Ubuntu and the art of putting the user at the heart of technology
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At Daemon, connection and collaboration with our South African team runs deep. Our colleagues in SA are a huge part of why we’re different, bringing technical know-how and a community-first approach.
As a company, Daemon is focused on culture and its importance in business. And in South Africa, a concept known as ‘Ubuntu’ permeates communities and ways of working. We spoke to one of our most distinguished, senior Daemonites, Vutlhari Rikhotso, about an ethos that underpins South African technology.
Meet VT, Daemon’s inspiring Principal Consultant
We’re extremely lucky to have Vutlhari with us at Daemon. VT brings a wealth of technical expertise; a twice former CTO at agency and product development level, he has experience in telecoms, fintech and property tech.
VT spent the bulk of his career working on global development projects, in rapidly changing market conditions. Now Principal Consultant at Daemon, he’s passionate about the intersection between tech and people.
Let’s squash some misconceptions about South Africa
It’s easy to make assumptions about global teams, but we’d like to correct some of those perceptions. Daemon South Africa is a huge strength, bringing first-class technical know-how along with some additional cultural wins, which we feel sets us apart.
Meet our Head of Operations for Daemon South Africa
South Africa works with only 1 hour time difference - timezones alone make SA a natural colleague for us in the UK, but the parity doesn’t end there. As spoken English in South Africa is based on the British system, business communication happens effortlessly and naturally.
Alongside the obvious benefits, South Africa also has plenty of other strengths. RSA has excellent native infrastructure, meaning it was well-placed to participate globally during covid. Since then, South Africans have adopted flexible and hybrid working. VT continues,
“I worked on projects around the world from South Africa, with colleagues from Australia, Germany and the Netherlands. I think there's a misconception of what SA can offer the global community as a developing nation. South Africa has world class infrastructure, particularly in banking, tax collection and telecoms, and our strong cultural ties give us a powerful sense of community.”
‘Ubuntu’ and the art of putting the user at the heart of technology
In South African culture, a person is who they are because of others. The word ‘Ubuntu’ is derived from an ancient African word meaning ‘humanity to others.’ Ingrained in the SA DNA is the concept of unity, in fact you don’t need to look further than the Springboks slogan, ‘Stronger Together’ to understand how important togetherness is to South Africans.
This translates well to business, as community is ingrained in South African culture. South Africans work for each other, as well as with each other.
South Africa enjoys a world-class banking system, but the country's context is very different to the UK. Whereas the European West is looking to AI, in Africa, the focus is still on tangible improvement. In the UK, neo-banks like Revolut and Monzo are pushing the boundaries, but in South Africa, this doesn’t appeal. The banking system already supports all the comforts the user needs. And interestingly, cash is still king.
South African businesses still rely on AWS, Azure and Google, because cloud migration isn’t unique to the first world. But, in the African context, budgets are tighter and businesses have to spend more creatively. Because of challenging exchange rates, the pressure to reduce technology spend is paramount. Fast-growing African start-ups need to work smarter, not harder. And in these tight, difficult conditions, South Africa has enjoyed success. VT elaborates,
“In SA, technological advancement isn’t about luxury. We’re less focused on social media, more centered around solving the immediate problems we’re facing. When it comes to fintech, we’re cloud focused, interested in squeezing out the best integrations, finding clever cost savings, yet driven to achieve the same as the West, if not more.”
Thriving in tough times
The UK has recently experienced challenging market conditions. But inflation and economic downturn are nothing new in other parts of the world. In these circumstances, many businesses can thrive. Being resilient in tough times, optimising and smart, fast ways of working are things the UK can embrace.
We’ve been helping businesses around the world make the most of technology since 2007.
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