Zim grocery app shows SA’s got talent

Out of Africa, the old saying goes, there is always something new. And out of adversity, Africans always find a way to survive.

The latest example of that is in the enterprising idea to engineer a digital app so that Zimbabweans living in South Africa can now buy groceries for their struggling families at home – and have those groceries get through safely to their destination.

South Africa is literally a lifeline for Zimbabweans trying to survive in an economy always teetering on the verge of collapse. Thousands of Zimbabweans here send food and other supplies north across the border every month. But often those goods don’t get to their intended recipients, because of extortion and illegal confiscations, or theft, along the way.

Now, all a person has to do is download the app, buy groceries and pay online here and the goods will be available for collection from central warehouses in various centres in Zimbabwe.

Of course, it would be far better if there was no need for such an app, because there would be a strong Zimbabwean economy.

Sadly, though, that doesn’t look like a realistic prospect – at least in the short or medium term. So, expect more innovative, home-grown survival strategies.

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