South Africans can now use their cellphones to donate money to political parties at a fraction of the cost of a premium SMS, thanks to payment service Pocit (www.pocit.co.za) which only charges a fee of 5% of the donation. So far nine parties are listed on the service, with one collecting over R80 000 in the first week the service was launched. Donors are rewarded with a link to a WAP site, developed by technology partner Strike Media, offering downloads of party logos, ringtones and other media. “The Obama campaign is famous for the remarkably effective way it used the Internet to raise millions of small donations from ordinary people,” says Russel Stromin of Strike Media. “In South Africa the cellphone is the only way for the vast majority of people to get online.”
