Softwarethatshipsindays,notquarters

We build the systems. You run the business. Custom software, mobile apps, and AI automation for South African SMEs. One senior engineer from architecture to launch.

Meet the engineer · cost guide, MVP checklist, or rapid build system.

Monthly retainers after go-live, not one-off handoffs.

Qwabi Engineering team in branded hoodies at the Queenstown studio

Queenstown studio

Senior engineer sketching system architecture on a whiteboard

Architecture first

Team planning session around the studio table

Senior-led delivery

Client systems we shipped

A sample of live and handed-over builds across health, education, music, and operations. Each card matches a client story in the feedback section below. The full catalog includes white-label work and paused builds we still stand behind.

View full project catalog

Teams who needed software that keeps working

Approved quotes from founders and operators we built for. Each card links to the live system in selected work above.

  • “Occupational health records have strict requirements — accuracy, structure, accessibility. The system they built handles all of that cleanly. Our admin load has dropped significantly and the compliance side is much easier to manage now.”

    Portrait of Dr. Bertha van der Spuy-Lombaard

    Dr. Bertha van der Spuy-Lombaard

    MD and Occupational Health Specialist, ClinicPlus

    Witbank

  • “Before this we were managing bookings manually — WhatsApp messages, spreadsheets, the works. The CRM system changed that completely. Everything's in one place now and my team actually uses it, which is the real test.”

    Portrait of Masande Dudula

    Masande Dudula

    Director, Ilithiyana

    Mthatha

  • “I needed an ecommerce setup that felt like me — not a generic template. The process was collaborative and they were thorough about the details. Clients have commented on how easy it is to navigate and buy, which tells me it worked.”

    Portrait of Lungi Ntuli

    Lungi Ntuli

    Director, Lungi The Strategist

    Durban

  • “I had a very clear vision for what the platform needed to be — an actual learning experience for hairstylists, not just a website with videos on it. They got that. The build matched the vision and our students have been able to engage with it in the way I hoped. Big one for us 🙌”

    Portrait of Lwandy Ngebe

    Lwandy Ngebe

    Founder, eStudio Glam

    East London

  • “We brought Ayabonga in on Case Pro at a point where we needed solid engineering support. He came up to speed fast, added real value to the product architecture, and worked well with the team. Would collaborate again without hesitation.”

    Portrait of Mike Jones

    Mike Jones

    Managing Director, Western Cape Labs

    Cape Town

  • “Honestly didn't know what to expect going in — we had a tight scope and a product that needed to work for students in a very specific way. They figured it out quickly and kept us in the loop the whole time. The accommodation system and the book store both launched without drama.”

    Ntokozo Mthethwa

    Director, Future Start

    Johannesburg

  • “The Culture Shifters competition runs across multiple countries and we needed a system that could handle participant data at scale without things falling apart. It held up well and made the operational side of the competition far easier to manage than previous years.”

    Portrait of Temi Adeniji

    Temi Adeniji

    Managing Director, Warner Music Africa

    Nigeria

  • “We needed something custom — the off-the-shelf options just didn't fit how we manage financial records internally. What impressed me most was that they actually understood the operational side, not just the technical. The system works the way our team thinks.”

    Portrait of Axolile Ntshongwana

    Axolile Ntshongwana

    CFO, AN Consulting

    Johannesburg

  • “For a non-profit, every rand counts and every process matters. We needed a platform that made it easy for people to contribute online — something simple but credible. It came together well and it's been doing exactly what we needed it to do.”

    Nomsa Mbatha

    Founder and Executive Director, Mpumelelo Foundation

    Pretoria

Message on WhatsApp

Discovery booking opens soon. Until then, WhatsApp or the project scope estimator are the fastest paths.

What builds typically cost

Ballpark ZAR (South African Rand) ranges for greenfield work in South Africa. Use these to sanity-check quotes, then open the full guide for timelines, tiers, and scope notes.

Monthly retainers after your product is live

Most SMME teams I work with start on Essential after a focused MVP or internal tool launch, then move up only when payments, integrations, or release pressure justify it.

Most South African SMME teams start on Essential once an MVP or internal tool is in production. Growth and Ecosystem are for heavier payments, integrations, and release pressure. See how launch spend maps to each tier.

Common SMME path

Essential

Lightweight systems with predictable upkeep

R18 000 / month

From. Final retainer depends on technical review.

South African SMMEs, MVPs, internal tools, and marketing sites that need a steady technical owner after launch

  • Uptime and error monitoring
  • Bug fixes and security patches
  • Small feature updates
  • Basic support with clear response windows
Discuss Essential

Growth

Active product iteration for evolving businesses

R45 000 / month

From. Final retainer depends on technical review.

Products shipping features monthly and integrating payments or ops tools

  • Continuous feature development
  • Integration work (payments, CRM, messaging)
  • Performance and UX improvements
  • Analytics and conversion support
  • Product iteration with a dedicated engineering team
Discuss Growth

Ecosystem

Complex platforms that cannot afford downtime

R85 000 / month

From. Final retainer depends on technical review.

Multi-app platforms, marketplaces, and cloud-heavy products

  • Multi-system architecture ownership
  • Cloud infrastructure and cost discipline
  • AI and data integrations
  • Scaling, reliability, and incident response
  • Operational engineering and advanced support
Discuss Ecosystem

Need custom software built properly?

Tell us what you run today, what breaks under load, and what you need next. After WhatsApp we align on fit. If it works, we send a written proposal with build scope, timeline, and retainer options after launch.

Greenfield build only? Project scope estimator gives a rough scope ballpark before we talk.