Basket Ecommerce activates 250 businesses in Kayamandi

Africa Agriculture E-Commerce Entrepreneurs Technology

In 2024, Basket Ecommerce continues to lead in AgriTech innovation after their notable success in the 2022 Township Tech Hackathon’s Fintech/Commerce category, run by UVU Africa, formerly known as the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative – CiTi.

Within two days, they activated over 250 informal shops in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch.

Basket Ecommerce aims to onboard at least 500 suppliers to their database in the coming weeks, significantly aiding marginalized areas with technological advancements. They are addressing community economic and food security challenges by connecting farmers with suppliers and drivers. Their platform facilitates market access, ensuring that fresh produce from farmers reaches the community efficiently, with orders delivered within 24 to 48 business hours.

Since winning the Township Tech category, Basket Ecommerce has reinvested its proceeds and maintained consistency, enabling it to employ more than 15 young people in sales and marketing roles. Co-founders Lunga Hamilton Momoza, Vuyani Ndlovu, and Esihle Vellem also focus on upskilling their team with technology and customer service training.

Momoza remarked on their journey, emphasizing their vision of bridging the AgriTech gap in Africa. “Fighting youth unemployment and fostering technological development within townships has always been central to our business. By innovating in often overlooked spaces, we drive economic growth and innovation,” he said. The team at Basket Ecommerce aims to reduce the 64.18% youth unemployment rate in South Africa through their initiatives.

“We are introducing, improving, and innovating communities like Kayamandi and individuals like the 250 spaza shop traders in Stellenbosch. These entrepreneurs face significant economic challenges, including limited access to financial and working capital. Outdated supply chain systems force spaza shop traders to spend an average of one hour and 25 minutes daily searching for reliable, efficient, convenient, and affordable suppliers to avoid losing essential consumers.

“Due to stock limitations and unreliable suppliers, spaza traders struggle in a competitive market that demands excellent product availability and service. Finding a reliable supplier is crucial for them to maintain a sustainable market share and feed their families,” Momoza explained.

Basket Ecommerce is tapping into a substantial addressable market of around 10,000 informal spaza shop traders in the Western Cape, who face similar challenges and are eager to adopt new technologies to grow their businesses.

“This is just one part of the customer insights we’ve gathered during our pilot in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch. We will reveal more insights from the past month in the coming days,” Momoza concluded.

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Lonwabo Marele
Founder & CEO at Successful Journals