I thought I’d run out of South African mobile apps to review, but then Primedia went and launched Gotcha, a competition application that uses GPS to track people running around after something called Smart Money (SM on the app) to win loads of cash.

All in all, I applaud Primedia for this idea. Not only is it in conjunction with Vodacom and their KFM and 94.7FM radio stations, but it also brings people from all over South Africa to the realization that they have an app store on their smartphones with tons of free apps to download and use. My impression since joining the world of apps is mirrored by research companies, in that people don’t use apps enough in South Africa, yet.

The rules of the competition are that you fire up the app, give it GPS access and then look for the SM (Smart Money). You’ll see where it is on the map, and where you are. If you get within 100 meters of the SM, you can grab it from the person who is holding it. If you hold it when the time is up (as announced on the radio), you win R10,000. Boom!

So, last week I left work early at 16:00 to try and get the SM or at least see what all the hype was about. I ended up at Canal Walk, but couldn’t get hold of the Smart Money once. Some guy who had followed it from the morning already, won the prize, and I cannot say that I wasn’t intrigued and excited. It really was fun.

I must admit, the app works well and not once did it fail. It always refreshed quickly, downloaded well, and apart from the use of a shocking red colour, the design is pretty and icons are unique. Serious thought and development has gone into the app, and the only small error I found was in the rules: If your GPS goes off, you have 3 minutes to get it back on, yet on their website terms it says 5 minutes.

So all in all, well done Primedia on this one. My only question is this: What happens to the app and its database of users after the competition ends?

Download it and play – it’s fun, especially if you have the time:

iTunes, Google Play and BlackBerry App World

About the author: Jess Green is a digital entrepreneur, passionate about tech, web and mobile. Follow him on @jessello.