Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the spectrum in South Africa have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions. But a group of solutions-driven students at the University of Cape Town (UCT) have not taken this lying down.
Instead, they’ve used the crisis as an opportunity to come up with multiple ways to support SMEs during and after the pandemic. Students developed and pitched their ideas during a week-long coding competition organised by the UCT Developer Society in partnership with the Developer Student Club (DSC).
Requirements were simple: students had just 100 hours to build a working solution for small businesses and six minutes to pitch to a panel of judges, giving examples of why they felt their idea was feasible. Solutions were judged on presentation, technical excellence and the potential to scale it for an SME or non-profit organisation. The event proved to be a fitting close to a challenging first semester.
“It was an awesome competition with some brilliant solutions for the given theme.”
Roughly 15 teams, comprising a total of 40 students, participated in the event, which was sponsored by Yoco, an African technology company that builds tools and services to help small businesses get paid and run effectively.
“It was an awesome competition with some brilliant solutions for the given theme,” said DSC lead, Jonathan Hart.
Yoco selected three winning teams and awarded them with R5 000 (first prize), R3 000 (second prize) and R2 000 (third prize). To actuate their idea and bring it to SMEs a lot faster, Yoco’s chief technology officer agreed to mentor the winning team.
Snap the menu
The winning team, SnapMenu, created a digital menu that allows customers to access a restaurant’s menu with a simple tap of a smartphone camera. The system’s built-in functionality also easily allows customers to pay the bill and tip the waiter or waitress.
The system provides minimal contact between the customer and the waiter or waitress, which is critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data-driven techniques inspired by e-commerce, the digital menu means the establishment can also collect “insightful” information on customer behaviour, as well as their likes and dislikes.
The brains behind SnapMenu are Max Tyrrell, Shai Unterslak and Gabriel Stein. The team have already partnered with Max Bagels in Cape Town to trial this digital solution.
A tech ‘syndikit’
Team Syndikit was awarded second place.
Syndikit is a comprehensive integrated tooling platform built with SMEs and informal traders in mind.
Devised by Kialan Pillay, Insaaf Dhansay and Johns Paul, the platform is centred around crowdsourced analytics and enables merchants to track their sales performance and compare it to the sector they operate in.
“Syndikit also allows businesses to manage employees’ personal information.”
Syndikit also allows businesses to manage employees’ personal information and contains a built-in feature that enhances an SME’s search for funding opportunities.
Quick thinking with Qwikly
Team Qwikly came in third place.
Developed by Stephen Boikanyo and Klensch Lucas, Qwikly is a mobile application that allows SMEs to accept a tap-to-pay option straight from customers’ cards or phones, using the business’s smartphone.
SMEs can use the Qwikly app to convert their phones into a point-of-sale system and access features like a virtual bank card and digital slips for customers. It also provides a smart and efficient method for customers to view deals before making a purchase.
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COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March 2020. UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.
Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has in June 2022 repealed some of South Africa’s remaining COVID-19 regulations: namely, sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions under the National Health Act. We are now no longer required to wear masks or limit gatherings. Venue restrictions and checks for travellers coming into South Africa have now also been removed.
On Wednesday, 20 July, staff from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences came together with representatives from the Western Cape Government at the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre at Forest Hill Residence to acknowledge the centre’s significance in the fight against COVID-19 and to thank its staff for their contributions. The centre opened on 1 September 2021 with the aim of providing quality vaccination services to UCT staff, students and the nearby communities, as well as to create an opportunity for medical students from the Faculty of Health Sciences to gain practical public health skills. The vaccination centre ceased operations on Friday, 29 July 2022.
With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.
“After almost a year of operation, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, located at the Forest Hill residence complex in Mowbray, will close on Friday, 29 July 2022. I am extremely grateful and proud of all staff, students and everyone involved in this important project.”
– Vice-Chancellor Prof Mamokgethi PhakengWith the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.
UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) collaborated with Global Citizen, speaking to trusted experts to dispel vaccine misinformation.
If you have further questions about the COVID-19 vaccine check out the FAQ produced by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF). The DTHF has developed a dedicated chat function where you can ask your vaccine-related questions on the bottom right hand corner of the website.
IDM YouTube channel | IDM website
“As a contact university, we look forward to readjusting our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2023 as the COVID-19 regulations have been repealed.”
– Prof Harsha Kathard, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning
We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.