You are currently viewing Sizwe Cele: Building things and solving problems around transportation and internet access in South Africa with Khomba and Socly

Sizwe Cele: Building things and solving problems around transportation and internet access in South Africa with Khomba and Socly

In this episode, meet Sizwe Cele, the co-founder of Khomba, a startup tackling the optimization of transportation with mini busses in South Africa. More than anything Sizwe seems to love to build products and solutions for all sorts of problems he comes across.

In his early twenties, he built a product to lend out heavy machinery that sits idle. He built an app for schools. And a host of other things. Even though he was excited about these products, getting someone to pay for them or use them often proved a challenge. So for some time he dedicated himself to building a digital agency before going back to building tech solutions.

In the interview Sizwe shares:

  • Why in his mid twenties, he downgraded, moved back in with his parents and refused to do anything except things he was passionate about
  • How him and his co-founder started working on Khomba and developed a deep understanding of the complexities of the mini bus transportation market in South Africa
  • How to attract amazing talent to your startup or project

…and what his advice for young South Africans is. He also shares about how he gets to work and connect with anyone he wants to work with and how he manages his time, working on several projects in parallel.

We hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did. And now, without further ado, enter Sizwe Cele.

Thomas

Thomas is initiator of Africax.org, co-founder of ecological sanitation company EcoToiletten, digital automation agency Strandschicht and the non-profit tackling youth empowerment YES Founders Foundation. He co-authored a book on Youth-led Changemaking and coaches entrepreneurs on resilience and mental well-being.