Amazon Prime in South Africa tested: I got a 30-metre garden hose in under 6 hours
I tested Amazon Prime following its launch in South Africa, and it worked perfectly. Prime allowed me to select free same-day delivery for an order, and it arrived within six hours.
Amazon launched its Prime subscription service in South Africa on the morning of 3 June, offering local customers free deliveries and exclusive discounts on the Amazon.co.za marketplace.
The subscription also includes the Amazon Prime Video streaming service and access to video games on the Amazon Luna cloud gaming service.
To see how Amazon Prime works, I signed up for the service and tested it. Amazon is currently offering a 30-day free trial of Prime, with the option to continue at R59 per month or R399 per year.
I took the 30-day trial and signed up for the annual subscription, which worked out to an average of R33.25 per month.
After signing up, I was greeted by Prime branding on the Amazon online store, along with discounts on a range of products — including skin creams, washing powder, groceries, and baby products.
There was also an option to visit Prime Video and Luna, and I was able to log in to both platforms and start using them immediately.
To test Prime’s free same-day delivery and special discounts, I looked for something to buy on the Amazon store which I needed to be delivered as soon as possible.
Fortunately, the memory of my dying grass at home — due to Gauteng’s dry winters — was fresh in my mind.
I searched for a long garden hose and decided on the Gardena 30-Metre Classic Hose. It was listed at the “Prime” price of R495.
A quick Google search showed that the same hose from other stores in South Africa ranged in price from R499 to R649.
I ordered the hose from Amazon at 08:55, and selected free same-day delivery between 13:00 and 18:00.
Delivery on track
Following the usual email confirmations of the order and payment, I received a WhatsApp message from The Courier Guy at 13:18 stating that my Amazon package was out for delivery.
The delivery status of the hose was also available on the Amazon website, under the order details. At 14:49, the hose had been delivered to my office — less than six hours after I had ordered it.
I had left the default “reduce packaging” option on when ordering the hose, and it therefore did not come in an Amazon-branded box.
It was covered with a fair amount of bubble wrap instead, while the hose itself looked shiny and new.
Amazon Prime delivered on its promises based on this simple test, and my grass will live to see another day as a result.
Photo of the delivered product
Screenshot of Amazon Prime sign-up confirmation
First Prime Day for South Africa
Amazon will hold its first Prime Day shopping event in South Africa from 23 to 29 June 2026, giving local Prime members exclusive access to deals.
Amazon’s managing director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Robert Koen, told MyBroadband they were also already offering exclusive deals for members ahead of Prime Day.
“There is an additional discount for Prime members on some of the Everyday Essential items, and there are one or two deals that we have hidden around for them,” Koen told MyBroadband.
Amazon has placed a discount code for Prime members in the Everyday Essentials area of its South African marketplace.
Upon entering the coupon code at checkout, Amazon promised an additional 30% off Everyday Essentials items in an order, up to a maximum of R1,000.
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