The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has launched the DigiTech platform that aims to offer local companies the opportunity to expand and promote the adoption of South African developed technologies. 

MoyaApp is a locally developed application (app) that offers data free chat, discover and pay tools and is reported to have more than 6.5-million monthly users in South Africa. 

“There are many strong innovative small businesses in South Africa. As the Department of Communications, we must highlight these successes and create additional platforms for them to flourish and serve our communities,” says Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.

MoyaApp offers an ecosystem of services that began with a chat service and expanded to incorporate a variety of digital services, from health, education, and social services through to entertainment, sport and business products, services and marketplaces all provided data free and with the ability to pay and be paid, contained in a single application. All these services are offered to users without the need for mobile data or an airtime balance to use the bulk of services within the app. 

Users are also able to make use of a low-cost mobile money account, allowing money to be  received and sent free of charge, as well as data free purchase of a range of value-added services. The e-wallet also enables users and partner businesses to make purchases or sales directly through the chat functionality. 

Businesses including Capitec Bank, Clientele Limited, Unilever, Auto & General, Avo by Nedbank, 1Life Insurance, Old Mutual Limited, SPAR South Africa and The Shoprite Group of Companies use the app to interact with users.

“Moya has gained viral growth because we know that most South African consumers don’t consistently have data on their smartphones and we have built services they want and need into our application,” says MoyaApp chief commercial officer Nicholas Bednall.