Z²M Academy — Children's Educational Game App
Z²M Academy is our flagship digital product — a learning game app designed for young children aged 2 to 6. It transforms early education into an engaging, playful experience covering farm animals, body parts, food, family, shapes, and reading.
Built with a privacy-first philosophy, Z²M Academy requires no account creation for children. Parents can rest assured that their child's data is never collected or stored. The app features an honest scoring system that rewards genuine learning rather than random tapping — encouraging children to actively engage with each activity.
Key Features
- Multilingual Support:Available in English, Afrikaans, and isiZulu — celebrating South Africa's linguistic diversity and making education accessible to more families.
- Synthesized Audio: Leverages the Web Audio API for rich, responsive sound effects that bring learning to life without requiring large audio file downloads.
- Offline Play (PWA): Installable as a Progressive Web App, allowing children to learn anywhere — even without an internet connection.
- Accessibility-First Design: Built from the ground up to be inclusive, with clear visual cues, large touch targets, and screen reader support.
- Honest Scoring System:Tracks genuine engagement and correct answers, giving parents an authentic view of their child's progress.
Tech Stack
Next.js • React • TanStack Query • Framer Motion • Tailwind CSS • Web Audio API • PWA (Service Workers)
SYDE IO Portal — Enterprise Client Management
The SYDE IO Portal is our enterprise-grade client management platform, purpose-built for managing business relationships, invoicing, and team collaboration in one unified system.
Designed for professional services firms and agencies, the portal streamlines day-to-day operations with powerful features wrapped in a clean, intuitive interface.
Key Features
- Invoicing & Billing: Generate, send, and track invoices with full line-item detail and payment status visibility.
- Real-Time Messaging: Integrated chat powered by SignalR enables instant communication between team members and clients without leaving the platform.
- User & Role Management: Comprehensive access control with role-based permissions, ensuring the right people see the right information.
- Media Management: Upload, organise, and share documents and media assets directly within the portal.
Tech Stack
Next.js 16 • React 19 • .NET Backend • SignalR • Tailwind CSS • shadcn/ui • PostgreSQL
Enterprise & Integration Services
Beyond our own products, SYDE IO delivers custom software solutions for businesses across industries — with deep expertise in financial institutions and regulated environments.
We partner with organisations to design, build, and maintain software that solves real business problems — from greenfield applications to complex system integrations that connect legacy infrastructure with modern platforms.
What We Deliver
- Mobile Applications: Native and cross-platform mobile apps for iOS and Android, built for performance and usability.
- Web Applications: Responsive, scalable web platforms using modern frameworks and cloud-native architecture.
- Desktop Applications: High-performance desktop software for specialised business workflows.
- System Integrations: Connecting disparate systems through APIs, message queues, and ETL pipelines — ensuring data flows seamlessly across your technology landscape.
- Financial Services Expertise: Experience working within the compliance, security, and reliability requirements of financial institutions.
Our Approach
Every engagement starts with understanding the problem. We work collaboratively with stakeholders to define requirements, architect solutions, and deliver software that is maintainable, testable, and built to last.
Zypper — WhatsApp-Integrated Business Platform
Zypper is a WhatsApp-integrated web application that enables businesses to communicate with customers through automated and manual messaging workflows. The platform combines a modern Next.js frontend with a robust .NET backend to deliver reliable, scalable business messaging.
Key Features
- WhatsApp Integration: Direct integration with WhatsApp Business API for automated customer communication and engagement.
- Multi-Language Support: Internationalised interface to serve diverse markets and customer bases.
- Containerised Deployment: Docker-based architecture with separate API and scheduler services for reliability and scalability.
- Scheduled Automation: Background job scheduling (Hangfire) for timed message delivery and workflow automation.
Tech Stack
Next.js • .NET • PostgreSQL • Docker • Hangfire • WhatsApp Business API • Tailwind CSS
Race Manager — Event Timing PWA
A Progressive Web App built for Hamlett Inc to manage race events with synchronized stopwatch timing across multiple devices. Designed for field use at running events, it enables real-time race management without requiring native app installation.
Key Features
- Synchronized Stopwatch: Multiple devices sync to a master clock — the first device to start becomes the time authority.
- Offline Support: Record finish times offline with local storage, then sync when connectivity returns.
- Excel Import: Import participant lists from Excel files for quick event setup.
- Real-Time Leaderboard: Live results as runners cross the finish line, with gender category tracking.
- Multi-Race Support: Handle 5KM, 10KM, and Relay events in a single interface.
Tech Stack
Next.js 16 • React 19 • Supabase (PostgreSQL + Realtime) • Tailwind CSS • TypeScript • IndexedDB • PWA (Service Workers)
e-Joburg Bridge — Home Assistant Integration
A custom Home Assistant integration for the City of Johannesburg e-Joburg municipal portal. It brings municipal account data directly into your smart home dashboard, enabling automated tracking of bills, payments, and account status.
Key Features
- Account Data Retrieval: Logs into the e-Joburg portal and fetches account overview, payment history, and statement history.
- PDF Statement Access: Downloads statement PDFs, caches them locally, and exposes download links through Home Assistant.
- Parsed Statement Data: Extracts key values (amount due, due date) from PDF statements for use in automations.
- HACS Compatible: Installable through the Home Assistant Community Store for easy setup.
Tech Stack
Python • Home Assistant • HACS • aiohttp • PDF parsing
Siyakhokha Bridge — Municipal Billing Integration
A custom Home Assistant integration for Siyakhokha (Ekurhuleni municipality) that provides real-time access to municipal bills, payment history, and account balances. Supports multiple accounts, batch payments, and tariff lookups.
Key Features
- Live Account Balance: Fetches current balance, due dates, and next debit-run dates directly from the Siyakhokha portal.
- Bill History & PDFs: Retrieves historical bills with local-first and portal PDF download URLs.
- Payment Services: Supports once-off batch payments and debit-order submissions directly from Home Assistant.
- Auto-Discovery: Automatically discovers linked municipal accounts during setup.
- Tariff Data: Exposes A.1.2 Block residential tariffs sourced from the official Ekurhuleni Schedule 2 PDF.
Tech Stack
Python • Home Assistant • HACS • aiohttp • PDF parsing
Personal Portfolio — TRON-Inspired Developer Site
A personal portfolio website for SYDE IO co-founder Defria Manda, featuring a distinctive TRON-inspired visual design. The site showcases professional experience, skills, projects, and blog posts with an immersive dark-themed UI.
Key Features
- Dynamic Resume: JSON-driven resume rendering for easy updates.
- Blog Platform: Integrated blog with static content publishing.
- Responsive Design: Fully responsive across all device sizes.
- Containerised: Docker deployment with Nginx for production serving.
Tech Stack
Vue.js • Vite • Tailwind CSS • Docker • Nginx
Work With Us
SYDE IO PTY LTD is a South African software development company committed to building products and solutions that make a meaningful difference. Whether you need a custom application, a system integration, or a technology partner for your next venture — we'd love to hear from you.
Get in touch to discuss how we can help bring your ideas to life.