10 Youth Receive Motorcycles to Start Delivery Businesses in Mthatha

Ten unemployed young people from the OR Tambo District have been given the tools to start their own delivery businesses after receiving motorcycles and equipment worth R386,470 through a partnership between the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) and Kasi Delivery.

The handover took place during the provincial Youth Day celebrations at the eMaxesibeni Police Grounds in Alfred Nzo District, where Eastern Cape MEC for Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mlungisi Mvoko, presented the motorcycles to beneficiaries from Mthatha.

The latest group of 10 beneficiaries brings the total number of motorcycles distributed through the programme to 60 across the province. Previous handovers included 40 motorcycles in Gqeberha townships and 10 in Mdantsane.

According to ECDC Acting Chief Executive Officer Lionel Billings, the initiative began after Kasi Delivery approached the development agency with a proposal to help unemployed young people establish delivery businesses in township communities.

“The programme was designed to create sustainable opportunities for young people while also responding to growing demand in the delivery sector,” Billings said.

Each beneficiary received a motorcycle, carrier box, helmet, health and safety training, and one year of insurance cover. The motorcycles are registered in the beneficiaries’ own names.

Billings said supporting youth-owned businesses was one of the most meaningful ways to honour the legacy of the 1976 generation.

“Every business supported today represents an investment in a young entrepreneur who has chosen to create opportunities, build a sustainable livelihood and contribute to the economic growth of the Eastern Cape,” he said.

Kasi Delivery has also assisted participants in obtaining motorcycle learner’s licences and driver’s licences before entering the programme.

Kasi Delivery Head of Operations Theo Gora said the company was founded in 2018 with the goal of tackling unemployment and creating opportunities in the growing delivery and logistics industry.

He said more than 150 young people had been trained in Buffalo City Metro, 50 in Nelson Mandela Bay and 10 in the OR Tambo District since 2020.

“The beneficiaries receiving motorcycles today are fully licensed, trained and ready to work. Our goal is to expand this model to more townships across the Eastern Cape through partnerships with major delivery platforms,” Gora said.

One of the beneficiaries, Siyamtanda Dlengane, said the programme had provided practical skills, confidence and a route into the economy.

“My hope is that this opportunity will not only change my life, but also enable me to create opportunities and inspire other young people in my community,” he said.

Another beneficiary, Asanda Gcuma, described the motorcycle as a life-changing opportunity.

Gcuma said she is currently the only person in her household able to generate an income and hopes the business will help support her family and her mother, who lives with a permanent injury.

The programme forms part of ongoing efforts to promote youth entrepreneurship and create employment opportunities in communities facing high levels of unemployment.