From fibre to clean tech: Khudu Pitje on New GX Capital’s next chapter

Loading player...
New GX Capital, one of the principal investors in Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa parent CIVH, recently announced it was launching a R2.4-billion clean-tech investment fund in partnership with RMB Ventures.
To unpack the details of the new fund and why it’s being established, New GX Capital founder and CEO Khudusela Pitje joined TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod in the latest episode of the TechCentral Show for a wide-ranging conversation.
In the interview, Pitje chatted about the fund – called the Airnegize Capital Fund – and its plans to invest in renewable energy and water and gas infrastructure across Africa.
New GX Capital and RMB Ventures have described the fund as “one of the largest of its kind on the continent”.
The fund has secured R2.4-billion in initial commitments, with the companies targeting a further R1.6-billion before financial close in the coming months.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Pitje expands on:
• His career background and the formation of New GX Capital;
• The role his father, the late HM Pitje, a businessman and former mayor of Mamelodi, played in his life and career choices;
• His role in helping build Dark Fibre Africa and CIVH;
• Why he feels the decision by the competition authorities to block the acquisition by Vodacom of a 30% co-controlling stake in Maziv – a subsidiary of CIVH that houses Vumatel and DFA – was wrongheaded;
• The role New GX Capital plays today, as well as its investment philosophy;
• What led to the creation of the Airnegize Fund with RMB Ventures; and
• The role and future of black economic empowerment in South Africa.
Don’t miss a fascinating conversation!
25 Apr 2025 5AM English South Africa Technology · Business

Other recent episodes

TCS+ | Specops' Darren James on continuous trust in an AI world

Specops Software’s Darren James explains why identity checks alone no longer stop determined attackers. Traditional approaches to access security no longer hold up in hybrid, cloud-first environments – and AI is widening the gap. In this episode, host Kevin Smith speaks to Darren James, senior product manager at Specops Software,…
7 Aug 4AM 45 min

TCS+ | Why South African workers must become supervisors of digital labour

ADG’s Cliff de Wit on why the next management challenge is overseeing teams of autonomous software agents. Not long ago, organisations were experimenting with generative AI to draft e-mails, summarise documents and answer questions. Today agentic AI is changing what the technology is for. In a conversation on TechCentral’s TCS+…
31 Jul 4AM 43 min

Icasa's rules skip the real bottleneck: ACT

Communications regulator Icasa’s draft rapid deployment regulations – a critical intervention for the sector – risk failing unless the regulator brings municipalities into the process, according to Nomvuyiso Batyi, CEO of the Association of Comms & Technology (ACT). Speaking on the TechCentral Show with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, Batyi said…
30 Jul 4AM 29 min

How Optasia lends billions to people banks can’t see

Optasia is on target to distribute more than US$6-billion in credit across its markets in 2026 – and it carries every cent of the default risk itself. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, CEO Salvador Anglada unpacks how the JSE’s biggest recent fintech listing actually works. Formerly known as…
23 Jul 9AM 25 min

Pick n Pay’s Enrico Ferigolli on Penny, the AI that shops for you

Pick n Pay has switched on an AI shopping companion called Penny inside its asap! app, and in this episode of the TechCentral Show, retail executive for omnichannel Enrico Ferigolli takes editor Duncan McLeod through what it does and why it matters. Built on Google's Gemini models, Penny lets customers…
2 Jul 9AM 23 min