According to Martin Wright, CEO of Kazang, “We’re thrilled to be the first to offer this valuable service to our customers who require a quick, low-cost, convenient way of sending airtime to loved ones back home – and the timing couldn’t be better with the festive season just around the corner.”
The move will allow anyone living in South Africa to stay in touch more often with loved ones anywhere in the world. According to official data from the latest 2011 census, there are approximately two million documented foreign nationals living in South Africa. Very often, their families remain abroad, and this service will allow them to stay in touch, more often, at less cost.
Customers give the Kazang cashier – of which there are 15 000 – the mobile phone number they would like to top up including the international dialling code. They’ll be prompted to select an amount of airtime in Rand value that they’d like to send. The transaction is processed in real-time through a secure platform, and top-ups reflect immediately on the selected mobile phone, without the need for a voucher or PIN.
Kazang, part of the Paycorp is one of South Africa’s leading micro-payment processing services. Via a secure device, vendors can sell essential services like airtime, electricity, mobile data and lifestyle content, as well as accept bill payments. Over the past decade they’ve handled more than 300 million transactions worth several billion Rands in South Africa alone. In the rest of Africa, they provide prepaid services in Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya and Ghana.
