Local food delivery service KasiD is targeting exponential growth this year, aiming to be in more than 60% of the 532 townships in South Africa.
So says founder and CEO Freddy Mahhumane, telling ITWeb about the platform’s short- to long-term goals. “We’re nearly there,” he said about reaching more townships.
“When we started KasiD, we only had nine employees, but we now have 210 employees – directly employed by KasiD. Our main impact will be in the short-term, making sure we touch each township digitally. We are mainly seen as a delivery service, but we’d also like to see ourselves as a digital platform. We want to digitise the business in the township.
“We just registered our business in Namibia and partnered with Spar International as well, so we’re hoping to go international.”
Mahhumane and Rita Zwane, MD of Imbizo Shisanyama (formerly Busy Corner), were part of the group of small business owners who participated in the recent launch of First National Bank’s (FNB’s) Agency Plus banking solution, where they spoke about business opportunities in the township economy.
KasiD made its debut during the COVID-19 pandemic, targeting food delivery services in areas shunned by players like Mr D and Uber Eats because of safety concerns.
It started operations in Tembisa, Midrand, Kempton Park, Ivory Park, Kloorkop and Kaalfontein, with the promise of expanding to most townships in SA.
Mahhumane describes KasiD as a last-mile solution and fulfilment partner, with companies such as RTT’s Courierit and Spar2U, as well as its consumer-facing mobile app available for download from any app store. The app allows users to order food and value-added services from township restaurants.
He explained the motivation behind KasiD stemmed from wanting to offer a service that was moving out of the townships, because some big businesses saw them as “dangerous” places to operate.
The business tries to empower and digitise the township, making sure to build a platform that people in the township can be proud of and help digitise some of the services in these areas, he adds.
“This platform aims to empower restaurant owners. Last year alone, we circulated R4.5 million to restaurant owners through our service. This means we have people buying from our platform and that money is taken back to the so-called informal businesses.
“In order to empower these businesses, we need to digitise. The world is moving to a digital space and we must invest a lot to make sure we educate our people around digital payments, etc.”
Through its new offering, FNB says it enables access to basic banking services via the FNB app or cellphone banking (USSD).
Agency Plus enables users to deposit cash into an FNB account and withdraw cash from their FNB account or eWallet at a local shop or small business registered as an Agency Plus agent.
FNB has 70 active Agency Plus sites in various regional communities across the country, including Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape.
Mahhumane says 60% of the money that circulates within the township economy is formal, with the reason being that it is digitised. “The other 40% is informal because it’s not digitised, so there’s a 40% opportunity to digitise and innovate in the township.”
KasiD has more than 100 motorbikes serving township customers, with people able to pay via cash-on-delivery, he notes.
“My drivers currently drive around carrying money. They can now deposit the money immediately at a local shop and don’t have to drive far to find a bank.
“This has opened an opportunity of safety for my drivers…it means I get to financially track in real-time how the business day is going and not wait for the driver to come back with the money.
“We look forward to more partnerships like this. We recently partnered with another retailer where we also have our own KasiD wallet where our customers can withdraw or send each other money within the township economy.”
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