Top 10 must-have Best apps in South Africa
Whether you’re a seasoned migrant or new to the adventure, getting settled in a new culture can be challenging and time-consuming. However, knowing which apps to have at your fingertips – ordering food or dealing with daily payments – can help you settle in quicker. Whether you want to calculate your cost of living, navigate Johannesburg’s traffic or find the best home to rent in Cape Town, there’s an app to help.
1. Ways
What is the best way to get from A to B? Are there any accidents causing gridlock or delays? If you are driving apps in South Africa, you will often need answers to these questions. The community-based app, Waze is a favorite for navigation and live traffic, traffic information in the country.
The best routes are crowd-sourced by aggregating live updates received by users. This makes it a reliable, real-time source of traffic alerts, including accidents, hazards, roadblocks and roadworks. You can also customize step-by-step driving directions to make your journey more enjoyable.
Note: If you’re walking, cycling or using public transport, Google Maps is the best option.
Other must-have South African transport apps
- Uber – The ride-hailing service operates in 40-plus apps in South African cities, serving more than 80% of the population.
- Gautrain App – The app for the 80km rapid transit railway system running between Pretoria, Johannesburg, or Tambo International Airport and Ekurhuleni provides information on departures, stops, costs and peak times.
- MyCiTi – Cape Town’s affordable and convenient MyCiTi bus service app. You need to pre-load the MyCiTi card to use the buses. The app includes schedules, directions and your card balance.
2. Africa weather
South Africa has six climate zones ranging from arid to temperate. As you adjust to the new environment, you’ll need a reliable weather app to help you plan your days and dress accordingly. Cape Town, in particular, has such a changeable weather that you can sometimes experience four seasons in one day.
While international weather apps work in the country, AfricaWeather is the only app that the apps in South African weather service supports. You can also customize the alerts. For example, in the Highveld region in summer, you can get storm warnings. While Highveld thunderstorms are spectacular to watch, they can also pose a threat due to lightning. Fortunately, this app lets you track incoming storms in real-time.
The app also has hail warnings, giving you time to park your car under cover to prevent any damage, potentially resulting in car insurance claims.
Other must have apps in South African weather apps
AccuWeather – For detailed daily forecasts across the country
3. Buzzer
One of the most significant adjustments for new immigrants settling apps in South Africa is its high crime rate. For this reason, safety-related applications are essential. Most companies offering home security systems have their own apps in South African apps.
If you are in Cape Town, you should also install the Buzzer app. It was developed by suburbanites wanting to connect community members with security companies and services. For instance, you can press the panic button in an emergency to request help from armed response companies.
People also use buzzers to report suspicious activity, crime incidents, fires, and medical emergencies.
When users open the app, it immediately tracks their location. Any messages sent will go to the nearest control room, so it is useful for you if you are going to run or walk outside. The app’s community managers also send safety messages, so users stay alert and look out for each other.
Other must have South African safety apps
- Life360 – Parents swear by this app. It lets you add family members so you can keep track of their location through GPS technology. It includes crash detection and in-app chatting.
- Secura – This armed-response app covers all provinces apps in South Africa. You can call for assistance 24/7 and Secura will send the nearest armed-response car to your live GPS location.
4. Hello South Africa
In his book, Long Walk to Freedom, the late President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, said: “Without language, one cannot communicate with people and understand them; One cannot share their hopes and aspirations, understand their history, appreciate their poetry or enjoy their songs.”
The Hello South Africa app promotes multilingualism by translating everyday phrases across a variety of categories in all 11 official languages. The app is a spin-off from a printed phrasebook that was successfully launched shortly before apps in South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Other South African language applications are a must have
DuoLingo – In collaboration with Nal’ibali, a apps in South African literacy non-profit organization, the global language app recently added Zulu and Xhosa, two of the most widely spoken languages in the country.
5. SnapScan
Left your wallet at home? No worries. apps in South African-designed app SnapScan lets you pay without cards or cash. Just use your smartphone to scan in-store SnapCodes and you can easily pay.
Alternatively, merchants can send you a payment link. It’s great for those who don’t carry cash or want a faster method than Electronic Funds Transfers (EFTs). You’ll need an e-commerce-enabled credit or debit card and a apps in South African SIM to set it up. The app is compatible with most SA bank cards. Another convenient feature is to purchase airtime, data and electricity on the app.
Related: Best Buying a car and vehicle registration in South Africa 2022
Other must have South African money apps
- VICE – A convenient way to transfer money abroad through mobile banking
- eBucks – South Africa’s leading financial rewards loyalty program
- Mobile banking apps – for example, Absa, Standard Bank, Capitec, Nedbank
6. Mr D Food
South Africans used to call upon Mr. Delivery, colloquially known as “Mr. D,” if they wanted to place an order. The company embraced the nation’s affection and rebranded as Mr D Food. They operate nationwide, do daily deals and you can track your orders in real-time. You can pay by card or cash, use eBucks, or pay electronically in the app.
Another must-have South African food and sustainability app
- Grocery store apps – include Checkers SixT60, PNP ASAP!, Woolies Dash and OneCart
- EAT – Find restaurants near you and earn cash back every time you dine in or order takeout from participating eateries
- SASSI – Check the sustainability of the seafood you want to eat to avoid anything from the orange or red (threatened) list.
- Abalobi – With commercial fishing making it difficult for small-scale operations to survive, this app helps these fishermen by connecting them directly to consumers.
7. KrugerExplorer
South Africa is synonymous with safaris and majestic wildlife, as found in the Kruger National Park, a nature reserve spanning two million hectares of trees and home to a diverse flora and fauna.
You can use the accompanying app, KrugerExplorer, to explore this natural treasure. It includes popular self-driving routes and immersive guided tours with information about all the animals and plants found in the park. The best part? It works 100% offline, which is what you’ll need when going off-grid, driving around, and exploring games.
Other must-have South African travel apps
- Accommodation-booking sites – such as Booking.com or Airbnb, or the local LekkeSlaap (available in Afrikaans or switch to English)
- South Africa GuideWithMe – Explore the entire country with this offline travel guide featuring articles on destinations near your location. It includes hotel and restaurant suggestions.
- Cape Wine Farms – Directory of wine farms, tours and events
- The Entertainer – Find deals and one-for-one discounts on things to do in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban
8. EskomSePush
Unfortunately, an unavoidable frustration of living apps in South Africa is load-shedding. This occurs when the government shuts off electricity in a controlled process to avoid a nationwide blackout. While the national energy provider, Eskom, provides timetables for affected areas, these updates are confusing.
This is where EskomSePush comes in. Millions of users rely on this app to plan when they’re without power. The developers are also working to incorporate other community initiatives.
- Another must-have apps in South African energy or sustainability app
- Load Shedding Notifier – for notifications of when power will be out in your area
9. Private property
Are you looking for accommodation apps in South Africa? Leading website portal Private Property also has an app for this. A private property application is easy, especially if you have a specific suburb. You can receive notifications when new properties go on the market. You can also set detailed filters based on your needs, budget and whether you want a pet-friendly venue. Property descriptions are comprehensive, photos are clear and they offer high-definition video walk-throughs.
Other must have South African home apps
- Airbnb – Find short term accommodation apps in South Africa
- SweepSouth – To book cleaning or gardening services at your home
10. News24
Stay up to date with what’s happening in the country with news updates on your phone. News24 is a leading news platform apps in South Africa and you can access breaking news, in-depth analysis, sports, entertainment and opinion pieces on its app.
One comment