Telkom’s enterprise and supplier development initiative, FutureMakers, as well as the Telkom Consumer and Small Business (CSB) Retail, announced today that they have strengthened their relationship with Delivery Ka Speed.
Delivery Ka Speed is a 100% black youth-owned and township-based delivery service SME, by donating bikes to 10 drivers and investing further in the SME.
It is an innovative township delivery platform that connects customers with local restaurants and merchants, is a strategic partner to bolstering Telkom’s job creation mandate.
Initially, Delivery Ka Speed operated the 10 delivery bikes provided by Telkom in the Hammanskraal and Pretoria areas. The bikes, worth R300,000, were gifted to the drivers on a rent-to-own basis.
“Today, we are officially handing over the 10 bikes to these young drivers. They now own the bikes, enabling them to operate independently while servicing Delivery Ka Speed customers,” said Tshepo Phetla, Head of Business Development at Telkom FutureMakers, during the official bike handover event in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg.
As a key partner in the Telkom Consumer Dealer Programme, Delivery Ka Speed plays a crucial role in distributing Telkom products in under-serviced areas. Since acquiring the bikes in September 2023, Delivery Ka Speed has expanded its services beyond Hammanskraal and Pretoria. The delivery points now include townships like Soweto and KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga, extending their reach within the targeted provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo, North West, and Mpumalanga.
This aligns with Telkom’s Township Strategy, which is dedicated to creating accessible touchpoints for consumers in township and rural areas to connect with Telkom products and services.
“The partnership with Telkom FutureMakers and Delivery Ka Speed has been a game changer. We had to rethink how we do business for the better and have scale and customer experience as top of our priorities. With the help of Telkom FutureMakers, we have been able to secure much needed funding to grow our business and to date we have managed to create over 100 job opportunities for the youth,” states Godi Mogajane, CEO and founder Delivery Ka Speed.
With the rapid shift towards a digital-first lifestyle, the demand for data and other digital products has increased. To tackle the connectivity challenges in underserviced areas, Delivery Ka Speed was onboarded as a Consumer Dealer.
Furthermore, in December 2023, Aions, Telkom’s ICT venture builder, made a R3 million equity investment in Delivery Ka Speed to support their expansion plans.
“I love businesses that are based around solving problems. Delivery Ka Speed in particular speaks to me because I know the communities that they aim to service, and I love the solution that they have come up with. Godi himself is actually really young, but you would never tell by the way he carries himself and his approach towards running a business,” said Mitch Adams, CEO at Aions.
“He gives me comfort that we have chosen to back the right company and this is further reflected in the people he has chosen to help drive the mission forward. It gives me so much hope for the country interacting with this team and I look forward to celebrating all the successes ahead of them.”
Phetla concluded. “Through this support and investment in Delivery Ka Speed, more communities can benefit from the accessibility and connectivity that Telkom products provide, while creating much-needed jobs. We are excited to see how this collaboration continues to grow and positively impact communities across the country.”
