Chinese marketplace Temu is quickly entrenching itself in South African culture and everyday life. According to the Google Year in Search report for 2025, South Africans searched “Temu” more than any other term this year.
“The report tracks the fastest-rising searches, offering a clear sense of the stories, questions and moments that shaped public curiosity. AI emerged as another defining theme this year, marking a turning point in how South Africans engaged with Search and embedding it more deeply into everyday information-seeking behaviours,” said Google in a statement on Thursday.
AI-related search terms “Chat GPT free” and “Google Gemini” were the fourth- and fifth-most searched terms, respectively. Other tech-related searches in the year’s top 10 included “iPhone 17 Pro Max” at number seven and “humanise AI” at number nine.
Nhlanhla Mkwanazi, whose allegations kicked off the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, was the second-most searched term by South Africans in 2025. Meanwhile, the growing influence of online gambling is also shining through, with the phrase “how to log in Hollywoodbets” appearing second in Google’s list of top 10 “how-to” searches for the year.
The top 10 searches of the year, according to Google, were:
- Temu
- General Mkhwanazi
- Earth Day
- Chat GPT free
- Google Gemini
- Unisa registration
- iPhone 17 Pro Max
- Hangwani Maumela
- Humanise AI
- FlySafair R11 tickets
Probe
Although Temu’s prominence in search results suggests South Africans are growing increasingly comfortable with shopping online, not all the online attention going to the megaretailer was positive. The National Consumer Commission this week confirmed to TechCentral that it had launched a probe into Temu and fellow Chinese e-commerce platform Shein off the back of online chatter suggesting the two retailers may have breached provisions of the Consumer Protection Act.
Read: Google agrees to major funding package for South African media
“The investigation was launched in November. The two companies have been alerted of the investigation, and both have undertaken to cooperate with it,” said NCC head of complaints and investigation Prudence Moilwa. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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