A-Kai, who works in the 3C industry, expanded his business to South Africa’s Takealot in 2026. Although he received orders in the first month, he couldn’t figure out his profits: Who should pay the VAT on the 15%, and how should he settle the foreign exchange to avoid losses?

According to an August 2026 report by industry media, Takealot operates an invitation-only system for Chinese sellers; the approval rate for independent applications is reportedly less than 10%. Eligibility requirements include a business license that has been registered for at least 6 months, a registered capital of no less than 350,000 RMB, and the provision of transaction records from other platforms for the past 6 months; The monthly rent ranges from 300 to 400 rand, with new sellers exempt from payment for the first three months; category-based commissions range from approximately 5.5% to 18%. Even after passing the review, local compliance requirements—such as mandatory NRCS certification, registration of a South African legal entity, annual CIPC filings, and B-BBEE rating—still lie ahead. This article breaks them down point by point.

South Africa’s 2026 budget announced new regulations effective April 1 that raise the mandatory VAT registration threshold from 1 million rand to 2.3 million rand and the voluntary registration threshold from 50,000 to 120,000, The VAT rate remains at 15%, while the Turnover Tax threshold has been raised to 2.3 million rand, with a tax-free allowance of 600,000 rand. At the same time, the tax-free benefit for small parcels has ended, and the VAT exemption for low-value imported goods has been formally repealed by law. Although the thresholds have been relaxed, cross-border sellers now need to carefully assess whether they should retain their tax registration. This article provides a decision-making framework.

Naspers’ annual report released on June 29, 2026, showed that for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, the Takealot Group reported revenue of $1 billion and GMV of $2 billion, with adjusted EBIT turning from a loss of $13 million in the prior year to a profit of $11 million for the first time; Among these, the fulfillment business, TFS, saw revenue grow by 93.51% year-over-year and plans to open up to external merchants as an independent business in fiscal year 2027. During the same period, South African online retail sales are projected to reach 159 billion rand, a year-over-year increase of 22.5%, surpassing total retail sales of 10% for the first time. This article provides insights and actionable recommendations on where profits are coming from and where sellers should go next.

做3C的阿凯，2026年4月听说Takealot重启大陆招商，兴冲冲去官网自助申请，结果石沉大海。他不知道，Takealot早已是邀请制，官网自助通过率不到10%，乱提交还会留痕影响二次申请。