4Sight Holdings invests R20 million in AI development to support African market expansion

4Sight Holdings reports strong 2025 results and outlines a R20 million AI investment plan through 2026 to scale intelligent automation across enterprise and government sectors in Africa.

Tertius Zitzke, CEO, 4Sight Holdings. Portal ERP South Africa. 

4Sight Holdings Ltd, a South African diversified technology business, has published its Integrated Annual Report for the year ending February 2025, outlining its financial performance, operational progress, and increased focus on artificial intelligence (AI) development for business and government applications across Africa.

Now listed on the JSE Main Board following a move from the AltX earlier in the year, the technology group reported revenue exceeding R1 billion and a 20.4% increase in profit after tax. The report also reflects 4Sight's continued expansion into the public sector through its 4Sight Africa division.

This business unit, which is majority Black-owned and led by African professionals, focuses on supporting digital transformation efforts across the continent. Its initiatives, such as Citizen 360, are designed to help governments improve service delivery by integrating digital platforms and reducing administrative barriers. The division plays a key role in projects aligned with South Africa’s One Government, One Mzansi vision.

In 2025, the company formalised its transition from traditional analytics to more autonomous AI systems. Under the theme Agentic Automation, 4Sight introduced plans to build AI agents that operate across enterprise functions, from HR to finance, reducing manual effort and supporting faster decision-making.

To support this transition, the board approved a R20 million investment in AI initiatives through the 2026 financial year. The roadmap includes work on multimodal models, copilot integrations, and edge computing, a priority in regions with limited internet infrastructure. These solutions aim to increase automation, support customer engagement, and optimise internal processes.

According to CEO Tertius Zitzke, the AI strategy reflects the reality of digital access in Africa, where a significant portion of the population remains offline. As a result, new users may experience the internet primarily through conversational AI interfaces. This insight informs 4Sight’s development of low-bandwidth digital tools suited to local contexts.

The company’s workforce development efforts are also addressed in the report. These include internal AI training and access to learning platforms, as well as the creation of the 4Bonela Pele Education Trust, which supports ICT education for underprivileged youth in South Africa.

Operationally, 4Sight’s four clusters, Business Environment, IT, Operational Technology, and Channel Partners, reported growth. The Channel Partner unit recorded the highest increase, at 27.3%, reflecting strong uptake in Africa, Central Europe, and the Middle East.

Financial highlights for 2025 include:

• Operating profit growth of 26.2% to R49.2 million
• Improvement in net profit margin to 4.0%
• 23.6% increase in tangible net asset value
• Reduced debt-to-equity ratio, from 71.5% to 55.1%

The group continues to follow a dual go-to-market strategy, serving enterprise clients directly while working through more than 1,000 resellers and independent software vendors (ISVs).

Looking ahead, 4Sight plans to expand its AI-based offerings across sectors such as mining, manufacturing, and education. Its broader strategy includes developing localised digital ecosystems, strengthening government partnerships, and enhancing public services through scalable, AI-powered infrastructure.

As demand for intelligent automation accelerates, 4Sight positions its Africa-first approach not as a regional adaptation, but as a foundation for long-term innovation.