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South Africans are travelling with more intention, more curiosity, and more confidence than ever. ​

Our 2025 Bryte Travel Index highlights the rise of coolcations, the growing influence of AI in trip planning, and a shift toward meaningful travel that prioritises connection and culture.

Mitigating risk for our customers is at the core of everything we do. Here you’ll find a collection of our thought leadership articles on a range of topics exploring risk management in different industries and the world at large.

Zurich South Africa and its Botswana counterpart today rebranded to Bryte Insurance, following an acquisition by Canadian-based Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Fairfax) in 2016. Bryte has identified business risk management as a key growth opportunity and through its proactive approach to risk management, will focus on driving and diversifying its commercial client and specialist lines portfolio.

“We are delighted to introduce our new brand to the Southern Africa market. Taking the best of our legacy forward, our new African brand sets the tone for what we aim to achieve within the industry, with the backing of our global parent company, Fairfax,” says Edwyn O’Neill, CEO at Bryte Insurance.

O’Neill continues, “Our ambition is to be the premier, proactive business risk specialist in Southern Africa, while also investing significantly in the development of a transformed generation of new insurance practitioners. Applying our unparalleled sector insights, proven expertise and foresight, we partner with customers and brokers to protect their businesses and improve their risk profiles across the continent.”

While the company has rebranded and the strategy has evolved, O’Neill says that it is business as usual at Bryte Insurance. This means that all policies and agreements under Zurich remain in place and will be duly honoured. Furthermore, the senior leadership team responsible for achieving the well-acknowledged business turnaround, will continue to be instrumental in driving the growth and sustainability of the business under its new identity.

“As before, we are committed to, and deeply invested in, our intermediated broker partnership model. A fundamental element of our strategy going forward will be creating a business that endures; one that is deeply focused on customer and partner value-add – that means creating opportunities for mutual success for all brokers within our network.

We will continue to prioritise profitability and strive to be the benchmark for service excellence and the go to service provider for forward-looking, informed and proactive risk management in South Africa’s insurance sector,” concludes O’Neill.

About Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Fairfax)
Fairfax is a holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance and investment management.

Bryte Insurance Company Limited, a proactive business risk specialist announces its acquisition of Holmes Underwriting Agency (HUA), a specie insurance expert and independent coverholder at Lloyd’s of London.

“HUA’s deep specialist knowledge and expertise will certainly enhance Bryte’s current value proposition, specifically within our Jewellery, Fine Art & Specie Division,” said Edwyn O’Neill, CEO at Bryte. “HUA’s experience across a diverse portfolio of commercial customers, and its proven ability to effectively manage customer exposure in a shifting risk environment, also aligns perfectly to our business philosophy.”

A focus on establishing partnerships that deliver mutual value and customer excellence at every touchpoint, is an important aspect of Bryte’s business strategy. Accordingly, this acquisition is aimed at further accelerating Bryte’s growth ambitions; expanding access to wider markets, capabilities and networks that enable more inclusive risk management solutions for businesses.

“It is a great privilege for HUA to be joining the Bryte family. Bryte comprehensively understands the evolving risk landscape, has made immense strides in proactively managing customer risk, and is respected in the industry for its emphasis on unparalleled customer service and niche, tailormade insurance solutions,” said Alistair Holmes, Director at HUA.

HUA will be integrated into Bryte’s Jewellery, Fine Art & Specie Division with effect from 1 December 2017. The policies of existing HUA customers will not be impacted by the acquisition.

Bryte, the proactive business risk specialist, announces the promotion of Collin Molepe, company Chief Operations Officer, to the role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1 June 2018. Molepe has had a distinguished career with the business to date.

Edwyn O’ Neill, CEO at Bryte said, “This is an important step forward for our business as we expand our focus on commercial customers and consolidate our approach to customer risk profile management. Collin has been instrumental in the success of our business as Bryte and the creation of this new role recognises not just his contribution to date, but the ongoing role he will play in helping drive further growth and operational sustainability as we expand our distribution network.”

In addition to his current portfolio, which includes operations, technology and human resources, Molepe will work closely with O’Neill and the executive team to refresh the company’s life distribution model. Molepe has also been appointed as Managing Director of Bryte Life, where he will actively focus on identifying and launching risk management solutions that meet the needs of South Africa’s uninsured market. Bryte Life aims to facilitate wider financial inclusion by providing access to tailored microinsurance solutions that consider the realities and requirements of everyday South Africans.

Molepe said, “I am delighted to accept this new role and believe that Bryte is well on its way to transforming the way insurers meet the dynamic needs of all South Africans. We have set ourselves some ambitious challenges, but I know that our proactive approach to risk and the emphasis we place on partnering with customers and brokers to mitigate that risk, rather than just to insure against it retrospectively, has set us ahead already.”

Bryte Insurance, the proactive business risk specialist, has announced its partnership with The Maharishi Institute (MI) which provides education access, skills development path, personal development tools, and a supportive environment to young South Africans from disadvantaged communities. The partnership will facilitate Bryte’s objective to expand its claims processing and policy administration capabilities as well as develop a new distribution network. This partnership will enable Bryte to access trained graduates who can be used as future employees and agents.

Within the South African context, the critical shortage of young professionals in the insurance industry is a growing concern. Bryte’s partnership with MI will therefore focus on accelerating awareness of the lucrative career prospects available within the industry as well as the financial services sector, driving significant progress in the industry’s goal for transformation by growing the next generation of insurance professionals. 

Speaking on the partnership, Bryte CEO, Edwyn O’Neill, commented, “Bryte is committed to playing an active role in achieving a more transformed society – one in which every South African is able to participate and benefit. We have a long-established legacy of driving youth development and access to quality education and we are delighted to be able to combine this focus with developing professionals with agile, entrepreneurial mindsets who will take the industry – and the economy – forward.”

“We are therefore proud to partner with Maharishi – an organisation that is an excellent example of what is possible in the country’s quest for quality education. The Maharishi Institute has been immensely successful in innovating to address societal challenges and helping deserving candidates overcome a key barrier to an empowered future.” 

The economic growth impact of producing more graduates is immense; statistics suggest that individuals with tertiary qualifications could potentially benefit from a 67% rise in income. In addition to extending tertiary access to more students, as part of this partnership, hundreds of Maharishi students will receive a further opportunity to benefit from insurance training through Bryte, where they will benefit from workplace experience.

“Facilitating the workplace entry of more young professionals with fresh thinking can deliver a multitude of benefits for the South African economy,” said Dr Taddy Blecher, CEO at The Maharishi Invincibility Institute. “MI has produced more than 18,500 graduates since 2000 and we firmly believe that through the support of partners like Bryte, we will be able to accomplish our ambitious target of 100,000 graduates by 2025.” 

About Maharishi Institute

Maharishi Invincibility Institute (MI) which provides education access, skills development path, personal development tools, and a supportive environment to young  South Africans from disadvantaged communities. The Institute was established in 2000 and has produced more than 17,000 graduates. It is largely self-funding as it adopts a “pay it forward” approach and aims to become fully self-funding in the future. MI is fully accredited with the Services SETA and holds accreditations with several other SETA’s.

Bryte Insurance, the proactive business risk specialist, has once again put in a stellar performance, according to the findings in the recently released Annual Report by the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance (OSTI). The OSTI is tasked with providing a “fair and transparent dispute resolution mechanism” between consumers and short-term insurance providers.

According to the report, the OSTI received 1.06 complaints per 1,000 claims filed with Bryte, one of the lowest numbers recorded over 2018. Bryte was responsible for only 1.58% of the total complaints received by the OSTI, indicating sector leading levels of customer satisfaction. With these numbers, Bryte is in the lowest 15% of the entire insurance market of complaints received by the OSTI.

“Bryte is incredibly proud of the levels of customer satisfaction experienced by our customers as exemplified in the Ombudsman’s report. Our focus remains on proactively managing business risk for the benefit of our customers and resolving claims with the highest level of integrity”, said Bryte CEO Edwyn O’Neill. “It’s great to see that our process and practices, especially our core commitment to treating customers fairly, have resulted in our customers feeling so satisfied that the Ombudsman received a very low number of complaints”, O’Neill continued.

A central strategic objective for Bryte has been a sustained focus on customers. The company has prioritised making significant investments to streamline business processes, so as to ensure that customers are treated fairly. These investments have begun to pay dividends as per the figures outlined in the OSTI report.

The report itself further details that more than R87 million was paid out to South African insurance customers after complaints. About 9,500 complaints were finalised by the OSTI in the 2018 financial year. Motor vehicle insurance represented almost half of the total number of finalised complaints. The vast majority of finalised complaints related to consumers voicing dissatisfaction about the insurer’s decision on a claim, specifically rejection claims because of exclusions detailed in the policy’s terms and conditions.

Bryte Insurance has received the award for Best New Takaful Company – Africa at the 13^th International Takaful Summit, which took place in London from 9 -10 July 2019. Bryte was lauded at the world-renowned summit for its Bryte Takaful offering – an Islamic system of mutual co-operation, built around the concept of “Tabarru” (voluntary contributions). Bryte’s Takaful cover is an alternative to conventional insurance, providing tailored, Shariah-compliant personal, commercial, hospitality, engineering, specialised motor and travel cover.

Bryte Takaful creates a pool of wealth for the common good of members and contributions are paid out in the event of a loss or misfortune. In addition, contributions are invested according to the principals of Shariah law (avoiding any interest-based instruments). If an underwriting surplus is declared, it can be distributed to participants; by donation to charity(s), or; placed in a reserve fund.

Sedick Isaacs, Head: Business Support Services at Bryte Insurance, commented: “Takaful is different to conventional insurance, where policyholders pay premiums for protection against loss. Although not an entirely new concept, Shariah-compliant insurance has yet to hit its stride locally. Despite its faith and belief-based appeal, the pace of growth for Shariah-compliant insurance is relatively disproportionate to the number of potential Muslim clients worldwide (currently standing at approximately 1.5 billion). In addressing this disparity, Bryte Insurance has introduced a Shariah-compliant short-term insurance product to the South African market, through a partnership with Takaful Africa. Bryte’s Takaful product offering is an alternative to conventional insurance, providing tailored, Shariah-compliant cover across a wide range of offerings.”