South African e-commerce pioneer announces new CEO
South African e-commerce platform Bob has appointed Anita Erasmus as its chief executive officer designate, signalling a leadership transition at a company with deep roots in the country’s online retail history.
Erasmus took up the CEO Designate role on 1 March 2026 and will work alongside co-founder and managing director Andy Higgins during a six-month handover period.
She will formally assume the position on 1 September 2026, at which point Higgins will move into the role of Executive Director of Strategy and Chief of Payments.
In that capacity, Higgins will focus on advancing Bob Pay and leading long-term strategic planning for the business.
The appointment comes as South Africa’s e-commerce market continues to expand rapidly, with a 2025 World Wide Worx report charting the sector’s acceleration over recent years.
Online retail turnover reached an estimated R96 billion in 2024, representing 35% growth from R71 billion the previous year, the report found.
That figure represented 8% of total national retail sales, up from 6% in 2023. The report projected online sales would exceed R130 billion by the end of 2025.
“This is a pivotal moment for Bob because we are entering a new phase of growth and maturity as a business,” Higgins said.
“With a strong foundation in our product, culture, and market position, the focus now shifts towards strengthening what works, deepening our impact, and leading Bob confidently into its next chapter.”
Erasmus brings nearly a decade of experience within the company, having previously served as Head of Business at Bob, where she ran the shipping service’s day-to-day operations.
During her tenure, she expanded the Bob Go logistics offering substantially. The business now processes more shipments in a single day than it once handled in a full month.
The company said that Erasmus’ operational leadership also contributed to the development of strong courier partnerships.
From Bidorbuy to Bob
Higgins is one of South Africa’s longest-serving ecommerce entrepreneurs. He founded online auction marketplace Bidorbuy in 1999 after working on European auction websites for QXL.com in London.
He secured funding to launch the platform across South Africa, Australia, and India, but the dot-com crash nearly ended the venture shortly after launch.
Higgins was forced to sell the Australian and Indian operations, retrench 25 staff, and cut costs aggressively to keep Bidorbuy’s South African business alive.
The turning point came around 2005, when ADSL broadband began replacing dial-up and South Africans started shopping online in meaningfully larger numbers.
He co-founded logistics software company uAfrica in 2012 alongside Jaco Roux, who had previously built price comparison site Jump Shopping.
Higgins was also instrumental in the early development of payment gateway PayFast and served on the boards of PayFast, Private Property, and Takealot.
uAfrica became a strategic partner of Shopify, localising the global e-commerce platform for South Africa by integrating local payment gateways and shipping solutions.
In August 2022, Bidorbuy and uAfrica merged to form Bob Group. The following year, the business rebranded, with Bidorbuy becoming Bob Shop and uAfrica becoming Bob Go.
The group added Bob Box smart lockers and Bob Pay to round out an integrated commerce ecosystem spanning marketplace, payments, shipping, and collection.
Bob’s next phase of growth
Erasmus said her focus would be on disciplined, sustainable expansion that balances profitability with scale, rather than pursuing growth at any cost.
“Our focus is on serving more customers, solving important problems, and increasing the value we create in the market,” she said.
“All this while remaining disciplined so that expenses do not grow at the same pace as gross profit.”
Higgins said Erasmus was the right person to lead the company’s next phase. “Having been with us for nearly a decade, Anita understands the DNA of this company better than anyone,” he said.
“She has consistently demonstrated the ability to turn high-level vision into practical execution, which is exactly what Bob needs as we move from our foundational phase into purposeful growth.”
The company said it would concentrate on deeper platform integration, operational efficiency, and innovation to strengthen South Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
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