AFRCZAJJ11-character variant (head office):
AFRCZAJJXXXWhether funds come from abroad or another local account, here's how to receive — and what it costs.
Sender uses AFRCZAJJ + your account number.
Sender uses Wise, LemFi, or Sendwave to deposit into your account.
Receive into TymeBank, then move to African Bank if needed.
South African banks use a 6-digit universal branch code; PayShap enables low-value real-time payments using a phone-number ShapID.
South Africa is more bank-centric than wallet-centric, but PayShap and apps allow real-time transfers, and wallets like TymeBank and Shoprite Money are growing.
Rail operator: www.bankservafrica.com
When you actually need a SWIFT code: only for receiving money from another country. PayShap handles every domestic south africa bank-to-bank, bank-to-wallet, and wallet-to-bank transfer at near-instant speed. If the sender is in the same country, SWIFT isn't involved at all — they just need your universal branch code or phone number.
For inbound international flows, PayShap also matters: most modern remittance operators (Wise, Sendwave, LemFi, WorldRemit, TapTap Send) terminate their payouts via this rail rather than via correspondent SWIFT relationships. That's how they deliver in minutes instead of days — and why their all-in cost can be a fraction of a classic SWIFT wire.
Cash pickup is the fourth node in the receiving graph: Western Union, MoneyGram, Ria, RemitOne. These remain expensive but are the only option in some last-mile situations (no bank account, no wallet, urgent cash need). Mobile money cash-out via an agent network is increasingly the cheaper alternative — see our country mobile-money fee page for current cash-out rates.
One practical tip: if you're expecting a payment from abroad, ask the sender to choose the destination based on speed and amount. Small frequent payments below US$1,000 are almost always cheaper via a remittance app to your wallet. Mid-size payments (US$1,000–10,000) work well to your bank account via the same apps. Genuinely large payments (above US$50,000) are usually only practical via a SWIFT wire, even though they're the most expensive per dollar at that band.
| Bank code | Country | Location |
|---|---|---|
| AFRC | ZA | JJ |
| African Bank | ZA (South Africa) | Midrand |
An 11-character variant like AFRCZAJJXXX also indicates the head office — the trailing 'XXX' is the default. Codes ending in different sequences (e.g. 'AFRCZAJJ001') refer to specific branches.
Check any SWIFT/BIC code is correctly formatted before a transfer.
vs ZAR (South African Rand)
African Bank, founded in 1975, is a South African commercial bank focused on unsecured retail lending and increasingly on transactional banking via its MyWORLD account product. The bank was placed under curatorship in 2014 and restructured through a "good bank/bad bank" split overseen by the South African Reserve Bank, with the surviving "good bank" recapitalised and returned to private operation. African Bank is held by a consortium that includes the SARB itself plus the major South African banks and the Government Employees Pension Fund. SWIFT code AFRCZAJJ identifies the Midrand head office; the long form is AFRCZAJJXXX. The bank operates around 400 branches focused on entry-level retail customers.
59 16th Road, Midrand, Midrand
Map centred on Midrand. Click "View on OpenStreetMap" below for precise location.
African Bank — South Africa's commercial bank, one of the country's oldest institutions (founded 1975) — has the SWIFT/BIC code AFRCZAJJ. The 8-character base BIC AFRCZAJJ targets the Midrand head office; the 11-character variant AFRCZAJJXXX names that same head office explicitly. You only need it for receiving an INTERNATIONAL wire (from another country). For transfers from another South Africa account, you just use your account number plus the domestic rail (PayShap).
Yes. Operators like WorldRemit, Sendwave, Afriex, and Flutterwave Send let a sender abroad deposit directly into TymeBank without going through your African Bank account. It's usually faster and cheaper than a SWIFT wire for smaller amounts. You can then move funds to African Bank via PayShap if needed.
Via PayShap, which interconnects banks and wallets in real time. From the African Bank app: add TymeBank as a beneficiary with your phone number, and the transfer arrives instantly. See our South Africa mobile money fees page for the exact cost.
For amounts under ~US$5,000, a remittance app (Wise, LemFi, Sendwave) depositing direct to your African Bank account is almost always cheaper than a classic SWIFT wire — lower fees and a rate closer to mid-market. For larger amounts, compare SWIFT vs app on our South Africa inbound transfer comparison.
Yes. African Bank is connected to PayShap, which enables near-instant transfers to other South Africa banks and to mobile money wallets (TymeBank, Shoprite Money, Capitec Pay). This is the infrastructure remittance apps use behind the scenes to deliver in real time.
Source: African Bank's official website + Wise SWIFT directory. Last verified: 2026-06-04. SWIFT codes change rarely but always confirm with your bank before initiating a transfer. Educational only — not financial advice.