SOUTH AFRICA: South African entrepreneur delivers life saving drugs to doorsteps, makes it to Forbes list.

Record ID: 459226

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: South African entrepreneur delivers life saving drugs to doorsteps, makes it to Forbes list.
  • Date: 27th June 2013
  • Summary: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VIEW OF KHAYELITSHA SETTLEMENT IN CAPE TOWN VARIOUS OF SIZWE NZIMA, ENTREPRENEUR, LEAVING ON BIKE NZIMA RIDING THROUGH SETTLEMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) SIZWE NZIMA, ENTREPRENEUR SAYING: "I had been experiencing the problem of having to stand in long queues for long hours, and actually waking up early in the morning and travell
  • Embargoed: 12th July 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Economy,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9PZEQWDYGZ95M8EXZ247BFLP7
  • Story Text: South African entrepreneur, Sizwe Nzima earned a spot on Forbes magazine's 30 under 30 of Africa's best entrepreneurs list, for his innovative business idea to collect and distribute medications from public hospitals and clinics, to the doorsteps of ailing patients in Cape Town's townships.



    Sizwe Nzima is out doing door to door deliveries of life saving medicine to clients in South Africa's Khayetlitsha Township.
    The entrepreneur lives in Cape Town and runs a bicycle courier business in the city known as Iyeza Express, which wants to bring down the number of people who line up in public health centers everyday to pick up chronic medication.
    Nzima says he used to spend long hours collecting medicines for his grandmother and decided to provide this much needed service when he realized many other people were losing valuable hours queuing as well.
    "I had been experiencing the problem of having to stand in long queues for long hours, and actually waking up early in the morning and travelling to the hospitals. So I had personal experience of it and while I was at the Raymond Ackerman Academy I also read in the newspaper how hospitals couldn't cope with the large increase of chronic patients. And I thought, ok, let me combine the personal experience I had and some of the information I read in the newspaper and come up with an idea which will solve this problem," he said.
    The 21-year-old recently made it on to this year's Forbes top 30 under 30 entrepreneurs in Africa.
    According to the influential business magazine, Nzima runs an innovative enterprise which has helped reduce overcrowding at public health facilities, saving time and money for his clients while at the same time creating a source of income for his family and jobs for his employees.
    "I felt really motivated when I made it onto the Forbes list. At first, I couldn't believe it, but as time went on, I thought ok, well this is real. But, it really motivated me to know tell me that you have the potential, you can make it into the Forbes with young promising entrepreneurs around Africa. I mean that proves that the business has potential and I, Sizwe Nzima, also have potential to make this business a success. It just motivated me to say this is where the real hard work starts," he said.
    Nzima spends most of his day snaking through streets and footpaths in Khayelitsha. He holds a diploma in paralegal studies and credits his achievements to a six month business course he took at the country's Raymond Ackerman Academy of Entrepreneurial Development last year.
    Nzima won 1,000 U.S. dollars for best entrepreneurial student while at the academy and used it to buy bicycles and set up his business last October.
    He now has a client base of about 250 people. It costs clients 1 US dollar to have a package delivered.
    Iyeza Express has employed four people so far, to help distribute the medicine parcels. Athenkosi Mongo is one of them.
    "Being part of 'Iyeza' is wonderful because we are like a family and people we go to, bringing medicine to their doorsteps; it brings such a sense of relief. Also to see them smile and saying thank you, there's nothing that beats it," he said.
    Nzima's last delivery today is for his grandmother, he's brought medicines to help manage her high blood pressure.
    He plans to partner with the town's health department in future to enable him expand his business to other parts of Cape Town which he says will make it easier for more sick and elderly people to access their medication.
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