KASI DELIVERY APP ONBOARDS 14 BIKES

Freddy Mahhumane

Founder of KasiD a food delivery App that can also be accessed through WhatsApp. The App offers informal restaurants in the township of Thembisa, Soweto, and Mamelodi easy and fast food delivery services. Restaurants can reach customers

15km away, delivering to their doorstep. KasiD increased the restaurants’ revenue tremendously within 2 months, achieving sales of over R 200,000 in the KasiD app.

Please give us your background. What are your qualifications and previous employment?

I’m from Thembisa. I did not complete varsity mainly because of my interest in entrepreneurship. However, I am a huge learner. There are various methods of acquiring knowledge, including digital learning and learning useful skills from people we meet. I’m currently teaching two of our drivers programming; they won’t have to attend school.

How did KasiD start?

Big competitors, such as Mr. D and Uber Eats, do not service informal restaurants and have a lot of red tape when it comes to onboarding them. I wanted to provide job opportunities for young people in and around my community. I assist them in obtaining bike training and hire them as bike drivers.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in the business?

Developing a marketing strategy because this type of technological advancement had not been thoroughly tested in the townships. Restaurant owners were hesitant to go digital. End users were also nervous to entrust us with their banking information. For a while, they preferred a cash-on-delivery service. We teach them how to use the app while also building trust with both the restaurants and their customers. The safety issue hit me when Uber Eats announced that they were discontinuing operations in Soweto due to attacks on their bike drivers. We partner with the restaurant owners by giving back

10% of the delivery fee to them, this also helps build relationships with the community. I recognize that to help the community grow, I need to invest in its businesses. This puts us at a much lower risk of criminal attacks.

How would you explain a day in the Kasi D business operation?

We have 14 delivery bikes in Thembisa. We also accept people who ride their bikes. As of next year, we hope to have 10 people in Protea Glen and 10 people in Mamelodi East riding their bikes.

What does it to qualify as a registered restaurant on KasiD?

All you need is at least a 2-plate stove. The business doesn’t have to be registered, we look at the quality of the food, the packaging and the presentation as a whole. We train restaurant owners to see themselves as competitors to large fast food outlets.

Have you always known that you’re an entrepreneur?

My parents taught me entrepreneurial skills. They used to sell veggies and snacks growing up and we helped pack all of that. I didn’t know at the time that I was learning commercial skills. Years later, when I proposed a solution for Multichoice and they went ahead with the idea, I realized I had a different trail of thought to problems.