Homegrown Bicycle Delivery Service Creates Jobs for Youth in Langa

Colin Mkosi founded Cloudy Deliveries in February 2020. It employs more than a dozen delivery drivers.

Law student Colin Mkosi was studying at home one day when he came up with the idea for Cloudy Deliveries, a bicycle delivery service in Langa, a township in Cape Town. He wanted a snack from the local shop, but didn’t want to go there himself.

“I thought it would be a great idea to be able to call someone to your house, give them a list of all the things that you wanted, then have them go there and come back again, charging a fee,” Mkosi said. “And I thought it would be a great idea if they could use bicycles for efficiency.”

Delivery services such as UberEats and Takealot are booming in central and suburban parts of Cape Town. But Mkosi says these services do not reach Langa due to the crime risk.

Mkosi saved up money to buy four secondhand bicycles, and in February 2020, he launched Cloudy Deliveries with co-founder Sive Cabuko.

The business now employs more than a dozen local delivery cyclists. A few of the bikes are electric, with a battery pack, but most are standard. Shipping containers serve as the company’s headquarters, where the bicycles are repaired and maintained.

The employees deliver a range of items, including food takeaways, groceries, and laundry. At times, they also run errands for Langa residents, including filling gas tanks and paying bills.

“Ever since we started the business, the community has really welcomed us,” Mkosi said.

Herique Mbiza is one of Cloud Delivery’s drivers. The business offices are in containers, where bikes are maintained and drivers and school children can access the internet to do their work.

22-year-old delivery driver Herique Mbiza has been working with Cloudy Deliveries for two months. “If it’s a good day, I can complete 15 deliveries,” he said.

More than 62% of people between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed in South Africa.

Mkosi said working for Cloudy Deliveries gave young people a chance to generate some money for themselves. “It gives them an opportunity to do something with their lives, away from the streets and all the things that are negative that are going on in the community.”

Delivery drivers get one meal a day, including after-school meals for high school learners working part-time. Learners can also work in the office space where they can access computers and reliable internet.

In 2021, Cloudy Deliveries won first place in the city’s YouthStart Entrepreneurial Challenge. They also won the 2024 DHL Route to Market Challenge.

Mkosi said they hope to expand to other areas in Cape Town. “We want to grow beyond Langa,” he said. “In other Black communities, a service like this is not available, so we’d like to introduce it to those communities and see where it takes us.”

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