At Zoholics Johannesburg, the first of two Zoholics events that Zoho hosted in South Africa this week, Zoho made several South African-focused announcements. Similar to the recent events in the Middle East, Zoho announced strong momentum at the events in Johannesburg and Cape Town. It cited 35% growth overall, with a 67% growth from mid-market and enterprise organisations.
It also looked to support the entrepreneurial landscape in the country through the launch of Zoho Solo. Zoho Solo is a mobile-first application for solopreneurs. It appears to be specifically targeted at South African entrepreneurs. It is available for early access and consists of several elements from other Zoho Applications. These include:
- Task Management
- Contact Management
- Income Management
- Expense Management
- Tax Management
- Reports and Insights
The application also has built-in security, and a passcode is required to access business data. There is also support for multi-factor authentication, including biometric face ID, Touch ID, or OTP. While the application appears to be localised to the South African market, it is also available for US and Canadian customers.
Hyther Nizam, President of Zoho Middle East and Africa, commented, “South Africa is a key market for us in the region, and we are committed to deepening our presence here. As part of our transnational localism strategy—staying globally connected while remaining locally rooted—we are investing in locally-hired, customer-facing teams, expanding our partner ecosystem, and launching localised applications.
“By bringing our globally proven technology tailored to the unique needs of the South African market, we aim to support the country’s digital empowerment goals and foster long-term growth and innovation.”
Zoho and South Africa
Zoho is the perfect fit for South Africa’s vibrant economy. The mix of well-established enterprise firms and the burgeoning entrepreneurial culture fits the Zoho Applications well.
Zoho has localised its applications for the South African market, announcing those localisations last year. For example, both Zoho Books and Zoho Invoice now comply with South African VAT Regulations. Zoho Books can generate the VAT 201 Report, and it was updated with the latest requirements.
Each of the Zoho apps, which encompass customer experience, employee experience, collaboration, ITSM, IoT, finance, and more, meets the requirements of both entrepreneurs and enterprises. The platform also supports Zoho Creator. It is a low-code platform that enables organisations to further modify their Zoho instance to suit all requirements.
The applications are further empowered with AI. Zia, Zoho’s chatbot, is available across the portfolio of applications. South African organisations such as Clear Access, Payspace, Mr D and RSAWeb already use it. RSAWeb leverages Zoho One fully. It was the integrated nature of the Zoho Applications that enabled the organisation to consolidate onto a single platform with multiple applications.
Rudy van Staden, CEO of RSAWeb, said, “Zoho has definitely enabled us to save a hell of a lot of time and money over the period that it has been here, but it’s not just about the saving. It’s actually about the value it has added, which is a much bigger number. And that value isn’t just Rands and Cents. It’s the value our customers place on the service we’ve been giving them and the experience that they have been having.
The Rise of the Solopreneur
South Africa has a vibrant micro-business segment. FinsScope MSME South Africa estimates that there are approximately 3 million medium, small and micro-entrepreneurs in South Africa. They employ around 13.4 million people.
In total, there are around 2.5 million micro-enterprises. Only around 30% of the MSME leaders are under the age of 35. Zoho Solo offers an entry-level solution that meets the requirements of most of those businesses at a price point that is affordable for many.
Zoho pricing strategies are often localised, with South Africa no exception. Its price is tied to the Rand, which means organisations will not suffer from currency fluctuations. As with other apps, Zoho is offering a freemium version for early-stage users. There is also a pro plan for as little as ZAR 99 per user per month.
Zoho Solo already has 1,000 users
Its functionality enables the business to invoice, manage expenses, manage customer interactions and track jobs with task management. Every feature is available on a mobile device. The expenses feature also enables users to track mileage, simplifying the way they can record, expense and recharge mileage costs, reducing their administration overhead.
Zoho Solo has an offline mode, which means that data can be recorded even where there is no mobile signal available. More than 1,000 people are already using the software under the early adopter program.
Andrew Bourne, Regional Manager for Zoho Southern Africa, commented, “South Africa has a vibrant, resilient entrepreneurial spirit. As a company committed to empowering businesses of all sizes in South Africa, we understand the unique challenges faced by solopreneurs in the region, and we want to provide them with the tools and resources they need to succeed.
“With Zoho Solo, we’re offering solopreneurs a dedicated platform that understands and supports their journey, from project to payment. We are excited to see the impact it will have on the local business community, and we are committed to continuously improving and expanding our offerings to meet their evolving needs.”
Can Zoho Solo accelerate South African growth?
Zoho’s pricing and freemium approach, along with the lack of ads on its mobile applications, should enable Zoho to grow its footprint in South Africa. What will help is the vibrant and growing partner ecosystem it has in the country. Last year, it increased its partner network by 38%. According to its Find a Partner page, it now has nineteen consulting partners in South Africa.
Zoho also revealed what the most popular applications are across the country currently. They include:
- Zoho Books (VAT-compliant accounting software)
- Zoho One (operating system for business)
- Zoho CRM (customer relationship management)
- Zoho Forms (form builder)
- Zoho Desk (customer support management)
While Zoho Books and Zoho One are the fastest-growing applications, it will be interesting to see if Zoho Solo outsells them in 2025. Firms are also starting to embrace the AI technology that Zoho has embedded within its applications.
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
Zoho is located in South Africa and intends to grow. Two Zoholics in South Africa is a significant statement of its intent to see that growth. Most countries only host a single event. Zoho continues to work with BabesGotBytes and the CodeTelligence Academy on upskilling initiatives it announced in 2024 at Zoholics.
Building on this collaboration, the company hosted a boot camp in 2025 to engage attendees, who are now being considered for internships at Zoho as it looks to grow the company.
While no new partnerships were announced at Zoholics South Africa, the launch of Zoho Solo is a significant step for the company as it looks to engage in the MSME segment.
