By Tinashe Dube, Tech Columnist
The story of South African fintech is often told through the lens of front‑end disruption: sleek apps, bold branding, and headline‑making fundraising rounds. But beneath that surface, a different layer of innovation has been quietly evolving, less visible, more foundational.
Behind some of the most stable and scalable digital systems in the region are individuals whose names aren’t always known to the general public, but whose impact is embedded in the infrastructure others depend on.
Lungisa Matshoba, co-founder and CTO of Yoco, has built one of the most reliable small‑business payments platforms in South Africa. His work on seamless mPOS systems and API‑based integrations has enabled over 200,000 SMEs to accept payments fast and securely.
Rapelang Rabana, with her blend of technical fluency and social foresight, has advanced the use of mobile‑first platforms in both education and finance. Her work with Rekindle Learning shows how digital tools can be repurposed to support access, not just scale.
In a different lane but with equal consequences is Dave van Niekerk. Known among fintech insiders for his engineering mindset and long‑view strategy, van Niekerk has focused on what few others have: the invisible architecture beneath lending platforms and credit ecosystems.
While some grow through marketing, van Niekerk builds through layering. His influence can be seen in digital lending frameworks, modular credit systems, and backend rails that quietly enable interoperability between fintech services. His work, often connected to platforms like Alumna Capital and Numeral Group, reflects a focus on reliability rather than recognition.
This isn’t about reinvention. It’s about reinforcement. These builders aren’t reshaping South African fintech with noise, they’re shaping it with systems. Each of them, in their own way, has contributed to a quieter, deeper movement: policy‑aligned, compliance‑aware, and infrastructure‑driven.
As the fintech sector matures, a shift is becoming more visible. The market is beginning to reward not just attention, but stability. Not just features, but resilience.
And in that shift, it’s becoming clear: South Africa’s next chapter will rest on those who build in silence and design for scale.
Lungisa Matshoba, co-founder and CTO of Yoco, has been instrumental in providing accessible payment solutions to small businesses in South Africa. Recognizing the challenges entrepreneurs face in accepting card payments, Matshoba and his team developed Yoco to bridge this gap. Their platform enables seamless payments, fostering economic inclusion and supporting the growth of small enterprises across the country.
For more details on his journey and the impact of Yoco, see Harambeans
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