Didi Chixung, the Chinese ride-hailing behemoth, has announced the closure of its South African operations.
The ride-hailing service has operations in 16 countries, including Russia and Australia, and claims to have over 500 million customers.
Didi’s debut into the South African market was expected to enhance rivalry with Uber and Bolt, the region’s and continent’s main ride-hailing providers.
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“We have made the tough choice to cease operations in South Africa as of April 8,” a representative for Didi South Africa said. “Our goal has been to facilitate a smooth transition for everyone, and we’d want to thank our employees, drivers, riders, and partners for their generosity and support to DiDi.”
“We’ve re-evaluated where we can have the greatest immediate impact and are focusing on creating even deeper skills in other existing areas,” a representative for SA said.
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The ride-hailing business implied that by exiting the South African market, it will be able to concentrate on other regions where it can have a greater positive influence.
DiDi is the world’s second-largest ride-hailing service, after only Uber.
