Sasai has been around for a while now and I must say it has evolved. The Sasai app was released onto the app stores on the 28th of February 2019. It was then officially launched in July 2019. This means this year July will mark 3 years of existence for Sasai. Sasai has of course had its fair share of challenges. Do you remember that time when there were public outcries regarding incessant Sasai promotional SMSes? POTRAZ then stepped in and they toned it down. There were also, at the onset, some user complaints regarding registration challenges once you downloaded the app. Despite those and other hiccups, Sasai app downloads on, for example, Google Play Store now stand at more than 500 000 downloads.

Services Now Available On Sasai

To give you an appreciation of where Sasai stands today, I will share with you the comprehensive list of services or features you can now find on Sasai. I will exclude the obvious ones such as the chat feature which enables you to send or receive messages – mostly like your usual WhatsApp. What sets apart the Sasai chat feature is its integration with SasaiPay – for Sasai Wallet and Mobile Money. This enables you to send someone mobile money in chat.

Sasai Watch

Through this feature, you can watch your favourite video content on various topics. The categories available are faith, sports, business, entertainment, lifestyle, kids, afro-politics, news and factual, learning, and education. You can also share your video content through Sasai Watch and make money through that as well.

Sasai Live

Through Sasai Live you can watch Live TV or you can create your Live content. You can watch your favourite channels Live. You can use Moments Live to go live. You can even share Live on the Web.

Sasai Remit

Sasai Remit is all about sending money online. The reception options you can choose from are Cash Pickup, Bank Deposit, Mobile Money, or Airtime Top-Up. You can send via the Sasai Remit app, via an agent, or USSD.

Sasai Podcast

Here you get to listen and learn from many available podcasts. There are several categories to pick from e.g. edu-tainment, science and tech, and society and culture, amongst others. You can even start your podcast if you like.

Africa CDC Travel Pass

This one is an online healthcare data management and information platform that acts as a global record library for capturing test information. It is a means to capture and share COVID-19 test results with relevant 3rd parties at the patient’s discretion.

Sasai Wi-Fi Finder

This is a feature that enables you to find Wi-Fi hotspots and buy Wi-Fi where need be.

Sasai Global Services

This is a global marketplace where you can buy, sell, trade goods or services. This is an essential service to use for your eCommerce needs.

Sasai Referral

This feature enables you to refer friends, colleagues, or family members.

SasaiPay

This is the feature that sets Sasai apart from other typical social media platforms. No wonder Strive Masiyiwa terms Sasai a Super App – so many things in just one app. Through SasaiPay you can receive and transfer money; there are also card services. You can pay billers or merchants; that is for those in Zimbabwe. You can also purchase airtime and bundles. Other useful options available are ZESA Prepaid, ZOL, Kashagi Loan, Overdraft, Banking Service, Pay School, and Pay Church.

Moments

The best to describe Moments is that it is like Facebook. I am referring to the functionality it gives you i.e. making posts, liking, commenting, and sharing. That also goes with the usual tagging and hashtags, amongst other features.

Sasai has got what it takes to become Africa’s prime social media platform. It has so much to offer and I feel it is still mostly underrated. I think it would be great for you to give it a shot. As I have often reiterated, we need to have our home-grown solutions as a country and as a continent. Let me also add that it is imperative for mobile network operators (MNOs) and other internet service providers in Zimbabwe to improve their networks. In using Sasai when it was first unveiled I noticed that network quality and speed directly affect the platform’s functionality. Recently I still noticed that the issue persists. Suppose you try to upload media on Sasai Moments or just change your profile picture. If the network is poor the app crashes at times. Serious work has to be put into that otherwise user experience will be compromised.