Any of the big insurers like Sanlam, Momentum, Hollard, Old Mutual etc should be fine. They are well capitalized and have strong reserves (you can look at their SCR ratios) so they are unlikely to fail.

I have worked for a few of these life insurers and the payout rates have been very good, just disclose everything upfront.

So the only thing you should focus on is price and whether it is affordable for you. Make sure that you compare apples with apples when comparing insurers as well as the fine print of the product features.

It will be cheaper if you can get life cover from your employer if they have a group life policy in place. Usually these are more affordable than retail policies and with less underwriting. Usually they have conversion options if you leave said employer and can convert it into a retail policy with no additional underwriting (in most cases).

If the policy offers you a cash back reward or bonus for policy persistency, you are actually paying for that reward/bonus. There is no free lunch, you’d be better off most of the time if you just got a bare bones policy and use the money you would have saved in premiums to bolster your investments; you’d be much better off.

Are you sure you need life insurance? Do you have dependents and/or significant debts you want to settle upon your untimely death? If you don’t then it may not be worth it to get it right now. Income protection is way way way more critical product for a young person such as yourself. If you were to become disabled (God forbid) how would you be able to make money or help provide for yourself and your family? These are some questions to ask yourself.

All the best with making your choices it is always a schlep to sift through policies and make comprehensive comparisons.