South Africa’s only manufacturer of mobile devices has praised the South African Government’s massive vote of confidence in its decision to recognise Mara Phones as its preferred device brand in all procurements for the next five years.
In the recently awarded RT15-2021 contract for ‘the supply and delivery of mobile communication services to the state for the period 01 April 2021 to 31 March 2026’, National Treasury requires preference to be given to local mobile device manufacturers and Mara Phones has been given first preference in the published list of nominated OEMs.
“All other device brands supplied by Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom in terms of the recently-announced five-year transversal contract are now considered secondary to Mara Phones,” says Sylvester Taku, Managing Director of Mara Phones SA, quoting the awarded contract.
“It is a huge boost to South Africa’s local economy and employment, and it demonstrates the Government’s and the network operators’ absolute faith in us as South Africa’s flagship smartphone brand.”
There are three main categories of the Government’s transversal contract, and in the mobile devices category, Mara Phones is listed across the four networks as the first preferred brand with all other brands being secondary.
In 2020, the first bricks-and-mortar Mara Experience Store was opened in Maponya Mall, Soweto. This was exactly a year after the company unveiled the country’s first smartphone manufacturing facility in KZN. The Soweto retail store enables customers to experience how a state-of-the-art South African-made smartphone looks and feels.
Mara Phones is a subsidiary of Mara Corporation, a proudly African brand and company that has been working on the continent for over two and a half decades. The company integrates technology to enable business growth and prosperity with innovative products and services delivered in a localised manner.
Focusing on smartphone and smart device growth in Africa while enabling access to transformational tools and services, Mara Phones has emerged as a digital enabler for financial inclusion, agricultural efficiencies, business tools and services, digital health and education. Mara Phones is the first truly African-made smartphone provided at highly affordable prices and excellent quality standards
