MEDIA RELEASE03 JULY2009

Durban programmer wins R100 000 for developing top MXit PC clientapplication

Competition kicks off future part-open-source applications for MXit

MXit, the South African mobile social network and instant messaging giant, todayannounced the winner of the MXit PC client competition at an awards dinner inStellenbosch. C Stranex, a Durban-based developer and MXit user, won R100 000 in thecompetition, which ran from April to June and garnered over 110 global applicationentries. The winning PC client for MXit was developed in Python and is called Blendit.“Even though the competition deadline was tight, Stranex managed to submit afinished product that was stable, functional and extremely well designed. Theapplication - that runs on both Windows and Linux - is lightweight and not too flashy orintrusive and fits the MXit culture perfectly. Blendit carries all of the regular instantmessaging features, as well as MXit specific elements like group messaging, clickablelinks and file sending,” says Pieter Nel, MXit Chief Technology Officer.“The rationale for the launch of the PC client competition is to demonstrate thatinnovation comes from the very core of our community. Our philosophy has alwaysbeen to have MXit users drive our innovation; and the incredible talent demonstrated inthis competition proves that we are on the right track by inviting global programmers toparticipate in our partly open source community. We’re very pleased with the quality of entries received and believe that our first, second and third place winners are morethan worthy of their awards,” said Herman Heunis, CEO and founder of MXit.Second place winners M Bowes, T Sjoberg and R Baxter submitted a combined entrycalled MXitC written in the C++ language. It is a customisable client that allows theuser to change the appearance in any way they like – menus, windows and skinz can allbe tailored to the MXit users’ preference. Third place winner R Skeens, submitted a Java based application with some very goodideas. Although the application was impressive in its own right, it missed a few vitalfeatures and was just pipped at the post by the MXitC submission. The top five applications will be available for download as of 06 July 2009 in the MXitDeveloper Zone (http://devzone.mxit.com). The Developer Zone was created inresponse to budding developers and MXit users creating applications for the mobilesocial network and instant messenger.“The MXit Development portal provides an interface where users can log issues directlywith the developers of each application, and in this way we build a community of developers and users who continuously innovate and improve on their software. MXit’s

Managing Director

HH Heunis

Directors

JM FreemanAA Roux

MXit Lifestyle (Pty) Ltd

Riesling House, Brandwacht Office Park, Trumali Road, Stellenbosch 7600 RSAPO Box 12302, Die Boord, Stellenbosch 7613 RSA

+27 21 888 7000

+27 21 883 8123

www.mxit.com

goal is to continue to support external developers who want to develop applications forthe MXit platform and we encourage all keen software developers to get involved anduse the MXit Devzone”, says Nel..../2-2-In order for a developer to submit their application they will have to register on thedevelopment landing page on the MXit website (http://devzone.mxit.com).Says Heunis “This underpins our continual strategy to inspire the evolution of technology. The idea is to connect with users by encouraging creativity and we lookforward to building a strong relationship with developers.”“Given the strong MXit user base and the versatility of the MXit platform, the right todevelop is a ‘no brainer.’ We’re excited to see how our open approach will push newboundaries of instant messaging development and are eager for all enthusiasts toshare their creations with the MXit community,” concludes Heunis.MXit is a free instant messaging application for mobile phones. It allows members tochat to other MXit users anywhere in the world by means of instant messages to andfrom mobile phones using GPRS or 3G - instead of using standard SMS technologywhich is expensive. The search for a PC client was the logical next step in MXit’sevolution.All of the MXit open source projects are available for downloadhttp://devzone.mxit.com. Users are encouraged to participate by downloading theseapplications, testing them, providing feedback to the developers.

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About MXit

MXit is a global mobile instant messaging and social network that allows users to chat to oneanother on their mobile phones or pc anywhere in the world. It also allows users to send textand multimedia messages to and from mobile phones and PCs using GPRS or 3G instead of using standard SMS technology, which is expensive.MXit delights its users by continuously unveiling social networking, entertainment,communication and lifestyle features that benefit and enrich their lives. This commitmenttowards innovation is the cornerstone of its success.MXit is a new generation company that boasts close to 14 million global registered users. Itattracts more than 18 000 new users per day. It is in constant evolution to match the needs of its users and is set on becoming one of the biggest instant messaging mobile networks in theworld and the preferred mobile social network for communicating with young people in Africa,South East Asia, South America and the rest of the world.