In a bid to grow its presence in South African townships, Takealot is recruiting 1,000 last-mile delivery drivers in Mpumalanga, with plans to expand nationwide, reports the Sunday Times Business Times.

The initiative, launched in collaboration with the Mpumalanga provincial government, offers residents new opportunities in the ecommerce sector.

“This is the second province where the project has been launched, [but] it will eventually reach the rest of the country,” says Tshepo Maramule, Takealot’s head of external affairs and public policy.

“These drivers will not only work for Mr D, they will also deliver parcels to consumers from Takealot,” Maramule explained. “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.”

This initiative follows a similar program launched in Johannesburg, where Takealot introduced a township-focused delivery strategy aimed at enhancing access to ecommerce for underserved communities. Working closely with local government, the Johannesburg rollout saw hundreds of drivers trained and integrated into Takealot’s delivery network, supporting both Mr D and Takealot’s parcel delivery services.

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