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E-learning platforms

E-learning platforms

E-learning platforms built for South African learners

We build learning management systems on WordPress for training providers, schools and associations in South Africa. Courses, quizzes, certificates and rand payments sit in a platform you own.

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Currency: South African rand (ZAR)
Payments: Payfast, Ozow, Peach Payments
Data protection: Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA)
Time zone: UTC+2, 1 hour ahead of Lagos

Overview

E-learning Platforms for organisations in South Africa.

Hosted course platforms are quick to start, but they charge monthly fees, limit how you brand the experience and often settle payments in dollars. Organisations that train people at scale eventually want a platform they control, with their own domain, their own learner data and local payment options.

WordPress, extended with a learning plugin and our own custom code, gives you that control. We built the BFI School platform with courses, certificates, affiliates and payments in four currencies, and the Alvina Schools virtual learning environment, so we know where e-learning projects tend to get difficult.

In detail

E-learning Platforms in South Africa, in detail.

Courses, quizzes and certificates

A working LMS needs more than video pages. We set up courses with lessons, drip schedules and prerequisites, quizzes with pass marks and retakes, and certificates generated automatically when a learner completes. Instructors get a dashboard showing progress; administrators can enrol learners in bulk, which matters for corporate training where an HR team signs up a whole department at once. Everything is built so your staff can add new courses without developer help.

Selling courses in rand

If you charge for courses, learners expect to pay in rand. We connect the platform to a South African gateway: Payfast supports subscriptions for monthly access, Peach Payments offers a wide range of methods, and Ozow or Paystack add Instant EFT for learners who prefer paying from their bank account. Corporate clients often need invoices instead, so we can support manual enrolment against a paid invoice alongside card and EFT checkout.

Learner records and POPIA

An LMS holds names, email addresses, ID numbers for some accredited programmes, assessment results and sometimes employer details. That is personal information under POPIA. We design registration to collect only what the course needs, restrict who can see results, and record where data is stored. If learners are under 18, POPIA's rules on children's information mean a parent or guardian's consent is generally needed first, and we build that step into enrolment.

Light on data, usable on phones

Many South African learners study on a phone and pay for their own mobile data. Heavy video can make a course expensive to complete. We host video on a streaming service that adapts quality to the connection, offer downloadable notes, and keep lesson pages lean. Progress saves automatically, so a learner who loses signal on a commute can pick up where they stopped.

Running the platform after launch

Learning platforms change every term: new courses, new cohorts, updated certificates. Our Managed Services, from $2,000 per year, cover hosting through Cloudways or Hostinger, updates to the LMS and payment plugins, backups of learner data and support during your working day. New features, such as a reporting view for corporate clients or an integration with your HR system, can be added under a growth retainer.

What your e-learning platform can include

What your e-learning platform can include.

Strategy & Design from $1,500 · Development from $5,000 · Managed Services from $2,000 per year. See pricing

Courses, lessons and drip schedules
Quizzes with pass marks and automatic certificates
Rand payments and subscriptions through a South African gateway
Bulk enrolment and progress reports for corporate clients
POPIA-aware registration and restricted access to results
Guardian consent step for learners under 18
Data-light video and downloadable notes
Instructor and administrator training

How we approach e-learning platformsThe full detail on our approach, process and what is included.

Our work

Platforms we have built.

BFI School and Alvina Schools are the clearest examples of our learning work: one sells courses internationally with certificates and affiliates, the other supports daily teaching for pupils and staff.

BFI SchoolOnline school with payments in four currenciesRead the case study

Alvina SchoolsVirtual learning environmentRead the case study

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Why build an LMS on WordPress rather than use a hosted platform?

You own the platform, the domain and the learner data, and you avoid per-learner or monthly platform fees growing with your success. You can also use South African gateways and custom features. Hosted platforms suit some providers well, especially for a first course, and we will say so if that fits you better.

Can learners pay with Instant EFT?

Yes, through a gateway that offers it. Ozow focuses on Instant EFT, Payfast includes it among its methods, and Paystack offers Instant EFT and Capitec Pay after an additional KYC review. We test whichever methods your provider approves before the platform opens to learners.

Can the platform issue certificates?

Yes. Certificates are generated automatically when a learner meets the completion rules you set, such as passing a final quiz. We design them in your branding and can include a unique reference so employers can check a certificate is genuine.

Is the platform suitable for accredited training?

The platform can record attendance, assessments and results in a way that supports your accreditation processes. The requirements themselves come from your accrediting body, so we ask you to share their reporting needs during discovery and build the platform to match them.

What does an e-learning platform cost?

A learning platform is development work, starting from $5,000 per project. The final price depends on payments, the number of user roles, reporting and any integrations with HR or accounting systems. We invoice in US dollars and send a written scope before work begins.

Start a project

Tell us what you need WordPress to do.

A new website, a redesign, a client portal, a booking system, or a move from another platform. Tell us what you need and we will tell you how WordPress can carry it.