Pilot planned for 2027, subject to Central Bank of Eswatini approval.Protected payments for Eswatini
Themba

Protected payments for Eswatini

Trade with
confidence.

A phone. A car. A deal worth getting right.
Themba is designed to keep the money at the bank until the agreed conditions are met.

See how it works Find your kind of deal

Built for buyers and sellers. Preparing for closed testing, not open for public transactions.

Illustration of two people checking their phones beside a car, with a woven basket representing protected value.
Bank-held money
Agreed terms before payment
Designed for everyday phones

Neither side should have to guess

You have agreed a deal.
Who goes first?

A buyer wants to see the goods before paying. A seller wants to know the money is there before handing them over.

Themba brings both sides into the same process, with agreed terms and a record of what happens next.

Follow a deal from start to finish

A shared process

Five steps.
One clear path.

The planned deal journey keeps buyer and seller working from the same terms.

  1. 01

    Agree

    Set the item, price and terms together.

  2. 02

    Pay in

    The buyer pays into the bank-held trust account.

  3. 03

    Deliver

    The seller hands over as agreed.

  4. 04

    Check

    The buyer checks the goods.

  5. 05

    Release

    The bank pays when the conditions are met.

Understand each step

Go and Drive come first

Everyday goods.
Life’s bigger purchases.

Two starting points, built on the same protected-payment process.

Themba Go

Goods between people
Illustration of a phone and a parcel beside a woven basket.

For the phone in a marketplace listing, the fridge in a WhatsApp group, and the goods you agree to buy from another person.

Explore Themba Go

Themba Drive

Vehicle sales
Illustration of a car, keys and vehicle documents.

For buyers, private sellers and dealers. Designed to link payment release to the vehicle being registered in the buyer’s name.

Explore Themba Drive

Built around life in Eswatini

A smartphone should
not be the only way in.

Themba’s channel design includes an installable web app and core actions on a feature phone. English and siSwati are the planned service languages.

Channel availability will be confirmed for the pilot.

  • Web appThe full deal journey on a smartphone.
  • USSDCore deal actions on a feature phone, without a data bundle.
  • WhatsAppInvitations and updates, with links back to the service.
  • SMSFallback notices and receipts.

Before you take the next step

A few things
worth knowing.

Can I use Themba today?

The system is developed and ready for closed testing. It is not open for public transactions. The planned pilot depends on the required partnerships and Central Bank of Eswatini approval.

Is Themba a wallet?

No. The service is designed around individual deals, with money held in a trust account at a partner bank. There is no Themba wallet balance to keep or spend.

What if there is a problem with a deal?

The planned process keeps the money held while the problem is reviewed. Depending on the evidence and deal rules, the outcome may be a payment to the seller, a refund to the buyer, or a split. A refund returns to the account it came from.

Will I need a smartphone?

Themba is designed for smartphones and feature phones. The planned USSD service covers core actions, including checking a deal, paying with MoMo, releasing payment and reporting a problem. Channel availability will be confirmed for the pilot.

The next chapter

Built. Preparing for closed testing.

Learn where Themba stands and who the planned pilot is intended to serve.

Explore the pilot