On the Journey to a Better Future
Reading time: 3 minutes
Author: John Buckley, Sales Manager
Installed in taxis and busses across South Africa, Sebenza is currently providing commuters with 30,000 gigs of free data every month, with this set to grow steadily as we roll out the platform to thousands of installed vehicles in the coming years. Sebenza believes in using this kind of presence across South Africa for betterment and upliftment.
Working with brands
Recent and current brand campaigns on the platform have included several campaigns aimed at uplifting and educating taxi commuters; this is in line with the core vision and goals of Sebenza. These campaigns include:
- Greenpeace – educating the commuters on the effect of climate change and how they can contribute to countering the effects.
- Cadbury – only 5% of South African children’s books are translated into vernacular languages, enabling commuters to translate stories into their mother tongues. Good tales submitted on the platform were to the campaign library of contributions.
- aQuelle – this campaign educates the commuters on the high levels of diabetes in SA and the causes. In addition, it promotes drinking water as a healthy alternative to sugar-loaded drinks.
- SALGA (South African Local Government Association) – a campaign educating commuters on the importance of paying municipal rates, not using illegal electrical connections, etc. This campaign ensures that local community initiatives such as building schools and providing services such as refuse removal remain funded.
- McDonalds – Along with promoting meals, Mcdonald’s also uses Sebenza to promote their Together Mzansi initiatives which provide a mechanism for customers to support specific causes such as KZN Flood Relief and EC Drought Relief.
Upliftment in townships
As Sebenza taxis are present in many townships, our partners also call upon us to support their upliftment programs. It is our privilege to do so. During May, Sebenza provided Mediashop volunteers with taxi transport to the Arise and Shine Hope Centre in Freedom Park Soweto. As a result, the children in the daycare center listened to music, had lunch, and received generous donations of food and toys. In addition, we provided two Sebenza taxis for the transport of the MediaShop team, food for the event, and assistance. We also contributed toys and clothes.
Our platform’s involvement
We are committed to uplifting commuters and will also roll out free learning courses on the platform. In addition, our new jobs offering will ensure jobs offered to commuters are close to their homes to ensure that they do not have a long commute to work and thus save on travel costs.
Finding, nurturing, and providing exposure for talent amongst our loyal users is a crucial focus for Sebenza. Sebenza eKasi Racing is an excellent example of such an initiative – we partnered with Red Bull in 2022 to identify e-racing talent in Mamelodi. This test of concept activation was a huge success. We set up racing rigs in Tshwane Mall and invited locals to try to set the fastest lap times. The event’s winner beat the time of an experienced VW racing driver who works at Sebenza. We aim to roll out this initiative countrywide, identify the strongest candidates and provide them with accurate, on-track training – and ultimately find the next F1 driver champion from Africa.
Providing positive exposure to artists, musicians, and content creators is a priority for Sebenza. We are working to enable our audience to contribute to our content and to reward them for doing so. Our message to all is to join us on the journey to a better future – the time is now – so get on board!