Tungjatjeta,
Victoria from Techpoint here.
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- SA gets first Uber EV fleet as Kenya debates fares
- Paystack fires Ezra Olubi before concluding investigation
- Morocco beats South Africa to Tesla’s first African market
SA gets first Uber EV fleet as Kenya debates fares
Kenya’s ride-hailing scene is heating up again, this time after reports that regulators have ordered companies to implement a 50% fare increase. Bolt, one of the biggest players in the country, says it’s not rushing into anything. Instead, the company insists it’s trying to strike that tricky balance between helping drivers earn more and keeping rides affordable for everyday passengers.
Bolt’s Senior GM for East Africa, Dimmy Kanyankole, told Technext that the directive is still a recommendation from government, and the company is now talking to everyone involved. Think ministry officials, driver groups, and rider reps. He says Bolt is open to a wider industry conversation, especially if it leads to a fairer and more transparent ride-hailing environment.
Drivers, however, have been on the streets for months, protesting low earnings, high commissions and the non-implementation of the KSh 300 minimum fare already set in law. Bolt tried easing the tension earlier with a small 10% fare bump, but drivers said it wasn’t nearly enough. Things escalated last month when the transport workers’ union announced plans to sue Bolt and Uber for “unfair and exploitative digital labour practices”.
Then, just last week, the Ministry of Roads and Transport told all ride-hailing companies to immediately apply new pricing guidelines from the Automobile Association of Kenya, which translates to a 50% fare hike. Great news for drivers fighting rising fuel and operating costs, but not so great for passengers navigating the same harsh economic climate.
While all this is unfolding in Kenya, Uber is rolling out something completely different in South Africa: its first fleet of electric vehicles. 70 EVs are already on Johannesburg roads, with over 350 expected by the end of January. The project, in partnership with Valternative Energy, brings China’s Henrey Minicar into Uber’s fleet and introduces SA’s first swap-and-go EV system. Drivers won’t need to buy the cars; they simply rent them and get access to charging infrastructure.
Uber says the EV rollout should help tackle what it calls South Africa’s “transport poverty” by reducing drivers’ fuel risks and stabilising their earnings. Valternative adds that many last-mile drivers often work with whatever fuel money they wake up with each morning, and once it’s gone, their day is done. With EVs, that cash-flow pressure disappears, giving drivers more control and more money in their pockets.
Paystack fires Ezra Olubi before concluding investigation
Paystack has fired its co-founder and CTO, Ezra Olubi, following public allegations that he had sexual relations with a junior employee. The move, announced over the weekend, came as a shock to many in the tech ecosystem, especially because the company had earlier said it was still conducting an independent investigation into the matter.
What made the news even messier was Ezra’s own blog post, where he revealed that he was fired before any investigation was completed. According to him, he was not offered a hearing, a meeting, or even a chance to defend himself, a process he says directly contradicts Paystack’s internal policies and the terms of his suspension.
On why the company fired its co-founder, it said Olubi’s recently resurfaced tweets caused “significant negative reputational damage” to the company. The Stripe-owned fintech said it acted within its contractual rights and followed due process, stressing that it had already settled all financial obligations owed to Olubi. The company added that, as a regulated fintech operating across multiple markets, it has to move fast when an executive’s actions could erode public trust.
Paystack also clarified that this decision has nothing to do with the ongoing independent investigation into workplace misconduct allegations, which is still being handled by external law firm Aluko & Oyebode. That review continues separately, the company said. And in the world of financial institutions, where trust, governance and regulatory confidence can make or break operations, executives’ behaviour isn’t just a PR headache; it can trigger actual regulatory consequences.
Ezra, on his part, insists the process was unjust and is now involving his legal team to review the termination. He says he cooperated fully with the board and expected a fair process, especially as someone who had helped build those very policies. For now, he’s keeping further comments on hold while his lawyers take the next steps.
The controversy, fuelled by resurfaced explicit tweets from as far back as 2009, has once again raised concerns about workplace culture and accountability in Africa’s tech sector. Paystack has not issued any fresh statements, and Stripe has stayed silent as well. As things stand, the ecosystem is watching closely to see what comes next and whether the matter ends quietly or moves into legal territory.
Morocco beats South Africa to Tesla’s first African market
Tesla might finally be gearing up for its first real push into Africa, and it’s not South Africa getting the nod. A new job listing on Tesla’s careers page shows the company is recruiting a Country Sales & Delivery Lead for Morocco, signalling that Casablanca could become the electric carmaker’s first African base of operations.
The role is a senior one: whoever gets the job will drive Tesla’s sales strategy, oversee operations, hit aggressive growth targets, and basically serve as the face of the brand in Morocco. It’s a surprising choice on the surface, given Morocco’s smaller local car market, but the country is quickly becoming Africa’s automotive powerhouse, and that’s exactly why Tesla seems to be looking north.
Morocco’s manufacturing sector has been booming, producing 559,645 cars in 2024 and set to cross the 600,000 mark in 2025. That puts it on track to overtake South Africa, whose output has been shrinking. The country is also ahead in EV production, already making 40,000–50,000 electric vehicles a year, while South Africa hasn’t produced a single fully electric car yet. Add in Morocco’s proximity to Europe and cheaper shipping, and the choice becomes clearer.
Beyond manufacturing, Morocco’s government has gone all in on EVs — tax breaks, scrapped import duties, free or low-cost public charging, and almost 1,000 charging locations nationwide. EV adoption is growing, with sales expected to quadruple in 2025. South Africa, meanwhile, continues to struggle with Eskom, high import duties, and little to no consumer incentives. EV sales are actually declining year-on-year.
While Tesla seems comfortable waiting for South Africa’s EV market to mature, its biggest rival BYD isn’t holding back. BYD has already rolled out multiple models, opened new dealerships, and plans to install 200–300 public chargers in 2026. And with Morocco on track to hit the internal EV sales threshold Tesla wants before entering a market, it’s no surprise where the company is placing its first African bet.
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Have a lovely Tuesday!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa
