For the first time, Stuff has thrown open its doors in search of entries for its app awards. Previously, all of the work was internal, but participation is the name of the game from now on. We asked and many of you answered, either in the form of outright entries or in the shape of nominations of your local faves. The bar has been set and you can expect future app awards to feature similarly high-quality offerings.
FINTECH
FASSERNATE
If you’re not selling your products online, you’re behind the curve in 2024. Not everyone can get their products onto Vodacom or Nedbank’s super-apps and not everyone is able to pay for a custom-built online store. Enter Fassernate, a service devoted to making online store creation about as complicated as signing up for a social media service.
The service is for businesses in search of customers instead of the other way around and the way Fassernate makes its money is by taking a small cut of any electronic transactions through the app. If you’re a cash- only business… well, then transacting through your very own storefront is entirely free. Opting for electronic payments, facilitated through PayFast, also comes with business verification. Which, you know, customers are always keen on.
from Free / Android, iOS, Web
RUNNERS UP
Bank Zero
South Africa’s completely free business bank has done sterling work in recent months amping up its online security and other features. It comes in at a close second place.
Everything Insure
Insurance without paperwork? That’s a deal that shouldn’t be passed up, as the minds behind Everything Insure well know. SA has a thing for funky insurance, it seems.
HEALTH
CAREFIRST
There are two sides to the CareFirst offering. One is aimed at patients and involves 2024’s buzzword – AI. The AI Vital Scan uses a mobile device’s camera to assess several metrics, including blood pressure, heart rate, stress levels, and even hemoglobin levels, with a few other metrics still in development. Sure, you can get a bunch of these from a wearable but from a smartphone camera?
The other portion of CareFirst is for health practitioners. There are three solid offerings here. The first is a telemedicine app, providing for remote appointments with patients. There’s also a suite of software for practice managers, allowing for tracking of a medical practice, and a customisable app that patients can use to keep on top of their medical interactions with the doc.
POA / Web
RUNNERS UP
Discovery Health
Discovery is a previous winner at Stuff’s app awards, and much has changed with South Africa’s premier medical aid service since. Of course, several connected services have launched since then but it’s the new additions to the health service that are noteworthy. Advanced remote care, treatment at home, and partnerships designed to bring medical aid to parts of the country that can’t normally afford it are excellent reasons to pay attention here.
GAMING
RAPZ
Rapz is a narrative-driven dress-up game based on the Rapulani short film and series of books written by Yolanda Keabetswe Mogatusi. The titular Rapulani, also known as the girl with the magic afro, embarks on an adventure with her magical hair and her companion dog/hairbrush thing. The story deals with several emotional states – loss, mourning, dealing with new situations – using the medium of… well, magical hair.
The game extends the experience begun by the 2021 short film and subsequent book release by putting young players in Rapulani’s shoes. The game is episodic and slightly more upbeat, in that players must navigate obstacles both serious and hair-related in order to get young Rapz to a party. Sure, it’s for kids but this slice of multimedia is also wholly free to play.
Free / Android, Web
RUNNERS UP
Hot Bunz
A bit like Super Meat Boy but with added farting and twerking, this platform puzzler can be played solo or with friends. But you really have to like butt stuff.
Terra Nil
This one is almost cheating. Terra Nil is available free with Netflix’s mobile games offering, was released by Devolver Digital, and is wholly home-made.
ENTERTAINMENT
SHOWMAX 2.0
South Africa has several of its own streaming services, though most of these are operated by Multichoice. Showmax, the headline offering (and a previous App Award winner), has just undergone a revamp that put it ahead of all the competition for this year’s contest (Sorry, SABC+. It was close.) An all-new layout, standardised across platforms, is just the start of Showmax’s improvements. The local app has been redesigned to keep up with NBCUniversal’s own Peacock streaming app, a testament to Multichoice’s new partnership with the American broadcaster. Improved stability, increased searchability, and more content in general make the Showmax experience even better than it was before. We’re still waiting on native 4K support but Multichoice is probably hanging onto that for next year. We don’t expect the app to stand still between now and next year’s awards.
Free (IAPs) / Android, iOS, Web
RUNNERS UP
DStv Stream
We told you Multichoice was everywhere. This app allows DStv subscribers to watch their favourites anywhere there is a screen and an internet connection.
StarStruck Cinema
You won’t find this in the wild for a while, but we’ve previewed the iOS-only (for now) offering for these app awards and it’s an excellent way to plan and book movie nights.
TRAVEL
SHESHA
Shesha is a locally owned and operated ride- hailing service that, admittedly, competes with the likes of Bolt and Uber, but it does so by offering cashless transactions (all financial operations are handled by the app) and standard rates based on distance and time. Okay, so it’s basically traditional taxis joining the technological age but that was most of our objection to the old way. Shesha offers the convenience of a set fee, the ability to summon a taxi to where you need it, and the ability to add (brief) stops if you need to drop off keys or something. There’s also a feature called Emergency Ride that will get you from point A to B (as long as it’s less than 5km) with the option to pay for it later. A broader rollout in SA will be Shesha’s true test but for now it’s an excellent backup.
Free (IAPs) / Android, iOS
RUNNERS UP
Disky
Licence disk renewal is a pain in the neck. Using an online chatbot to automate the process, with someone else standing in line, sounds great to us.
Texi Ride
Another local ride-hailing app offering tracked trips, a range of vehicles, and in-app payments. Expect more from this one in the near future.
ECOMMERCE
PICKME
South Africans are always looking for work, which is why the Brits and Aussies are so fond of us (unless we’re taking their jobs). PickMe looks to streamline that process here at home by giving users a place to showcase their skills and employers a place to recruit the people they require. It’s a little bit like a dating app, only each initial interaction really is an interview. Like, literally.
It’s still relatively early days for PickMe but the service has the potential to make a serious difference to South African society. Biometric security, a rating system for employer and employed, and an escrow payment system for jobs are highlights, while new features are currently in the works. Pick-me energy? Sure, why the heck not? Finding more folks more work in SA is never a bad thing.
Free / Android
RUNNERS UP
GoodApp
Access to properly screened home services, like plumbers, electricians, and other specialists, in your pocket is GoodApp’s stated aim. That’s how to automate service delivery.
KasiD
Like Mr Delivery but for township restaurants. If you’ve despaired of finding anything new to eat, this might be the option for you.
UPCOMING DEVELOPER
STARSTRUCK CINEMA
A slick, easy to navigate layout characterises this in-development iOS apps awards entrant. More than just a storefront for buying cinema tickets in South Africa, it also functions as a watch wishlist, letting you store details about upcoming releases so you a) don’t forget and b) actually get out into a seat with a bucket of popcorn on your lap.
Another slick feature is that each film listing offers a complete overview of the film. Trailers and links to the IMDB page (which is social media for drama nerds) are also included in the pre-release build of the app, quite aside from available cinemas and show times.
For those who have booked tickets, these can be stored on the app and accessed via QR code so you needn’t bring any unsightly printouts out on your evening excursion to watch Dune 3: Dune Hard with a Vengeance.
In short, this could be an excellent app. If, that is, everything works as intended when it launches at some unspecified time in the future.
RUNNERS UP
Township Small Business Chatbot Algorithm
ChatGPT (if you can still call it that when it’s powered by Meta’s Llama-3) for townships, this chatbot service hopes to hook township residents up with the resources to elevate their entrepreneurship. In doing so, it’ll increase wealth creation in some of South Africa’s poorest regions. At least, that’s the goal. As with our category winner, this app has yet to see daylight. We hope it does.
BEST USE OF AI
BARRIER CCTV
‘Big Brother’ gets all the cool tech toys but there’s no reason you shouldn’t have a crack at using them yourself. Barrier CCTV offers AI-powered tools to companies that work in surveillance control rooms. Actions available include tracking vehicle details, including license plates, make, and model, or more human-centric tasks like predicting ages, genders, or even the action people on camera are likely to take. It’s high-end surveillance AI but without the need to acquire and maintain costly hardware. Scene recognition is also a possibility, meaning if your site is on fire (or a dinosaur is rampaging through the parking lot), you’ll be notified immediately. The price? Well, that depends on the size and complexity of your operation, but Barrier CCTV likely has an option for you. Obviously, it’s a bit specialised right now but that’s what most successful AI is. Is there a private version of the product coming? We can hope we also get a chance to play.
POA / Web
RUNNERS UP
Township Small Business Chatbot Algorithm
Machine learning for townships? If you’d mentioned it a few years ago, most would have scoffed at the idea, or even the need for it, but apps like the Township Small Business Chatbot Algorithm are bringing the possibility closer to reality. Aimed at small businesses, this unreleased service hopes to support entrepreneurship across South Africa.
STUFF’S SOUTH AFRICAN APP OF THE YEAR
FASSERNATE
Be honest, you thought it was going to be Showmax. We’ve gone with Fassernate as our overall app awards winner for a few reasons. First of all, there’s a broad range of accessibility for this app. Anyone looking to move their business online, whether it’s an in-home hairdresser or a bootleg biltong maker, has options that require little online knowledge and zero coding. Second of all, it’s entirely free (if you’re willing to operate as a cash-only business that isn’t verified on the service – and there are a few of you out there). But the benefits of signing up for electronic payments, and the resulting slice siphoned off to Fassernate’s coffers, is also worth it. You do the same for PayPal, Bobshop, and loads of other platforms all the time. With Fassernate, every business has a decent crack at conducting sales and customer interactions online, with little more than a sign-up and a few bits of drag-and-drop magic. Since the key to wealth creation is more entrepreneurs – no matter where you are – this online service could just be the thing you need to lift you and yours out of whatever situation you find yourself in.
