No coins exchanged, no notes passed. This isn't a flashy fintech pitch or a startup demo. It's what giving and trading increasingly look like in 2025 South Africa, says AltarPOS.

At the centre of this quiet shift is a platform called AltarPOS, a digital tool that's reshaping how South Africans support each other during life's highs and lows — be it a funeral, school fees, or a stranger asking for help on the street, says the platform.

"We built AltarPOS to preserve the spirit of giving while solving real-world problems," says Founder Thulani Ngwenya, who grew up witnessing how communities came together during key life moments. "It's not just about technology. It's about dignity, safety and giving people simple tools to support each other in a fast-changing world."

Users receive a personal payment or donation page along with a scannable QR code. That code can be printed or shared digitally, turning it into a mobile donation tin, a payment point, or even a community crowdfunding tool, says the platform.

And in a country where informal work sustains millions, the implications are wide-reaching, adds the platform.

From vetkoek sellers in Soweto to students raising money for textbooks, the technology is being used in ways few would have predicted. No need for a bank card machine. No app to download. No long queues at remittance outlets. Just a phone, a purpose and a code, says the platform.

What makes this innovation quietly radical is its accessibility. There's no waiting period and no background checks. Anyone can sign up, upload a photo, add a message and start collecting funds within minutes. It works on entry-level smartphones and low data speeds, bridging a gap that banks and tech giants have long struggled to cross, adds the platform.

Crucially, AltarPOS isn't just for receiving. It's also becoming a way to earn. Unemployed individuals are tapping into a new kind of micro-entrepreneurship: helping neighbours register, printing and laminating QR codes, or reselling the concept to informal traders. In places where job opportunities are scarce, turning connectivity into income — even in small ways matters, says the platform.

It's also changing the way people ask for help. Traditionally, asking for money in public came with stigma or risk. Now, those collecting donations at robots or street corners can do so with more security and less shame, adds the platform. The QR code becomes both a shield and a signal: "I need help, and here's a dignified way to give it."

South Africans abroad are catching on too, sending money to family back home with a simple scan or click. No intermediaries, no delays, and no surprise deductions, says the platform.

Of course, a digital tool won't erase the country's deep inequalities. Not everyone has a smartphone, and data remains costly. But what this platform does do — more effectively than most — is lower the barrier. In a digital economy often skewed toward the middle class, this one is starting from the pavement up, adds the platform.

In its early rollout, the platform has already found ground in churches, townships and family WhatsApp groups. It's being used to organise funerals in rural provinces and support schoolchildren in urban ones. And increasingly, it's turning moments of need into moments of community, says the platform.

Thulani Ngwenya says, "We're not here to replace human connection. We're just making it easier for people to act on it."

In a nation where ubuntu is more than a philosophy — it's survival — tools like these don't just innovate. They echo, concludes the platform.

For more information, visit www.altarpos.co.za.

*Image courtesy of contributor