Send money to Zimbabwe from South Africa.
ZAR straight into US dollars — direct to a mobile wallet, a USD bank account, or as cash. Fair rate, transparent fee, family receives in minutes.
Built for Zimbabweans sending home.
Three things that make SOLmate different from the rest of the corner-shop money-transfer crowd.
Sign up with what you have
SA ID, Zimbabwean passport, or asylum seeker permit. All accepted, all FICA-compliant. No work permit or proof of address required.
Honest pricing, not hidden tricks
Clear, upfront fee — and the exchange rate shown next to mid-market. No "low fee" lies that quietly bury the real cost in a worse rate.
USD home in minutes
Send to a mobile wallet, a USD bank account, or as cash. Family receives the dollars in minutes, not days.
From sign-up to USD home in 3 steps.
Sign up in 3 minutes
Open the SOLmate app. Use your SA ID, Zimbabwean passport, or asylum seeker permit.
~3 minAdd your recipient
Choose how they should receive the money in the app, then enter the recipient details we ask for. The required details depend on the payout option you pick at the moment of sending.
~1 minSend
They receive USD in minutes — wherever they are in Zimbabwe.
MinutesSeveral ways your family can receive the money.
Mobile wallet, USD bank account, or cash. The exact list of working rails depends on the day — the app always shows the options currently available for your recipient.
Mobile wallet
USD lands in the recipient's phone within minutes. Spend, send onward, or cash out at an agent — whichever wallet your family actively uses.
USD bank deposit
Direct credit into the recipient's USD bank account in Zimbabwe. Typically same-day during banking hours — the most reliable option.
Cash pickup
Recipient collects USD in cash at an agent location. Bring valid ID and the reference number from the SOLmate app.
Sample transfers through SOLmate.
| You send | SOLmate fee | They receive (USD) | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| R300 | R25.00 | $16.05 | Minutes |
| R500 | R25.00 | $26.75 | Minutes |
| R1,000 | R25.00 | $53.50 | Minutes |
| R3,000 | R25.00 | $160.50 | Minutes |
| R10,000 | R25.00 | $535.00 | Minutes |
A locked-in quote before you send.
The exact send amount, fee, rate, and USD received.
Request a quote in the SOLmate app and the four numbers that matter — what you pay in ZAR, the fee, the rate, and the dollars your family receives — are shown together on one screen. Confirm, and that quote is locked in for the transfer.
No hidden margin on the exchange rate.
The exchange rate you see on the quote is the rate that gets used — we don't bury extra cost inside a worse FX rate. The fee is the fee. Both sit on the quote screen so you can see exactly what your family gets before you confirm.
What Zimbabwean customers say.
Real people, real sends, real receipts.
Real answers to real questions.
If your question isn't here, message us on WhatsApp and we'll answer in your language — Shona, Ndebele, English, whatever you prefer.
Can I sign up if I don't have a South African ID?
What's the maximum I can send to Zimbabwe per month?
Will my family receive USD or ZWL?
How is SOLmate's pricing different?
Is SOLmate licensed?
What does my recipient need?
Can I track my transfer?
Open a SOLmate account and skip the queue.
Get a real SA account number, paid in by EFT. Send to Zimbabwe with no extra fees. Sign up with your passport, SA ID, or asylum seeker permit.
Open my accountA short guide for first-time senders.
Hundreds of thousands of people send money from South Africa to Zimbabwe every month — and yet, the first time, it can feel confusing. Six short blocks below cover the practical context: documents, payout methods, the dollar question, how the price works, the SARB limit, and a few tips from people who've done it.
Which documents you can sign up with
Three document types are accepted under FICA — no work permit or proof of address needed.
- SA green or smart ID
- Zimbabwean passport
- Asylum seeker permit — (Section 22)
Sign-up is done end-to-end in the app — take a photo of your document, complete a short FICA check, and your SOLmate account is opened in a few minutes.
Choosing a payout method
Three options. The exact list of working rails shifts from week to week — the app shows what's live for your recipient at the moment of sending.
- Mobile wallet — USD lands in the recipient's phone within minutes. They spend, send onward, or cash out at an agent.
- USD bank deposit — direct credit into the recipient's USD bank account in Zimbabwe. Typically same-day during banking hours and the most reliable option.
- Cash pickup — recipient collects USD in cash at an agent location nationwide. They bring valid ID and the reference number you give them.
Why dollars, not ZWL
Recipients receive US dollars , not Zimbabwean Dollars.
This is what families ask for — USD holds value, the local currency has been volatile for years, and most local prices in Zimbabwe are quoted in USD anyway. SOLmate does not pay out in ZWL.
How the price actually works
Two components in any cross-border transfer: the transfer fee and the exchange rate.
SOLmate charges a transparent transfer fee, and the live FX rate is shown next to the mid-market rate on the quote screen before you confirm. The exact fee and rate for your transfer depend on the day and the amount — both are shown in the app when you request a quote.
The test that matters when comparing providers is "what does my family receive in USD" for the same ZAR amount — not the headline fee. In the app, that number sits on the quote screen, and the quote is locked in before you press send.
Limits and licensing
R25,000 per person per calendar month, under standard SARB outbound rules for individuals.
SOLmate is an FSCA-authorised Financial Services Provider (FSP 52248). Cross-border money transfer is processed through our licensed remittance partner , which holds the SARB authorisations required to settle outbound foreign exchange — this is what makes the corridor legal and traceable end-to-end.
The R25,000 monthly limit applies across all corridors combined — sending to Zimbabwe and Malawi in the same month draws from the same bucket. The limit resets on the 1st of each calendar month.
A few practical tips
Small things that save you headaches on the first few sends.
- Send a small test first. — The minimum transfer is R250 — do that the first time to confirm the recipient details work, before pushing a bigger amount through.
- Keep the reference number. — For cash pickup the recipient cannot collect without it.
- Don't trust headline fees. — Compare the USD amount the recipient actually receives, not the ZAR fee on screen.
- For larger sends, bank deposit is the safest bet. — Mobile wallet is fastest, but a USD bank account is the most reliable way to move material amounts and have the recipient see the dollars sitting in their account.