The Straightforward IT Partner for Johannesburg Businesses
African Vanilla Consulting is more than just an IT services company. We're your growth partner — dedicated to helping Gauteng businesses (and clients in other provinces via our partner network) leverage technology without the complexity, hidden fees, or frustration.
Founded with a simple philosophy: IT should be transparent, reliable, and focused on YOUR business goals. Not on our quarterly targets.
Our Promise
- Transparency — No hidden fees. No surprise invoices.
- Responsiveness — 2-hour response time guaranteed. Or we pay you.
- Flexibility — Month-to-month contracts. No lock-in.
- Expertise — Enterprise-grade IT at SMB prices.
Why "Vanilla"?
In a world of IT complexity and jargon, we're the vanilla choice. Simple. Honest. Straightforward.
Vanilla doesn't mean boring. It means real — no artificial flavors, no hidden ingredients, just quality IT delivered with integrity.
Our Approach
- Listen First. Free IT audit. We ask the questions most providers skip: where does the business hurt, what's at risk, what's the real budget?
- Solve Real Problems. Month-to-month managed services, transparent procurement, practical cloud and security. No upsell. No scope-creep.
- Build Long-Term Relationships. Clients stay because we earn it every month, not because they're locked in.
What We Believe
Local beats distant
A real local team in Fourways + a vetted partner network beats a faceless national helpdesk every time. We answer the phone.
Transparency beats lock-in
Month-to-month contracts, published pricing tiers, and a 2-hour response guarantee with real teeth. If we miss it, we credit your account.
Real people beat ticket numbers
You'll have a dedicated account manager who knows your environment. No ticket roulette, no "have you tried turning it off and on again" scripts.
Outcomes beat activity
We measure ourselves by your uptime, productivity and peace of mind — not by the number of support hours we sold you.
Leadership & Team
Our principals have over two decades of combined IT experience across managed services, networking, cloud, cybersecurity and digital transformation. We're a small, senior team that scales with trusted local engineers — never an anonymous call centre.
Jacques van der Merwe
Founder & Principal Consultant
20+ years across ITSM, enterprise networking and cloud for JHB SMEs and national rollouts. Drives the Vanilla philosophy: simple, honest, transparent — with guarantees that actually have teeth.
African Vanilla Engineering Team
Network, Cloud & Security Engineers
Senior engineers covering Microsoft 365, Azure, AWS, Cisco, MikroTik, Ruckus, Kaspersky and ERP platforms. We scale with vetted local partners for province-wide coverage.
Our Footprint
- • Fourways, Johannesburg (HQ)
- • Sandton, Randburg, Midrand
- • Pretoria / Tshwane
- • East Rand & West Rand
- • KwaZulu-Natal (via partner network)
- • Western Cape (via partner network)
- • Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West (via partner network)
Our services
From managed IT and cloud to cybersecurity, ERP, custom development and AI.
Explore all services →Real client results
From Flexweb in Germiston to Apex Distribution in Midrand — see measurable outcomes.
Browse case studies →