Learn from the Testing Experts

6th March, 2025

JOHANNESBURG

>> Home

>> Register

>> Programme Schedule

Keynotes

Tariq King

CEO
Test IO

Tariq King is a recognized thought-leader in software testing, engineering, DevOps, and AI/ML. He is currently the CEO and Head of Test IO, an EPAM company. Tariq has over fifteen years’ professional experience in the software industry. He has published over 40 research articles in peer-reviewed IEEE and ACM journals, conferences, and workshops, and has written book chapters and technical reports for Springer, O’Reilly, Capgemini, Sogeti, IGI Global, and more. Tariq has been an international keynote speaker and trainer at leading software conferences in industry and academia, and serves on multiple conference boards and program committees.

Talk: The Rise of Generative AI: Judgment Day

It’s been over 70 years since Alan Turing defined what many still consider to be the ultimate test for a computer system — Can a machine exhibit intelligent behavior that is indistinguishable from that of a human? Originally coined the imitation game, the Turing test involves having someone evaluate text conversations between a human and a machine designed to respond like a human. The machine passes the test if the evaluator cannot reliably tell the difference between the human versus machine-generated text. Although the Turing test generally serves as a starting point for discussing AI advances, some question its validity as a test of intelligence. After all, the results do not require the machine to be correct, only for its answers to resemble those of a human.

Whether it’s due to artificial “intelligence” or imitation, we live in an age where machines are capable of generating convincingly realistic content. Generative AI does more than answer questions, it writes articles and poetry, synthesizes human faces and voices, creates music and artwork, and even develops and tests software. But what are the implications of these machine-based imitation games? Are they a glimpse into a future where AI reaches general or super intelligence? Or is it simply a matter of revisiting or redefining the Turing test? Join Tariq King as he leverages a live audience of software testing professionals to probe everything from generative adversarial networks (GANs) to generative pre-trained transformers (GPT). Let’s critically examine the Turing test and more because it’s judgment day — and this time, we are the judges!

Tutorial: An Introduction to AI-Driven Test Automation

Conventional test automation approaches are time-consuming and can produce scripts that are fragile and overly sensitive to change. The rise of AI-driven test automation tools is promising more robust and resilient test scripts that are able to self-heal as the application evolves. But what exactly is this technology all about and how do you get started? Does it require learning new skills and technologies? What tools are immediately available for beginners? Join Tariq King as he introduces you to the world of AI-driven test automation. Learn the fundamentals of AI and ML and how you can apply it to software testing problems. Discover where you can find freely available, open-source tools to support AI-driven test automation. Using a step-by-step approach, Tariq guides you through the basics of what is needed to help you get started with AI-driven testing. No prior programming or AI/ML experience needed!

Shekhar Ramphal

QA Architect
Allan Gray

Talk: A Five-Layered Approach for API testing

This session unveils a battle-tested, five-tier approach that tackles the intricate challenges of testing 2000+ interconnected endpoints, offering practical strategies to increase testing confidence and system reliability.

In a microservice architecture with over 2000 synchronous and asynchronous API endpoints, testing isn’t just a challenge, it’s a necessity. With shared environments and intricate cross-dependencies, traditional API testing approaches, like simple response validation, fall short under the pressure of modern CI/CD pipelines and dynamic dependencies.

In this session, I will walk you through five-layered approach to API testing that has transformed how we ensure reliability and robustness in our distributed system. Attendees will gain hands-on insights into:

  • Mocked Black Box Testing: Quickly validate API functionality in isolation. CI Environment with Temporary Namespacing: Run controlled, namespaced tests for better accuracy.
  • Post-Deployment Ve inrification: Safeguard deployments with targeted API tests. Environment Stability Tests: Detect and prevent environmental anomalies.
  • Data Explorer Testing: Leverage a custom data extractor for real-world dataset validation.

We’ll explore how Kubernetes orchestrates testing environments, how CI pipelines (e.g., GitLab) automate schedules, and how data exploration catches edge-case bugs.

This session will equip you with a roadmap to adopt and adapt this strategy to your APIs.

Takeaways from this talk

  • Understand the limitations of traditional API testing in complex systems.
  • Learn to implement a multi-layered testing strategy for comprehensive API validation.
  • Explore tooling and CI/CD configurations to automate and streamline API tests.
  • Gain practical insights into using real-world datasets for more reliable testing.
  • Discover actionable solutions to common API testing pitfalls in shared environments.

Whether you’re a QA engineer, developer, or test automation enthusiast, this talk will leave you with a clear strategy to elevate your API testing practices and achieve confidence in your microservices architecture.

Features Speakers

Andre Steenkamp

Andre Steenkamp

Senior QA Automation Engineer
VASTech

Debunking Myths and Driving Integration in Test Automation

  • Test Automation is Not a Silver Bullet
    Automation is not a quick fix it requires upfront investment and ongoing maintenance.
  • You Can’t Automate Everything
    Automation works best for stable, repeatable functionality not all tests are suited for automation.
  • Manual Testing vs Automation
    Manual and automated testing complement each other and should be used together for best results.
  • Integrating Test Automation Engineers into Development Teams
    Test automation engineers should be embedded within dev teams to improve collaboration and feedback loops.
  • Improved Code Quality through Developer Collaboration
    Code reviews by developers help automation engineers adopt higher coding standards and produce more maintainable scripts.
  • Shared Responsibility for Quality
    Integration fosters a culture of shared ownership, with both devs and testers accountable for quality.
  • Agile and DevOps Alignment
    Embedding test automation engineers into dev teams aligns with Agile/DevOps practices, promoting continuous testing and faster releases.

Takeaways from this talk

There are a lot of misconceptions about automation and what it is and I hope this talk will shed some light on some of these as well as how close collaboration between test automation engineers and developers will elevate quality.

Mfundo Delihlazo

Mfundo Delihlazo

Practice Lead: Quality Engineering
Sasol

Unleashing the Power of Generative AI in DevSecOps: A New Era of Application Security Testing

In an era where cybersecurity threats are evolving at an unprecedented pace, integrating robust security practices into the development lifecycle has become paramount. DevSecOps is an extension of DevOps that emphasises on application security testing at every phase in the software development process which addresses this critical need. However, the complexity and volume of security tasks can overwhelm even the most experienced teams.

In this talk, I will explore how generative AI is reshaping the DevSecOps landscape by automating complex application security testing, predicting vulnerabilities, and optimising security workflows.

Takeaways from this talk

I will delve into real-world applications where generative AI-driven solutions have significantly reduced manual effort, enhanced security posture, and streamlined compliance processes.
By the end of this session, participants will gain a full understanding of how generative AI can strengthen continuous application security testing, enhance security posture, and achieve greater operational efficiency

Omphile Matheolane

Omphile Matheolane

Technology Lead
Nedbank

Testing in the Shadows: Are Testers the Hidden Backbone of DevTestOps?

As DevTestOps transforms software delivery into a streamlined, automated powerhouse, traditional testing roles are being reshaped—or are they? Automation, continuous integration, and faster release cycles promise more reliability, but they raise an unsettling question: “Do we still need testers, or are they fading into obscurity?”

Drawing from my experience as a technical lead, BizDevOps lead, and senior software developer, supporting and delivering countless applications across complex environments, this talk delves into a critical insight: testers are not disappearing; they’re moving into the shadows, evolving into roles more pivotal and nuanced than ever before. In DevTestOps, testers are shifting from hands-on execution to roles as unseen quality strategists, experience advocates, and ethical guides. Far from being redundant, they are evolving into the backbone of DevTestOps, invisible yet essential in ensuring that systems are resilient, secure, and aligned with user needs.

This talk explores the hidden ways testers add value within a DevTestOps pipeline, including a subtle but important role AI can play. Although AI offers powerful insights and efficiencies, its effectiveness in testing is ultimately limited by its inability to fully grasp the complexities of human experience, ethical considerations, and creative risk assessment. Rather than replacing testers, AI enhances their role, allowing them to focus more deeply on high-value areas that require uniquely human intuition and foresight.

This presentation dives into four major areas where testers are becoming invaluable in DevTestOps:

  • Why Automation Isn’t Enough: Automation can validate code, but it can’t capture the human impact or anticipate uncharted use cases. Testers offer a uniquely human perspective, addressing the “why” and “what ifs” that machines can’t answer.
  • The Tester as an Experience Advocate: Today’s testers are not merely hunting for bugs; they are ensuring that software feels intuitive, ethical, and meaningful to users. We’ll explore how testers play an irreplaceable role in shaping the user experience in ways that extend beyond functionality.
  • Evolving Tester Skills in DevTestOps: Testers today are mastering skills like system resilience, observability, and ethical analysis, bringing insights that shape both product quality and the entire DevTestOps pipeline. This section covers the essential skills testers need to stay relevant and invaluable in an automated, AI-enhanced ecosystem.
  • Testers as Risk Navigators: As quality becomes a shared responsibility, testers are increasingly guiding risk assessment and ethical decision-making within DevTestOps teams. We’ll explore how testers uniquely help teams balance the push for speed with the need for thoughtful, user-centered outcomes.

Through real-world examples and surprising insights, this talk argues that testers are the hidden backbone of DevTestOps—a role not just relevant but crucial. Testers aren’t disappearing; they’re adapting, bringing essential human insight and ethics to balance automation.

Takeaways from this talk

  • Reimagining the role of testers in DevTestOps, with a focus on how their human insight is essential to quality, resilience, and ethical standards.
  • The toolkit for today’s hidden backbone: Skills and mindsets that allow testers to act as quality advocates in an automated world.
  • Practical strategies for integrating testers as essential quality architects, ensuring that DevTestOps teams maintain both speed and depth in their software delivery.

From someone who has led teams and delivered resilient, user-centered applications, this talk explores why testers aren’t going obsolete—they’re evolving into indispensable figures, quietly shaping quality in ways that automation and AI alone cannot achieve.

Deepti Joshi

Automation Test Engineer
CyberPro Consulting (Pty) Ltd

AI and RPA

Artificial Intelligence role in Automation Testing and Robot Process Automation with CI and CD Pipeline .

Takeaways from this talk

RPA ,CIand CD with AI Role in Automation.

Philip Bazanye

Philip Bazanye

Software Test Architect
First National Bank SA

My DevTestOps Journey

Integrating Development, Testing, and Operations for Quality Assurance, to better deliver quality software

Takeaways from this talk

Collaboration between different IT specialists to ship software faster, and an attempt to blur the lines, for efficiency in an IT Shop

Panel Discussion Speakers

Craig Risi

Craig Risi

Head of Engineering
Old Mutual Limited

Craig Risi

He strives to change the world not only through the software he helps develop but also by transforming the way it is designed and built. Dedicated to revolutionizing software design and quality, he approaches this mission with a serious mindset—though never without enjoying the process along the way.

A man of many talents, he is also known for his creativity and energy, regularly engaging in writing, designing board games, and running long distances just for the thrill of it.

Raphael Roems

Raphael Roems

QA Manager
Redstor

Raphael Roems

Raphael Roems is a seasoned Quality Assurance Lead at Redstor, bringing a wealth of expertise in information technology, management, and quality assurance. Known for his meticulous approach and strong communication skills, Raphael is a highly motivated and goal-driven professional dedicated to fostering continuous improvement. His proven track record of delivering exceptional results highlights his ability to meet and exceed expectations consistently. A creative problem solver, Raphael excels at thinking outside the box and adapting swiftly to change, making him an invaluable asset to his team and organization.

Masego Mabalane

Masego Mabalane

Associate Director
Accenture

Masego Mabalane

With over 20 years in management consulting and IT, Masego Mabalane excels in leading digital transformation for multinationals and governments. She specializes in Agile, DevOps, cloud computing, 5G, and AI, delivering successful OSS/BSS projects across Telecom, Media, and Banking industries in AAPAC and EMEA regions. Renowned for aligning modernization strategies with organizational goals, she drives operational excellence and seamless transitions. Her expertise spans business transformation, ICT adoption, financial management, and revenue assurance. Masego’s proficiency in optimizing processes, budgets, and supplier contracts has consistently ensured impactful outcomes.

Adriaan Jones

Adriaan Jones

Team Lead: Integration Testing
Tracker

Adriaan Jones

Accomplished IT Professional with over 14 years of experience in IT specializing in Test Manager and Quality Assurance.

As a TM I have successfully coordinated and managed specialized and cross functional testing services on complex EFT Payments, POS, HR and now Telematics projects in the retail, tech and payments industries.

These implementations were accomplished in agile, waterfall and hybrid delivery models methodologies of varying maturity levels.

Primary strengths include attention to detail, strong analysis abilities, coordination, and the delivery of quality software.

Alfred Lehabe

Alfred Lehabe

Quality Engineer Lead
Ioco

Alfred Lehabe

An Oracle consultant Responsible for managing MTN Nigeria deployment that forms part of the MTN Boost GT Solution rollout of the standardised ERP platform to provide operational efficiency and drive adherence to the core control framework across the MTN footprint in Africa and the Middle East.

>> Home

>> Register

>> Programme Schedule