, with data ranging from 3GB at R169 to 20GB at R499. The mid-tier options — 5GB for R199 and 10GB for R299 — mirror some of MTN’s packages, suggesting Nedbank is piggybacking on MTN’s network, though the bank hasn’t confirmed it.
For prepaid fans, there’s plenty of choice too. Data bundles start as low as R5 for 100MB (valid for a day) and stretch all the way to R475 for a massive 100GB valid for 30 days. Voice bundles kick off at R10 for 50 minutes, and there are social bundles for WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok lovers. Travellers also get roaming bundles, ranging from R100 up to R5,000.
Of course, “unlimited” calls come with a fine-print fair usage policy. Calls can’t last longer than 60 minutes, bulk calling and telemarketing are banned, and you’ll need to keep things balanced with some incoming calls too. Still, for everyday use, Nedbank Connect looks like a strong play in the MVNO market, one that could shake things up if customers bite.
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Opportunities
- MTN Nigeria is hiring an Operational Risk Specialist. Apply here.
- Co-Creation HUB (CcHUB) Nigeria is looking for a Head of Communications. Apply here.
- Group Vivendi Africa is hiring an IT Manager. Apply here.
- Sun King is hiring across different states in Nigeria. Apply here.
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- Africa’s venture scene takes the spotlight at the Lagos Venture Finance Summit on September 5th, 2025. Hosted by Vencapital, the Summit gathers top LPs, GPs, policymakers and ecosystem leaders for high-level conversations, networking and dealmaking. A must-attend for those shaping Africa’s next wave of venture capital. Register here.
- Paystack is hiring for several roles in Nigeria and South Africa. Apply here.
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- Moniepoint is hiring for several positions. Apply here.
- Businessfront, the parent company of Techpoint Africa, is looking for a Researcher and Scriptwriter Intern for Businessfront TV. Apply here.
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Have a fun weekend!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa
