Mara Phones has officially opened the first smartphone manufacturing facility in South Africa, located in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

The manufacturing plant is the result of a R1.5-billion investment by Mara Phones that was supported by the government, and the opening on 17 October 2019 was attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“The investment in South Africa by Mara Phones with the support of the Government of South Africa has already created almost 200 jobs, of which over 60% are women and over 90% are skilled, unemployed youth,” Mara Phones said.

“Mara Phones South Africa is expected to generate about 1,500 direct jobs over a period of 6 years and thousands of indirect jobs, which will contribute to the reduction in unemployment and enhance the transfer of high-tech knowledge in South Africa.”

Devices and plans

The Mara Phones factory is designed to assemble high-quality smartphones at affordable prices for South African consumers.

So far, the factory will be producing two devices – the Mara X and the Mara Z.

These devices are described as having long-lasting batteries, immense storage space, and Android One compatibility – which means they are guaranteed to receive Android updates for two years.

The pricing for these devices is detailed below:

Mara X – R2,999

Mara Z – R3,999

The Mara Z and Mara X feature similar designs and sizes, although the Mara Z is slightly larger and sports higher-end hardware.

Mara Phones also plans to launch physical experience stores across the country on its own and through franchises.

“Korea has Samsung, China has Huawei & Tecno, USA has Apple, and now Africa has Mara Phones!” said Mara Phones CEO Ashish J. Thakkar.

Photos of the smartphone factory and the devices are posted below.

Ramaphosa at Mara Phone Opening

Mara Phone Factory

Mara X and Mara Z