Mukuru , a leading financial services provider, has partnered with Flash, a payments technology company with an extensive network of spaza shops across South Africa, adding 170,000 cash pay-in points where customers can now pay for their Mukuru remittance orders. The network includes Flash’s broader merchant footprint, giving Mukuru access to locations through Flash and its partner networks. These new locations are now operational, reducing the time and distance many customers currently travel to make a payment.
Previously, customers often had to travel to banks or dedicated payment outlets to pay for their Mukuru orders. Now, they can simply visit a spaza shop close to home, work or where they usually shop.
For people in townships, peri-urban and rural areas who rely on cash and have traditionally had limited access to formal pay-in points, particularly South Africa’s migrant communities, this change removes a real barrier and makes it easier to send money home. With these pay-in points inside spaza shops, Mukuru’s services become part of places people already go, meaning fewer extra trips and more timely payments.
“Every additional pay-in point represents one less barrier for a customer trying to send money home,” said Erone Kyte, Commercial Manager: Cross-Border Remittances at Mukuru. “Our partnership with Flash gives us the scale to bring Mukuru’s services into the everyday spaces our customers already know and trust. It’s a meaningful step in making remittances simpler, more accessible and genuinely closer to the communities we serve.”
For Mukuru, working with Flash means reaching even more customers in underserved urban, township, and rural areas. By leveraging Flash’s established network, Mukuru can now offer cash pay-in options where they didn’t exist before. The expanded network is expected to help more people access Mukuru’s services, support growth in its South African customer base, and make cross-border payments more convenient.
Rens Rezelman, General Manager for Flash’s Merchant Division, commented, “Flash works to bridge the digital product and payments gap between businesses and consumers across the country. Launching Mukuru across our network presents another opportunity to bring a familiar brand closer to the people who need it most.”
The sector is now recognised as a R750 billion industry. According to data tracked by Trade Intelligence, total turnover recently reached R197 billion, growing at roughly 15% annually. Research confirms that traditional trade and spaza shops are growing faster than large supermarket chains, with almost 80% of South African households shopping at these traditional trade outlets regularly. (https://apo-opa.co/4iDwZr8) Bringing Mukuru payments to these stores is a natural fit and helps shop owners draw in more customers and offer more services to their communities. Mukuru and Flash will build awareness of the new pay-in option through store, digital, and community promotions in the coming months.
This partnership is part of Mukuru’s ongoing drive to make cash pay-ins easier and improve access to remittance services for people living and working in areas with limited formal financial services. Over the past two years, the company has made similar moves to make its payment network bigger and more accessible across the region.
Mukuru customers looking to pay closer to home can easily find their nearest participating Flash pay-in point using the Mukuru app or website.
