Some 2 000 delivery personnel and 700 restaurants were targeted with Uber Eats R200 million investment over the next three years.
This investment is an ongoing effort which will go towards hardware, training, campaigns, and account support.
Uber Eats has signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED), to implement the Township Development Act by leveraging the power of technology to create earning opportunities for merchants and delivery people in township communities.
The initiative will be rolled out in phases over the course of the three years. By March next, Uber Eats was aiming to onboard 200 merchants and 150 delivery people.
Nakampe Molewa, General Manager for Uber Eats Sub Saharan Africa explains said this MoU aimed to stimulate township economies through digitalisation. “Uber Eats is perfectly positioned to deliver on this goal, harnessing our technology to uplift township economies and transform the lives of township residents. Our commitment will also make township markets more viable for local technology platforms, with more delivery people and merchants online,” Molewa said.
MEC Tasneem Motara of the GDED said they have launched this initiative in line with the Township Economic Development Act of 2022, which aimed to unlock economic development for SMEs in township communities. "We are pleased to have partners such as Uber Eats team up with us in our vision of enabling over 10,000 township businesses to access growth opportunities. This is an outstanding example of the power of public-private partnerships and we are proud to be working together on a project which is certain to change the lives of thousands of South Africans,” Motara said.
The guidance received by participants would equip them with skills to function in the digital economy, while also helping to bridge the townships’ digital divide. Molewa added that the partnership provided a platform to invite emerging online e-commerce platforms to participate in township economies and, on the flip side, made it possible for township enterprises to expand their reach beyond local markets.
Through this partnership, township businesses would be able to access new opportunities, reaching a broader customer base and expanding market reach.
Motara said this has positive implications not only for job creation but would also help to grow the economy of Gauteng. She adds that further economic growth and diversification in the townships would be driven by the attention attracted by the strategic partnership, which would lead to more investment from various sectors. “This will help us develop a vibrant and competitive economy in the townships, especially in the digital sector.”
Molewa said when they first started operating in South Africa 10 years ago, they committed to creating an impact as a partner for continued growth, driving innovation in communities. "And we plan to continue in this manner.”
In their a presentation titled Redefining the Role of Townships in Economic Development, Mathopane Masha and Thato Bopape said the Gauteng economy had major structural problems characterized by massive unemployment, poverty, inequality and exclusion of a large number of the black population from meaningful economic participation and ownership. They added that most of these people were in townships (70-80%) which have been turned to mainly centres of consumption rather than productive economic activities.
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