WeBuyCars allows customers to buy and sell used cars, acting as a middleman in the transactions. In 2023, the company sold a total of 142,337 vehicles and bought a total of 141,851. According to its parent company Transaction Capital, also JSE-listed, the unbundling and listing allows WeBuyCars shareholders to have direct access to a market-leading asset. 

The listing of WeBuyCars presents a signal of the renaissance of South Africa’s IPO activity which saw only 13 listings in the last 3 years. When the JSE trade opening bell rings on Thursday, whether the market will agree with or brush off  WeBuyCars’ R18.75 per share ask remains to be seen.

According to Jimmy Moyaha, founder of investment firm Lebowa Capital, WeBuyCars’ R18.75 per share price is reasonable considering the company’s strong business case. “R18,75 may be a little undervalued based on the book-build value they had identified. However, playing it safe only means more upside if you’ve got it right,” Moyaha told TechCabal.

Furthermore, Moyaha stated that the share price has the potential to reach highs of as much as R25 per share in the future. WeBuyCars, on the other hand, stated that it is investing in its proprietary AI, data, and analytics to boost its e-commerce sales. Currently, e-commerce sales represent 22% of total sales, down from the 27% recorded in 2022, showing that a lot of work is yet to be done to attract e-commerce customers to the platform.

However, other analysts are a bit sceptical about the company’s fortunes on the public markets, pointing to the company’s financial performance as a put-off factor. Transaction Capital’s latest financial results show that although the volume of cars bought and sold by WeBuyCars increased by 9% and 13% respectively, its earnings were down by as much as 14% from the previous year. The company’s cost-to-income ratio also increased from 57% in 2022 to 66% in 2023.

“[After April 12], the Reserve Bank expects that all the online payment platforms will be operating smoothly for all transactions,” the bank said in a statement.

Following the introduction of the ZiG on April 5, online payment platforms in the country could not transact with the Zimbabwean dollar, the predecessor to the ZiG. This led to consumers being unable to pay for goods and services online. Banks and payment providers stated that they could not support payments because they had to recalibrate their systems to the new currency. 

Some Zimbabweans expressed concern about the lack of organisation regarding the new currency. “Bank balances have been converted to ZiG but its circulation starts on 30 April and I can’t use it for online payments, so how will I make any payments between now and April 12?” said a consumer who preferred anonymity.

Online transactions have been slow to garner widespread usage as Zimbabweans have developed a culture of cash-based transactions in more stable currencies including the South African rand, Botswana pula, and US dollar. This stems from a fear of having money kept in bank accounts abruptly converted by the government to unstable currencies, as has happened in the past.

However, a sprouting of online payment solutions over the last few years has seen adoption gradually increase in Zimbabwe. Technologies which has gained prominence include Innbucks, which allows customers to receive loose change at restaurants; Ecocash, a digital wallet; and O’Mari, a superapp which includes mobile money, insurtech, and investech products.

When the draft regulations were published in February, the government invited the public to share feedback and comments that would shape the eventual outcome of the visa. However, the draft regulations and the official ones are the same, meaning that none of the public opinion was taken into consideration.

Although some South Africans favour the digital nomad visa on the premise that it would make the country’s tech ecosystem attractive to foreign talent, others believe an influx would lead to a rise in the cost of living, an increase in inequality, and tax leakage concerns. Others also pointed to several regulations which could impede the effectiveness of the visa.

According to Andreas Krensel, founder of immigration firm IBN Immigration Solutions, the lack of consideration for public opinion on the bill is problematic. “Although the confirmation of [the] digital nomad visa is great news, the same questions asked almost two months ago [when regulations were announced in February] remain unanswered,” said Krensel. Among these questions is whether the minimum salary requirement of R1,000,000 (~$53,000) is gross or net and whether freelancers would be eligible for the visa.

Additionally, South Africa’s current legislature has numerous laws that have to be amended if the digital nomad bill is to become law. For instance, the digital nomad bill proposes an income tax exemption for foreign employees working in South Africa for less than six months, and the income tax act would have to be amended to provide for the exemption to be legal.

The proposed tax administration bill introduced by South Africa’s Revenue Service in 2023 is another potential obstacle. Under the proposed amendments, employers of South Africa-based remote workers must deduct pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) tax. Foreign companies would need to apply for and receive a SARS income tax number and register a branch company within South Africa.

Another legislation that might put off digital nomads is a proposed amendment to the country’s Copyright Bill. For example, universities and other institutions will have the right to reproduce software products without having to pay producers of said products. 

“What the bill proposes [is] to water down copyright owners’ protection, and that [is] deeply concerning,” stated Sadullar Kajiker, professor of intellectual property at the University of Stellenbosch. This could prove to be a disincentive for nomads building proprietary software while in the country. 

With the visa law now official, it will be interesting to see how the government traverses through the unaddressed challenges as applications start flooding in.

The acquisition of Reflector Marketing comes at a time when early-stage investors are under pressure to have portfolio companies with solid business cases beyond just venture capital cheques. In Reflector Marketing, Baobab states that it will help its portfolio companies with specialised in-house marketing, branding, and digital services, amplifying their potential for success and further funding.

Through the acquisition, the Reflector Marketing team will join Baobab to provide portfolio companies with in-house digital marketing support. Klyne Maharaj, founder of Reflector Marketing, will assume the role of director of Baobab Network’s accelerator. Founded in 2016, Baobab Network is a sector and geographically agnostic investor who issues a ticket size of $100,000 to its portfolio companies. The company claims that its portfolio’s cumulative valuation is more than $225 million from 50 companies. 

According to Toby Hanington, co-founder of Baobab, the move is evidence of Baobab’s ambitious plans and long-term commitment to investing across Africa. “We’ve worked with the Reflector team since early 2023, and the move to acquire them is a testament to the work they’ve already done with our portfolio,” he said.

In the past, digital marketing, which comprises elements such as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), social media marketing, product strategy, pitch deck preparation and branding, has been the go-to marketing medium for startups. This is because of its affordability compared to traditional marketing, relevance to target customers of startups, and its ability to adapt to the changing interests of the target market.

According to Maharaj, the acquisition is in line with its mission to enable the growth of startups via digital marketing. “Our goal has always been to help the world’s best startups nail their positioning, win their markets, and raise capital to fuel their growth.”

Back in 2011, Cell C sold off its 3,200 towers to American Tower Corporation for $430 million.  In June 2022, MTN sold its 5,701 towers to Nigeria’s IHS Towers for R6.4 billion (~$337 million), with the company stating that it will use the proceeds of the sale to fund the purchase of spectrum to high-demand spectrum frequencies and provide it with additional balance sheet flexibility. The following month, in July 2022, Vodacom announced that it would unbundle its over 9,000 tower assets into a separate subsidiary in which it would hold a 100% shareholding. The telco said the move was to enhance asset returns and lower communication costs. Last year, Cell C announced that it would switch off tower access and have its subscribers roam on towers owned or leased by MTN.

As these SA telcos continue to sell off their tower assets, with reasons ranging from raising funds for other investments to supposedly lowering communication costs and shifting business strategies, experts who spoke to TechCabal say there may be other reasons at play.

According to Jimmy Moyaha, founder of investment firm Lebowa Capital, telcos may be pursuing strategic goals which do not necessitate having the towers on their balance sheets. “We’re seeing telcos rather deploy their capex into more strategic things like buying spectrum and improving network capabilities,” he said. Cell C and MTN took this route as they immediately leased back the towers from their respective buyers.

Additionally, according to Moyaha, loadshedding might also be a factor in pushing telcos to move the towers off of their balance sheets. With the loadshedding situation having gotten worse over the last few years, telcos have constantly reiterated in their financial results the investment that they have had to make in backup power during blackouts.

MTN has stated in the past that loadshedding led to an increase in thefts at its towers; Vodacom has said it had to invest R1 billion (~$200 million) on backup power for its towers; and Telkom has said it had to spend over R500 million (~$100 million) on diesel for the backup generators needed to run its towers. 

“When loadshedding is severe, backup power doesn’t have enough time to recharge and replenish itself,” added Moyaha. “This then necessitates the need for additional power solutions to be deployed and that becomes a very capex-intensive undertaking.”

Yet another (possible) reason…

According to Tshepo Magagane, an investment analyst, shareholder pressure might also be a significant factor behind the selloffs. Over the last two years, when most of the sell-offs have taken place, Vodacom, MTN and Telkom have all seen their share prices tumble by 38%, 53% and 39% respectively. “Share price underperformance [has led] to pressure from shareholders which results in the companies convincing themselves that the tower assets are ‘non-core’.”

He adds that the fact that private equity firms, which emphasise cashflow generation, are buying up the assets indicates their cashflow importance. “Infrastructure assets [like towers] allow revenue prediction, stable margins, efficient working capital deployment, manageable and incremental maintenance capex to investors,” said Magagane. 

Following its acquisition of Cell C’s towers, American Tower Corporation reported significant returns from the purchase. At the time, the company stated that it was generating a return on invested capital of approximately 20%. Each tower had approximately two tenants at a lease rate of $2,500 per tenant.

According to Magagane, the prominence of such deals is likely to attract even more private equity investors to seek similar opportunities on the continent. “A consummation of deals this large should act as a catalyst for other investors to wake up to the fact that there are opportunities in South Africa and Africa,” he concluded.

Motsepe, worth $2.4 billion according to Forbes, is the founder and chairman of Ubuntu-Botho Investments and African Rainbow Capital (ARC). Some of the companies’ investments include mobile network operator Rain and neobank TymeBank. Motsepe also has mining interests through Africa Rainbow Minerals (ARM).

Earlier this month, Canal+ made an offer of R125 per share for the pan-African broadcaster, a 20% increase from the initial offer of R105 per share submitted in early February. 

The offer valued MultiChoice at about $2.9 billion. Since 2020, the French company has increased its stake in MultiChoice from 20.1% to 35.01% when the first offer was made in February 2023.

Since Canal+’s flirtations, experts have pointed out the regulatory complexities that the deal to acquire MultiChoice might incur. 

Motsepe’s involvement in the deal may be able to address some of these complexities, which include the fact that foreign companies are not allowed to have more than 20% voting rights in South African broadcasting companies. 

“With its roots in South Africa, the coming onboard by [Motsepe] would ensure Multichoice remains in South Africa and meets the threshold of local ownership required by authorities,” said Mpumelelo Ndiweni, CEO of Colmin Group, an African markets advisory and investment company.

Swiftnet operates over 4,000 towers in South Africa.

In a statement to shareholders, Telkom said that the sale aligns with the company’s strategy to sell off non-core assets to focus on unlocking the intrinsic value of its more core operations. “Proceeds [will be] utilised to primarily pay down Telkom debt, thereby strengthening [its] balance sheet and enabling it to release free cash flow.” 

In November, Telkom announced a pivot into a more infrastructure-led business model. The model would be underpinned by investing capital into building and maintaining infrastructure assets including fibre networks, data centres, satellite, and marine cables. Swiftnet’s sale follows the company’s announcement in 2023 that it was considering selling a minority stake in its fibre infrastructure subsidiary, Openserve, which was unbundled in 2022.

According to the company, the strategy will enable the company to be “an enabler of South Africa’s digital future.” The strategy, which has been in place for a year, is expected to be completed by 2025.

According to the company, the high demand for infrastructure, a leading market position, significant barriers to entry in infrastructure, a strong balance sheet and a so-called experienced management team puts it in a favourable position to pursue the infraco model.

“[An] InfraCo strategy realises our true competitive advantage – showing Telkom to be a strategic national asset – the backbone of the SA’s digital economy and the enabler of the country’s digital future,” the company stated.

The company’s stock price is down by 2% following the news of the retrenchment.

“We routinely ensure that our business operations are fit for purpose as we transition from a telco to a leading technology company,” said a spokesman for Vodacom. “Additionally, Vodacom South Africa continues to proactively implement various cost reduction measures to ensure sustainable operations and maintain financial resilience.”

Per Vodacom’s latest financial report released in September 2023, the company’s revenue and operating income increased by 35% and 32%, respectively. However, the company’s profit margin and cash in hand were also down 20% and 57%, respectively, with the company citing investment into alternative power sources because of load-shedding as a contributing factor.

Vodacom’s next financial results are set to be released in May for the financial year ended March 31, 2024.

With the news of the retrenchments, Vodacom continues to face a flurry of issues in recent times. The company is currently involved in a protracted legal battle with a former employee about remuneration for the invention of the “Please Call Me” service. 

According to a court ruling, the ex-employee is eligible for a percentage of revenue from the service which might go as high as R63 billion. This would be equal to about 10% of Vodacom’s market capitalisation.

Mugovi is one of the many startup founders who have forged on with building startups, despite the unfriendly operating environment in Zimbabwe fuelled by sanctions and hyperinflation.

Zimbabwe has been under economic sanctions from the US, the European Union and most Western countries since 2003. The country has also been experiencing hyperinflation since 2008, with inflation rates going as high as 80,000,000% in some periods. 

Mugovi tells TechCabal that access to funding is one area that has been mostly impacted by the country’s macroeconomic challenges. “Foreign investors consider us a pariah state, so getting access to patient venture capital is next to impossible.”  

Despite all the challenges that have been presented by hyperinflation and sanctions, startups in Zimbabwe are still alive and kicking. Some have built products serving a significant local market, while others have scaled to neighbouring countries after achieving product-market fit in the country. Stakeholders who spoke to TechCabal state that although the operating environment has been less than desirable, it has also presented opportunities for tech entrepreneurs.

According to data by venture funding tracker Africa: The Big Deal, Zimbabwean startups collectively raised only $2 million in 2022. In the same period, startups in neighbouring South Africa raised almost $500 million in venture capital funding. Some startups have resorted to borrowing from microfinance institutions to address the funding challenge. However, in addition to high rejection rates because of lack of collateral, this capital is usually too expensive for startups, with interest rates averaging between 20% and 40%.

Leonard Sengere, the editor of the technology publication TechZim, adds that a poor population also adds to the unattractiveness of Zimbabwe as a venture capital destination. “When a startup finds a problem, the business model falls apart when they realise customers can’t pay what’s needed to warrant the business.” 

To traverse through the funding problem, startups are looking to diaspora remittances to fund their ambitions. According to data from the World Bank, remittances by Zimbabwe’s diaspora community reached $1.66 billion in 2023, or 11% of the country’s GDP.

Startups are resorting to their fellow countrymen abroad as foreign investors who may not understand the challenges of operating in the country, push them away. “The diaspora community knows the ability of innovators in Zimbabwe, so they are open to angel investing in startups in the country,” another founder told TechCabal.

In 2021, the government also launched the National Venture Capital Fund (NVCF) and assigned ZW$300 million (~$3 million then) at its inception. Additionally, the treasury also introduced tax incentives for VC firms, announcing that they would not be liable for income tax. 

B2C startups are impacted the most

Zimbabwe’s macroeconomic factors have mostly affected B2C startups compared to B2B startups, according to stakeholders who spoke to TechCabal. “It is extremely hard to move money out of Zimbabwe because of a combination of our policies and other countries’ policies concerning us,” said one founder of a B2C payments startup who requested anonymity. As a result, most startups find it hard to scale their products beyond Zimbabwe, making them unattractive to growth-oriented VC purses. 

Zimbabwe currently employs a multi-currency financial system comprising the US and the Zimbabwean dollar. However, because of waning confidence in the Zimbabwean dollar, data shows that nearly 80% of local transactions are done in US dollars.

Unlike B2C startups, enterprise-oriented startups have access to a customer base which can pay in US dollars, managing to hedge against the Zimbabwean dollar’s instability. “Accepting payments in the local currency is hard because sometimes rates change by multiples of 10 per day, so we pivoted to a B2B model,” said a founder of a B2B fintech startup who also preferred to speak anonymously. 

Another factor working against B2C startups in the Zimbabwe ecosystem is negative consumer sentiment about digital wallets or any form of non-cash transactions as a result of hyperinflation. “People here believe more in cash because, in the past, they have seen their savings in more stable currencies converted to Zim dollars by the government,” said Njabulo Sandawana, a Zimbabwean technology entrepreneur.

For startups looking to change consumer sentiments and increase adoption of their products, they would have to spend a significant amount of capital on marketing and community outreach.

Signs of brighter days ahead for Zimbabwe startups

Despite the multiple challenges brought about by Zimbabwe’s macroeconomic environment, they have also presented some opportunities. “Because of difficulty in accessing and paying for foreign-made enterprise software, we have seen an increase in demand for our products,” said the founder of an ERP software startup.

For B2C startups, as a result of a limited addressable market in Zimbabwe, some have been forced to think outside the country’s borders. Instead of making products primarily for the Zimbabwe market, some startups use the country as a sandbox to verify their theses and product market fit.

These include Cashlinq and Tano Digital who have expanded to Zambia and Botswana, respectively. Some other preferred expansion destinations include South Africa, Malawi and Mozambique.

Zimbabweans are also gradually being attracted to alternative financial technologies away from the traditional banking systems as a result of being burnt in the past. Technologies like blockchain and digital wallets by fintech are gaining prominence as the citizenry looks for alternatives.

“When people look back to the early days of hyperinflation when savings would evaporate, they look at offerings by fintechs and think, surely these can’t be any worse,” said Tinodashe Dubayi, head of digital transformation at fintech startup ClickNPay.

Some of these offerings include Innbucks, which allows customers to receive loose change at restaurants; Ecocash, a digital wallet; and O’Mari, a superapp which includes mobile money, insurtech and investech products.

With the US having recently relaxed its sanctions on Zimbabwe, innovators are excited about what that could mean for the ecosystem in the country.

Having experienced two decades of sanctions, Zimbabwean technology entrepreneurs are ready to take on the continent on a more level playing field, armed with the experience of innovating in a harsh operating environment. “The last two decades have built tenacity into Zimbabwean entrepreneurs, and they are ready for whatever challenges they face,” concluded Mugovi.

A digital makeover for South Africa’s cricket ecosystem could be in the works, leveraging artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to increase the popularity of the sport among fans while creating new revenue streams for fans, players and brands.

Results of a pilot collaboration between LootMogul, an Indian sports technology company, Cricket South Africa and the Durban Super Giants have revealed an increase in fan engagement with cricket gaming platforms, pointing to the potential impact digitisation could yield for the sport.

According to Vibhu Srivastava, the digital marketing head at LootMogul, “it indicates the significant potential for future business opportunities.”

Results from the month-long pilot were unveiled on February 23 by LootMogul.

After deploying an AI, blockchain and metaverse-led strategy, an average of 4.05 million platform visits were recorded in one month. These translate to 48,177 average new monthly games played and a 242.5% rise in the number of games played per month.

The collaboration sought to bridge the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds of cricket, offering a holistic and immersive experience to fans.

Notably, the partnership with the duo involves creating digital twins of South African stadiums, players, and all features of the sport. The digital maps are packaged as games on websites and applications, allowing fans to experience a virtual yet realistic experience of being in the heart of cricket action.

According to LootMogul, the interactive gaming platform feature facilitates fans’ engagement with the sport beyond live matches, creating a year-round connection with the sport.

Cricket South Africa and LootMogul announced the partnership on December 5, while the deal with the Durban Super Giants was announced in January when LootMogul was unveiled as the official Cricket Metaverse Gaming Partner.

South Africa has been a major force in the world of cricket ever since the first visit by a touring British test side, in 1888. Targeted with sanctions during the country’s Apartheid era, cricket took off after 1994 as a sport for all South Africans and the country currently stands at number five in the world test rankings and number three in the one-day international (ODI) rankings.

However, domestically, the sport languishes behind others like football and rugby as a spectator sport and Cricket South Africa is looking to improve the sport’s fanbase.

The digitisation drive, anchored on technology and the use of AI, promises to strike a connection between fans and the sport, leading to an increased appeal for the sport among the fans.

The opportunity for fan growth in South Africa is clear from the global rise in the sport’s popularity, with cricket’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles underscoring an expanding global influence. 

“This is a leap into the future of cricket. It is not just about enhancing the game; it is about revolutionising the fan experience,” SA Cricket’s Chief Executive Officer, Pholetsi Moseki, remarked in December during the rollout of the programme.

The use of AI in cricket is the latest addition in Africa to what has been a growing application of AI in sports, from player analytics to statistics assessment to game management.

The successful initial application of AI in cricket in South Africa also points to the potential in other countries on the continent where cricket is a major sport, such as Zimbabwe, Namibia and Kenya.