In an effort to grow its presence in South African townships, Takealot Group plans to recruit 1,000 last-mile delivery drivers in Mpumalanga, and scale that around the country.
The online retailer launched the programme in collaboration with the Mpumalanga provincial government, exposing residents in the province to opportunities in the e-commerce sector.
Tshepo Marumule, Takealot Group’s head of external affairs and public policy, said that while this was the second province where the project had been launched, he believed it would eventually reach the rest of the country.
"These drivers will not only work for Mr D, they will also deliver parcels to consumers from Takealot. People need to know that they don’t have to go all the way to Mbombela to have access to what they need as they can have it delivered."
While at first they are targeting a limited number of drivers, he believes that as the rate of demand continues to grow, there will be a need to increase the driver population in the area.
Last-mile delivery has been on the rise in the country since 2020, with townships seeing the growth of online delivery platforms. These include Delivery ka Speed, Ekasi Deliveries, and KasiD, which operate where big brands such as Uber Eats and Mr Delivery withdrew their services due to safety concerns.
Marumule said that while the challenges tend to be similar in Mpumalanga, the group was adopting measures to ensure the safety of the drivers.
"Safety and security are a big concern, and we are working to address that. We are also engaging with the provincial government to see how else we can prioritise the wellbeing of the drivers."
According to research by parent companies Naspers and Prosus, global demand for last-mile delivery is set to increase by 78% by 2030, with the sector set to grow to R43bn in Africa.
Marumule said they found that people from townships were often scared to ride traditional motorcycles, which prompted Takealot to introduce electric bicycles as an alternative.
"To mitigate this, we are getting some of the drivers on electric bicycles as an entry point, to make sure that they are comfortable before we get them on motorcycles."
Marumule said electric bicycles were also beneficial as many cities already had bike lanes the drivers could use, providing another layer of safety for them on the roads.
"We are running a pilot project in Cape Town focusing on the conditions for the drivers on the roads and how we can make sure they are safe, have rest places on the streets and are able to operate effortlessly."
They have partnered with a company to assist with training teenagers to ride motorcycles.
"We have to be honest, not everyone will be accepted into a university and it’s important to make these children aware that last-mile delivery is a viable job opportunity."
As part of the launch Takealot also introduced local entrepreneurs to its SME marketplace and industrialisation programme, as access to markets has been identified as a challenge.
"Technology and e-commerce present opportunities to entrepreneurs and we want to assist them in learning how they can use our platform to grow their businesses."
Marumule said a dedicated team was appointed to offer assistance to township businesses that want to use e-commerce. The company was offering more support in these areas to promote accessibility, even in remote areas.
Makhosazane Masilela, MEC for economic development and tourism in Mpumalanga, said the project was a significant milestone for the province as it would ramp up job creation and support SMEs.
"SMEs are the backbone of the economy and create more jobs than big businesses. If we want to accelerate economic growth, we need to bring them into the fold," she said.
Masilela said the project was part of the provincial government’s efforts to grow small and medium-sized businesses through its integrated SMME strategy.
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