Sizwe Nzima(23), is an inspirational business man from the Western Cape township of Khayelitsha. He has started a business called Iyeza Express and the core function of the small start-up is to collect and deliver chronic medication from clinics and deliver it to residents in the local area.
This inventive business is addressing the long-standing social problem of overcrowding in public health facilities. Instead of standing in long queues for hours, Nzima’s Iyeza Express collects vital medication from local clinics and delivers them by bicycle to Khayelitsha residents, at their homes.
The idea has proven itself to be a time-saver, a real help to less able people, an eco-friendly initiative and profitable for Sizwe and his colleagues.
Sizwe has two business partners and he says that the group is committed to building the economy and solving social issues. “We are all about social change and we are coming up with business ideas that can change society, help our community and uplift the economy.
“Business isn’t just about making money, but also about bringing about positive change.”
After completing an intensive business training course at the Raymond Ackerman Academy, Sizwe started the company in May 2012 and instantly began addressing the problem of busy clinics, a problem which he witnessed personally.
“I used to collect medication for my grandma for three years and experienced first-hand what happens. I have personal experience of what it was like to actually stand in queues for more than four or five hours to collect your meds. And it frustrated me. Every time I went to the clinic, I got frustrated.”
“I thought to myself that I must do something and that surely there must be a need for a service that would streamline the process.”
Nzima discovered that while there are charities that collected medication for elderly or bed-ridden patients, there was nothing in place for the working person who was being forced to waste working hours queuing for medication.
“These were people who would happily pay for affordable delivery of their medicine, allowing them to save their sick leave – if they get any – for days when they are really ill.
What I’m doing is helping to improve people’s quality of life and life expectancy
“The service encourages people to go to work and stay healthy as they aren’t tempted to stop taking their life-saving medication because they have run out,” he said. “What I’m doing is helping to improve people’s quality of life and life expectancy.”
One major obstacle the business had to overcome was the initial stigma attached to it: Sizwe’s company initially only delivered HIV medication. This meant many would-be customers were embarrassed to use the service as their HIV status would invariably be exposed by the appearance of IyezaExpress on their doorstep. To overcome this concern, Sizwedecided to take on the extra work and began delivering multiple kinds of chronic medication; it was at this point that his business really began to flourish. He now employs six people and caters to nearly 1,000 clients, but his business is already crying out for increased manpower as it continues to grow.
Sizwe speaks of his most exciting entrepreneurial moment to date: “We have moved into a new office, our own office space. I’m going to take a picture of me sitting at my desk. And I’m going to frame it and write a slogan down at the bottom of the picture that says: “I used to dream of working in an office, now I have my own.” The fact that I actually have an office is very exciting for me.”
Sizwe has already gained a place on Forbes Magazine’s 30 under-30 Africa’s best young entrepreneurs list, a compilation of Africa’s best and brightest across real estate, financial services, manufacturing, media, tech, green tech, healthcare, agriculture and fashion. Forbes says of the names on the list: “Together, they represent the entrepreneurial, innovative and intellectual best of their generation.”
The young entrepreneur already has plans in place for further expansion and he is looking to bring his services to other parts of Cape Town and, eventually, roll out on a national basis.
“In order to be able to service a certain capacity you have to have the resources. We went out to the clinics and got new clients signed up every day, up to 25 or 30. In a month we could gain 200 new clients. So numbers were rising rapidly but then we started having late deliveries and some mix ups of deliveries… all because we didn’t yet have the resources to be able to serve that particular capacity. Hence I say: to grow our business we must balance supply with demand.”
“For me, this is a national problem and it needs a national solution. The sky is the limit,”
He reflects on some lessons that he learnt when he started off and the key values that he runs his business by.
“I have learnt that while money and revenue is important, service is even more important. I have also learnt that instead of just chasing new clients and marketing, I must actually make sure that I can manage the ones that I have and can give them a good service, before taking on new clients. They say clients are walking billboards… so for me providing a quality service is important, more than anything else. Because that is the best way to grow the business and gain new clients. The customer is king.”
Sizwe has also announced that he and his partners are looking into initiatives surrounding recycling and youth education on gang membership.
“I believe young people have the power to change the world, if the youth can understand this, they will stop focusing on things like drugs and crime. We can change the world, make it safer and improve our economy in this way,” he said.
The social good done by Sizwe’s business cannot be underestimated. Prior to Iyeza Express, many sickly Khayelitsha residents would wake before sunrise in order to guarantee a spot near the front of the queue for their chronic medication and, even then, many would have to wait up to five hours in the clinic lines. If one were to factor in the compounded transport costs to get to the clinic on top of lost working hours, it would be no exaggeration to say Nzima’s business has had untold economic benefits for the entire community. This entrepreneur and his ideas are truly having a positive effect on people in need and this is refreshing in a time where most entrepreneurs are driven solely by profits and margins, no matter what the cost.
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