Takealot CEO Frederik Zietsman on township growth, EVs and the future of online retail

E-commerce will soon reach an important milestone in South Africa: by January, according to World Wide Worx research, online shopping will top 10% of total retail sales for the first time. The move to 15% and then to 20% will come much quicker. That’s the view of Frederik Zietsman, CEO of Naspers-owned Takealot Group – South Africa’s largest online retailer – who was speaking to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show. In the interview, Zietsman unpacks what’s driving the rapid adoption of online shopping in South Africa – Covid-19 was a key trigger – and what the future holds as international e-commerce giants step up their investments in the country. He also discusses: • How the competitive dynamics of the market have changed in recent years; • The impact of the entry of international giants such as Amazon and Walmart and how this will reshape the market in the coming years; • The decision to expand subsidiary Mr D’s focus from fast food to include new product categories; • The township opportunity and how Takealot is working to crack that market; • Takealot’s plans to move to electric vehicles in its logistics fleet, including a look at what’s needed to introduce electric motorbikes at scale; • The challenge of crime in the logistics chain and what’s being done to fight it; • Why Takealot is getting into the home loans business; and • What’s going to drive the company’s growth in the next few years. Don’t miss a fascinating conversation!

You can listen to Takealot CEO Frederik Zietsman on township growth, EVs and the future of online retail online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Takealot CEO Frederik Zietsman on township growth, EVs and the future of online retail is an episode from TCS - The TechCentral Show by TechCentral.

This episode is 35:15 long.

This episode was published on Oct 6, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from TCS - The TechCentral Show when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.