Maker of the popular BlackBerry smartphones Research in Motion (RIM) says it is uncertain about how many of its South African employees will be affected by the company’s worldwide job cuts.

Stiff competition from the likes of Apple’s iPhone and smartphones equipped with Google’s Android software has resulted in BlackBerry’s once significant market share plunging.

According to IDC figures for 2012, Android-enabled phones have made up 59% of all smartphones globally, while Apple’s iOS-enabled phones, or the iPhones have a 23% market share. BlackBerry devices, on the other, trail far behind with just 6.4% of the global smartphone market.

“At present, we can only confirm that RIM will be reducing its global workforce by approximately 5 000 over the course of the remaining fiscal year,” the company said in a statement..

Despite the doom and gloom the smartphone maker is facing internationally, RIM is buoyant about its prospects in South Africa, where its gadgets have proven popular.

“RIM continues to grow from strength to strength in South Africa,” the company said.

“The latest research from GfK Retail and Technology confirms that BlackBerry is the leading smartphone vendor in South Africa, and three of our devices were the leading products within the smartphone market in April 2012,” the company added.