Jean-Pierre Murray-Kline – Future Thinker | Business and Environmental Technologist| Published Author
Obviously, I was flattered (and honoured) to be asked by the digitlab.co.za crew to contribute towards ‘Insight 2026’!
My work is literally all about our futures, and I shared several topic titles with them for their consideration. In their reply email, they wrote: “…how about the metaverse, AR, VR, and MR. No-one else is tackling that…”. The irony of that suggestion I hope becomes clear soon.
Now, while this article is about AR, VR, MR, and the metaverse, it also really isn’t. One could say it’s a fantasy. You see, dear reader, you are probably someone living in South Africa, and therefore already know that we do things very differently here in beautiful Mzansi — certainly compared to our relatives elsewhere in the world. Yes, we are all related, genetically, and a good reference for those facts is my article called Africa Colonized the World — you can find it on my website.
Back on topic. Our way of working and playing has its pros and cons. One constant throughout is that our relationship with anything, everything, and everyone is absolutely complicated — sort of like Tiffany Markman’s relationship with LinkedIn.
Before I get my hands dirty with the subject matter and what it actually means to us, let me quickly— for the unaware (polite way of saying ignorant)— offer an elevator pitch on what these things are. But don’t panic, this won’t be too technical or boring!
AR (Augmented Reality) adds digital information to our real world, e.g., like with Pokémon Go or what happened with those fancy glasses in Avengers Age of Ultron. VR (Virtual Reality) is about a fully immersive digital environment, e.g., Oculus Rift or those computer games that teenagers (and adults who act like teenagers) use to kill monsters or each other. MR (Mixed Reality) combines our real world with a digital one and offers interactivity.
The Metaverse is a collective virtual space where people can interact, work, play, (and even love – virtual intimacy and stimulation), supported by software and gadgets that come with AR, VR, and MR. The backbone of this is the internet. Not to be unpacked in this article, but these virtual worlds are not perfect by any means, and virtual assault is a real problem and worth a google if you want to learn more. One day, expect SARS to find a way to tax our e-monies, NFTs and Digital Wallets, and SABC will probably also insist we have a TV licence there too.
Now you are basically an expert. Well, almost…
Let me quickly name-drop some gadgets involved. Again, don’t worry, this will be another quick elevator ride.
For AR, you might use Microsoft HoloLens 2 (very helpful for architecture, training, and maintenance) or Magic Leap (for visualization and collaboration). Very common are smartphones with AR apps (often used for inventory in retail).
For VR, you might use an Oculus Quest / Meta Quest (for virtual meetings or training), or HTC Vive (for design & simulation), or perhaps even Varjo (for enterprise training and simulation).
For MR, you may buy a Microsoft HoloLens 2 (used for remote collaboration or prototyping) or Varjo XR-3 (for design review and training).
The Metaverse doesn’t have its own exclusive physical gadgets but does have software and app platforms. For example, Meta Facebook Horizon Worlds is a VR platform for building and exploring virtual worlds. Another often mentioned platform is Decentraland, which uses a blockchain-based virtual world for buying, selling, and building on virtual land. You might have also heard of Fortnite, which is much more than a game — it hosts virtual events, concerts, and social gatherings.
Now you are an expert. Well done!
At the time I prepared this article (September 2025), the market value for VR/AR/MR in South Africa was, or was expected to be, around US$114.5 million (according to Statista.com). Of this, software took the biggest slice, with industries related to education and tourism driving most of the usage. A few examples of businesses actively using this technology in South Africa include Siemens South Africa (using VR for industrial training and maintenance simulations), Discovery Health (using AR/VR for medical training and patient education), and one that might surprise you is Johannesburg Zoo (using AR for educational tours).
The global market value for the metaverse in 2024 was approximately $737.73 billion, and it’s projected to reach around $7.6 trillion by 2032. Of course, these numbers can vary depending on the source, but one thing is certain: it’s worth a pretty penny!
Why this ‘family of technologies’ isn’t as much of a buzz or trend as it once was or as it was proposed it would be. I’ll try to be creative in my answer, out of respect to the many clever professionals involved in this technology.
The fat fact uncle in the room, and what no one wants to talk about, is that 70-80% of AR, VR & MR (and the metaverse by extension) usage is for entertainment — gaming, media, and social interactions — while only a teeny tiny 20-30% is used for business and industrial applications. In short, this tech is mainly for playing around! It’s for games, fun, and the only people generating revenue or trading within this space are the creators like Unity Technologies, Nvidia (NVDA), and Qualcomm (QCOM), just to name a few, along with brands benefitting from marketing on these platforms, such as Coca-Cola, Nike, Gucci, and Samsung.
The elephant in the room (sitting on that uncle’s head) is that this technology is the literal definition (taking some writers’ creative license here) of privileged technology. As you probably know, the word ‘privileged’ in South Africa is a highly charged term, and to add salt to the gushing wound I’ve just opened, on the day I wrote this draft, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) revealed that African businesses are paying up to 35% more for technology than elsewhere in the world. So, one could say that those who can afford these technologies are not only privileged but are also extra special.
Oculus Rift can be bought for a few thousand Rand, HoloLens prices run into tens of thousands of Rand, and AR glasses like the one I found on Takealot called the XREAL One – AR Smart Glasses cost almost fourteen thousand South African Moola. If you Google some prices, you’ll see it gets much worse. I double dare you to Google the price of a VR Mecha ZY-VR-1JJC! My point is, these ‘things’ are luxuries and priced as such.
As a business and environmental technologist, my purpose each day is to study and consult on our relationship with technology and nature. I often do this from business, social, and political perspectives. We must remember that South Africa has two economies (formal and informal), and the economy that houses most of our population would have to stop eating and walk to work for about six years to pay for that VR Mecha contraption I just mentioned.
To Mr. Ivan Sutherland — and perhaps Neal Stephenson, if you’re reading this — stop now because you will not like what I’m about to say: “None of these technologies solve any real South African problems and for now remain an elite luxury toy or digital playground.” It’s also a fact that only the wealthiest industries in South Africa can dabble with these innovations.
I’ve shared the salt, so here’s the sugar: there are indeed businesses in South Africa that are working in this ‘space’ and making a positive impact. Perhaps worth googling are Augmented-Reality.co.za, Fuzzy Logic, or VirtualRealities.co.za to name just a few — and there are many more. However, don’t forget the word ‘privileged’ and who can actually trade or benefit from what these businesses offer.
To conclude: my opinion on whether AR, VR, MR, and the Metaverse have a place in South Africa’s near future.
South Africa, and Africa as a whole, must embrace technological innovation with both hands and feet, and if necessary, hold on with our teeth. If we don’t engage — with the passion of a teenage boy on a third date — and with the resilience of the African National Congress, we risk falling further behind globally, both economically and geopolitically. The effects of that will be devastating for us all. It’s not a matter of whether this technology has a place — it’s about making space for it!
The first time I used a VR headset was at a Mining Indaba, I got to see, walk around, and play with a digital twin of a multimillion-rand machine. Not everyone gets to attend such events or has access at a school or, bless them, a machine in their own lounge. We must find a way to reduce the cost of these gadgets and share access to our entire population.
The future of these technologies must address real needs in South Africa — and they can. Bridging the educational divide is an immediate opportunity, as is immersive STEM training. Medical training and mental health treatment can also take advantage of these technologies. These e-solutions are still in their infancy, and in pursuit of virtual realities and new frontiers, we must become change champions and future thinkers, because if done right, we can make our actual reality better with them, and that would be something to talk about.
