Lockdown: ‘redefining moment’ for student’s start-up

03 November 2020 | Story Niémah Davids. Read time 4 min.
Tiang Moabelo said that he used the nationwide lockdown to reposition his business. <strong>Photo </strong><a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/dog-in-cardboard-box-in-empty-house-royalty-free-image/75393958?adppopup=true" target="_blank">Getty Images</a>.
Tiang Moabelo said that he used the nationwide lockdown to reposition his business. Photo Getty Images.

For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa, surviving the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown has taken grit and determination. For Tiang Moabelo, a University of Cape Town (UCT) student and founder of the start-up LoadALot, the past seven months have been a “redefining moment”.

The BCom Accounting student established his moving and logistics business in 2016. LoadALot is an online platform that takes the stress out of moving to a new house or office space and makes it a hassle-free experience.

Moabelo is no stranger to entrepreneurship. He has attempted a number of business ventures, including selling kotas (a traditional South African fast-food meal) to fellow students on campus.

When he established LoadALot, he started small, moving students in and out of residences, but soon expanded his service offering. He added a goods storage facility and interprovincial moving between Cape Town and Gauteng to his business’s list of services. Later this year, the business will also add Durban to its interprovincial moving list.

 

“Moving is a nightmare. So, we take that nightmare and change it into a pleasant dream.”

Clients who have used the service will agree that it’s an effortless experience. To get started they’re required to answer five simple questions on the LoadALot website. The system then generates an instant quote and the built-in calendar allows clients to select their preferred moving date and time.

Tiang Moabelo
Tiang Moabelo Photo Supplied.

“Moving is a nightmare. So, we take that nightmare and change it into a pleasant dream. We make moving simple,” he said.

Reinventing a business

Like many other SMEs in the country, Moabelo went back to the drawing board when the nationwide lockdown came into effect and his business operations ceased.

“We had for a while been thinking about moving with the times and incorporating the use of more technology into our business model. Lockdown was an opportune time to get working on those plans,” he said.

And that’s what he did. Together with his team, he used the first few months of lockdown to optimise his business. The end result is an artificial intelligence (AI) model with a built-in feature that allows users to photograph their living space. The system identifies the furniture in the room and feeds it directly to the LoadALot vehicle dispatch team. Based on the information the client provides, the system generates an instant online quote.

“The pandemic and lockdown were epiphany moments. They affirmed that technology is the only way to improve a business service. All of us relied heavily on it, and I knew I needed to make it work in my business,” Moabelo said.

Job creation

The LoadALot team has also contributed to job creation in the country in recent months. As demand for their service has increased, Moabelo has hired several drivers and moving assistants. His focus now is on growing his business and providing on-the-job training and development to unemployed youth, and creating an even bigger job pool.

 

“Nothing is more fulfilling than making a difference and an impact in the lives of those who need it most.”

“Nothing is more fulfilling than making a difference and an impact in the lives of those who need it most. At LoadALot our focus is on the youth and making a contribution in that area.”

To ensure an end-to-end seamless moving experience, LoadALot has partnered with storage facility Stor-Age, home-cleaning service SweepSouth, truck rental company Spartan Truck Hire and packaging supplier Ecobox.  

“These are leaders in their industries, and we are so happy to be working with them to meet our clients’ needs, grow our business and reach our goal – to create as many jobs as we can.”


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UCT’s response to COVID-19

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.

In July 2022, the University of Cape Town (UCT) revised its approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic on UCT campuses in 2022.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.

 

Campus communications

 
2022

Adjusting to our new environment 16:50, 23 June 2022
VC Open Lecture and other updates 17:04, 13 April 2022
Feedback from UCT Council meeting of 12 March 2022 09:45, 18 March 2022
UCT Council
March 2022 graduation celebration 16:45, 8 March 2022
Report on the meeting of UCT Council of 21 February 2022 19:30, 21 February 2022
UCT Council
COVID-19 management 2022 11:55, 14 February 2022
Return to campus arrangements 2022 11:15, 4 February 2022

UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre

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 Phakeng

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.


Thank You UCT Community

Frequently asked questions

 

Global Citizen Asks: Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe & Effective?

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.

 

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