Started in 2020, Never Looked Back
When COVID hit, I went freelance as an IT specialist. Businesses across South Africa suddenly needed to work remotely, sell online and support staff they couldn't physically reach, and a lot of them discovered their IT wasn't ready for any of it.
Six years on, that's still what I do, just at a wider scope. Over 100 websites built. More than 40 live sites hosted and maintained. Custom web applications, AI integrations, business networks, and the ordinary day-to-day IT support that keeps offices in Pretoria and Centurion working.
Along the way I built SoFinance, accounting, invoicing and payroll software made specifically for South African businesses, handling PAYE, UIF and SARS tax properly rather than approximately. It has real paying customers, which means I know what it takes to support software people depend on.
Why One Person Is the Point
IT support businesses scale by adding technicians and processes. That works, but the cost is distance. Your setup becomes a ticket history, the person who understood your quirks leaves, and every recurring fault gets diagnosed from scratch again.
I take on a limited number of clients so that doesn't happen. I remember that your accounting software needs a specific printer driver. I know which machine has the failing drive I flagged in March. I know your domain renewal date. That's not a feature I can put on a pricing table, but it's the reason clients stay.
How I Work
- Diagnose before quoting. No work gets invoiced that you didn't approve, and no repair proceeds without you knowing the cost.
- Say when something isn't worth doing. If a laptop should be replaced rather than repaired, or an off-the-shelf product beats custom software, I'll tell you and lose the job.
- Document everything. Your network, credentials, hosting and backups written down, so you're never dependent on one person's memory, including mine.
- You own your assets. Domains registered in your name, code and data handed over on request, no proprietary lock-in.
- Plain language. You'll get told what went wrong and why in words that make sense, not jargon designed to end the conversation.
Details
Founder: Juan Du Plessis
Role: IT Specialist & Developer
Based: Pretoria & Centurion, Gauteng
On-site area: Pretoria, Centurion, Midrand, northern Johannesburg
Remote: Anywhere in South Africa
Hours: Mon to Fri, 08:00 to 18:00
Response: Typically 2 to 4 hours
Languages: English, Afrikaans
The Range Is the Advantage
Most providers sit on one side of a line: either they support your computers, or they build your website. That line is exactly where problems hide.
Your email stops working after a DNS change, is that the web developer or the IT provider? The website is slow, is it the site, the server, or your office internet? A machine is infected, did it come through email, and is your hosted site affected too? With two suppliers, those questions become a week of finger-pointing. With one, they're answered in an hour.
That's why the service list runs from domain registration through website and web app development, hosting, networks, hardware repair and AI automation. Not because breadth is impressive, but because owning the whole picture is the only way to fix problems that cross the middle of it.
Common questions
Is Sofire-IT a one-person business?
Yes, deliberately. That's the actual product: you get a single specialist who knows your setup rather than a rotating queue of technicians re-reading a ticket history. For larger installations I bring in trusted specialists, cabling contractors for big runs, for example, but the relationship, the accountability and the phone number stay with me.
What happens if you're unavailable or on leave?
A fair question and worth asking of any small provider. Retained clients get advance notice of planned leave and cover arrangements. Everything is documented, your network layout, credentials, hosting and backup configuration, specifically so nobody is dependent on what's in my head. Undocumented setups are how businesses get held hostage, and I don't work that way.
What are your qualifications and experience?
I've been working in IT and development full-time since 2020, when COVID pushed me from employment into freelancing. Since then: 100+ websites built, 40+ live sites currently hosted and maintained, plus SoFinance, a production accounting and payroll platform with paying customers. The track record is the qualification. Ask for references and I'll provide them.
Do you work with businesses outside Gauteng?
Yes, for anything remote, websites, web apps, hosting, domains, AI automation and remote IT support all work regardless of location, and I have clients across South Africa. On-site work is Gauteng-focused: Pretoria, Centurion, Midrand and northern Johannesburg.
How do you charge?
Projects like websites and web apps are fixed-price, quoted after scoping, so you know the number upfront. IT support is either hourly ad-hoc at an agreed rate, or a monthly retainer if you're calling regularly. Hardware is quoted at cost plus labour before I order anything. Nothing gets invoiced that you didn't approve first.
Let’s sort out your IT
Tell me what you need and I’ll come back to you within 2 to 4 hours during business hours. Usually with a fixed quote rather than a sales call. You deal directly with me.