Software Testing Community meetups in Centurion, Cape Town, and Johannesburg to coincide with Software Tester’s Day.
Inspired Testing, a leading specialist in QA, is hosting three community meetups in September, bringing together prominent software testing professionals in Centurion (September 4), Cape Town (September 10), and Johannesburg (September 18).
Timed around Software Tester's Day on September 9th, in partnership with their sponsor, BrowserStack, the events focus on the most pressing issues shaping software quality and testing's future, particularly GenAI and AI agents.
The AI revolution
The highlight across the meetup events will be an AI and testing panel exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping quality assurance – from tooling and automation to team roles and future skills.
Leon Lodewyks (CTO, Inspired Testing) will facilitate the panel discussions with industry leaders in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Some panel experts include Jéhan Coetzee (Head of Consulting, Inspired Testing), Kamil Maharaj (Senior Quality Engineering Manager, Nedbank), Leela Putten (IT Specialist Consultant, IT Strategic Advisor, Educator and Conference Speaker, Qualiblaze) and Jarryd Billings (QA & RPA Manager, Telesure Investment Holdings).
"We're at a pivotal moment where AI is no longer a future concept but an active driver of change in how we test and deliver software quality," says Lodewyks. "This is about reimagining the tester's role and preparing teams for a future where human insight and AI capability work together."
The timing is crucial. The World Quality Report 2024/25 shows AI is already integrated into 71% of quality engineering operations, with 73% citing it as a major test automation driver. Leapwork research reveals 79% of organisations have adopted AI-augmented testing tools.
Specialised technical sessions
Centurion and Johannesburg feature Principal Consultant Lungelo Shembe demystifying shift-right testing – the practice of testing in production through monitoring, log analysis, resilience testing, and A/B testing to gather real-world insights that traditional methods can't provide.
Cape Town attendees will hear from Frans Botes, COO of Risk X, part of the Risk X Group, as he explores the intersection of quality and security testing, with a spotlight shifting-left and bridging the domains of quality assurance and secure coding practices with security unit testing.
Johannesburg and Cape Town will hear from David Burns, Head of Developer Advocacy at BrowserStack and chair of the W3C Browser Testing and Tools working group. Burns will highlight the security challenges that come with AI-powered agents gaining the ability to act, automate, and connect with real-world tools.
He will introduce the Model Context Protocol (MCP), explain emerging threats such as malicious instructions hidden in tools or hijacked user sessions, and share practical strategies that organisations can use to safeguard against these risks.
The session will equip leaders and teams with the insights and frameworks needed to harness AI’s potential while keeping systems secure.
Industry expertise
A panel representing a diverse industry of bright minds is getting together in Centurion to focus on the impact of AI on careers and skillset. Is AI shaping your career, or breaking it? Jéhan will facilitate the panel, which includes Yashika Naidoo, (QA Lead, Momentum), Mathew Zungu (Senior Solutions Consultant, Inspired Testing) and Marisa Ievers, (MD and Lead Consultant, Transformative Business Consulting).
"We recognise the growing need to collaborate around issues that shape our careers and long-term relevance," says Nadine du Toit, Managing Executive at Inspired Testing. "By sharing insights from our peers, we can collectively strengthen the QA profession."
Registration information
Attendance is FREE, but spaces are limited. Anyone looking to introduce, strengthen or mature quality within their organisation will find this valuable and is encouraged to attend.
- Register for Centurion: Wednesday, September 4th, 2025 – Momentum Campus
- Register for Cape Town: Wednesday, September 10th, 2025 – Shoprite Academy
- Register for Johannesburg: Wednesday, September 18th, 2025 – Inspired Testing Offices
The software testing landscape is evolving rapidly – join the conversation shaping the future of quality assurance in South Africa.
