Temu Electronics South Africa: Are They Worth Buying?

South Africans love a deal on tech. And Temu’s prices look like exactly that — earbuds for R80, LED ring lights for R45, phone holders for R25. But underneath the cart total is a more complicated story involving missing regulatory approvals, internationally documented safety failures, and customs charges that can quietly inflate your bill by 35% or more. The question isn’t just whether Temu electronics are worth buying. It’s whether some of them are safe to use at all.

Electronics is the single most popular category among South African Temu shoppers, according to a Temu-commissioned survey published by Ventureburn in January 2025 — with 41% of local users reporting they buy tech and appliances on the platform. That’s a significant slice of a user base that hit 1.8 million monthly active users in South Africa by late 2024. Most of those buyers are chasing one thing: prices that Makro, Incredible Connection, and even Takealot simply can’t match. A ring light that costs R800 at a tech store lists for R120 on Temu. A phone stand that Checkers sells for R200 is R18 on Temu. The math is tempting. But the full story is longer.

We looked at the research, the regulations, and what South African shoppers actually report to break this down category by category — with a particular focus on what the safety data actually says, and where you can and can’t cut corners.

South Africa Has Regulatory Standards for Electronics — Temu Often Ignores Them

Before any electronic device can legally be sold in South Africa, it must go through a multi-tier approval process. Wireless products — anything using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or radio frequency — require type approval certification from ICASA, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. Any device that plugs into the mains or recharges via a power supply requires a Letter of Authority from the NRCS, the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications. And electromagnetic compatibility must be verified through the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). These aren’t obscure technicalities — they’re the legal framework that protects South African consumers from unsafe products.

In 2024, MyBroadband investigated Temu’s South African electronics listings and found that the platform was allowing merchants to sell electronic devices without the necessary approvals from either ICASA or the NRCS. Products were available with no ICASA type approval label, no NRCS letter of authority — and no obvious mechanism to alert buyers to the compliance gap. This is not a minor gap in paperwork. Under Section 35(1) of the Electronic Communications Act, no person may supply or sell electronic communications equipment in South Africa unless it has been approved by ICASA. Non-compliant products are liable to seizure at customs — and there is no regulatory safety net for the buyer if something goes wrong.

When you buy an electronic product on Temu that lacks these approvals, you are buying a product that hasn’t been verified as safe for South Africa’s electrical network. South Africa runs on 220–230V AC at 50Hz and uses the large round three-pin Type M socket — specifications that require specific compliance testing for any device designed to draw power. Products built for other markets can and do cause electrical faults in South African homes.

What Formal Safety Testing Actually Found

In March 2025, the International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT) — a global consortium that includes consumer organisations from Belgium, Germany, Denmark and France — purchased 81 products from Temu and sent them to accredited laboratories for testing against EU safety standards. The products covered three categories: USB chargers, children’s toys, and necklaces. The charger results are what matter most for anyone considering Temu electronics.

Of the 27 USB chargers tested from Temu, only one was fully compliant with safety standards. Electrical failures were found in 17 of the 54 chargers tested across both platforms, and these were classified as high-severity failures. The majority of Temu chargers — 78% — had medium-severity failures, and five products had high-severity electrical failures. Specific hazards documented included dangerously small clearance distances between internal components (which can cause electrical arcing and spark fires), overheating above permitted limits, and plug pins that bent too easily in sockets. Some chargers reportedly exceeded temperatures of 100°C when overloaded, increasing the risk of burns or fires.

Across the full range of products tested from Temu, almost two thirds were found to be non-compliant, with the majority failing at least one test parameter. The Testachats spokesperson summarised the situation plainly: buying from Temu is, in her words, “a bit like playing Russian roulette.” Some products may be fine; others pose genuine safety risks.

Temu responded to the ICRT findings by stating it had removed the flagged products from sale and that it invests heavily in quality control — the company said it proactively removes more than 14,000 listings for every one removed reactively, and committed $100 million to compliance and quality control in 2025, with plans to double that figure. These are not insignificant commitments. But the ICRT study also found that after being notified, Temu took several weeks to respond — and neither platform proactively removed similar or equivalent products that posed the same risks. Many comparable items remained on sale throughout the monitoring period, raising concern that flagging one listing does not trigger broader precautionary measures for similar items.

Category by Category: Where the Risk Is Low, Medium, and High

Not all Temu electronics carry the same level of risk. The danger gradient is real and worth mapping clearly. Here’s how the main electronics categories break down for South African buyers:

What Electronics Cost After Customs

Consumer electronics generally attract lower customs duty than clothing in South Africa. While clothing faces up to 45% duty plus 15% VAT, electronics typically sit in the 20–30% range depending on the specific tariff heading — though this varies by product and SARS classification. The critical change in 2024 is that since 1 July 2024, shoppers are required to pay the standard import tax on all orders from Shein and Temu, even if they cost less than R500. The old 20% flat rate with no VAT is gone. Now, even a R120 USB hub attracts 20% duty plus 15% VAT on the duty-inclusive value.

Note: Calculations use SARS’ ATV method: (customs value + 10%) x 15% for VAT. Actual charges vary depending on SARS classification and whether the item ships via the local warehouse.

How to Shop Electronics on Temu Without Getting Burned

The goal isn’t to avoid Temu altogether — for the right products, it’s a legitimate platform with real savings. The goal is to know which products are worth the risk and which ones aren’t. These steps reduce your exposure significantly.

Temu vs Takealot for Electronics: When the Price Gap Narrows

Once you factor in import duties, VAT, and the cost of replacing a device that fails within weeks, the gap between Temu and Takealot is smaller than it first appears — especially for anything in the moderate-to-high risk category. A R180 Temu Bluetooth earbud landed at roughly R248 after taxes. Takealot lists entry-level earbuds from verified brands like Haylou and QCY at R250–R350 with a local warranty, a returns process, and a retailer you can actually contact if something goes wrong.

The value proposition holds for Temu electronics where the risk is genuinely low and the stakes of failure are minimal — phone holders, cable management, USB desk lamps, ring lights, screen protectors, and similar items where the worst outcome of a product failing is mild inconvenience. The value proposition collapses for anything that delivers power to your devices, anything containing a lithium battery, or anything you’re counting on for a professional purpose.

As a rule: if you’d be genuinely annoyed or financially impacted if the product failed within a month, buy it somewhere with a warranty and regulatory compliance. If a failure would be mildly irritating but you could absorb the loss — and the product carries no electrical safety risk — Temu can make sense.

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