Monde Ntoyanto is a young entrepreneur behind Culo’s Kitchen, an African cuisine cloud kitchen, in Kayamandi township (Stellenbosch). Serving African cooked meals is nothing new but the process of ordering online and picking up later is a new business model in a township economy environment. The business gets orders via Facebook and WhatsApp. Clients are able to pay via EFT. To deliver goods to local restaurants they also make use of Uber package service. This level of technology integration is unheard of for a township business. Businesses in townships have been slow to adopt technology however we are beginning to see a change. This is just one of the few businesses that is enabled by the digitisation process of townships in South Africa. In recent years, we’ve seen a proliferation of fibre businesses digging holes, setting up fibre poles to install fibre across South African townships. In Kayamandi where Monde operates, the connectivity is enabled by a number of internet service providers (Fibertime and Vumatel) that have made it easier for online businesses and solutions to emerge. As townships are getting wired, it’s about time that a support system is developed to ensure that township communities get full benefits of connectivity.
This matters as connectivity could also lead to useless activities that are not adding value. A question that should be upper most on our minds is whether connectivity is changing the lives of those who are connected? It’s probably too early to tell. There are signs however that we are likely to witness digital adoption at a scale that we’ve never seen before. It’s as if townships are undergoing an internet rebirth moment that we saw when the internet took off. What seems to be missing however is the support that should come with the massive connectivity that we are beginning to see in townships. What we see currently are green shoots of something far bigger to come. I’m convinced that South African townships can produce African technology unicorns. What is needed however is a support system that is tailored for growth of technology startups that can emerge out of townships. There’s something about current conditions in South African townships that requires entrepreneurs who grew up in townships to be the ones that are developing solutions. For that to happen there’s a need for entities that are similar to Y-Combinator and dedicated to ensuring that township inspired tech startups emerge. The Y-Combinator in the US succeeded in creating companies like AirBnb, DropBox and others that emerged out of Silicon valley. Through this startup accelerator young entrepreneurs with promising ideas could access funding, business support within a supportive network.
This approach could address the current unemployment challenge in townships. At the same time, technology startups that could emerge from townships can form part of developing solutions to major township challenges. Business activity is one way we can measure the impact of connectivity in townships. Beyond business we will have to look at how connectivity has improved access to health, education and information. These are just some of the few things that will form part of my research to study the Township Connectivity Impact. I’m looking forward to see more beneficiaries of connectivity in townships. As South Africa registers township businesses, there’s a need to gather quality data about activities that are advancing human lives across the board. If you know about anyone in any township whose life has been impacted by connectivity please let me know via LinkedIn: @WesleyDiphoko. Findings of this exercise will be published to enable better access to information about townships.
