A young Owen Lekala is a student at the Tshwane University of Technology but he never ditched his business aspirations as he developed an e-hailing application.
Lekala is just 21 years old and managed to save his National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) allowance to fund his brightest idea.
He is the owner of Hike, an application that doesn’t charge the commission and Lekala reveals he realised his dream by eating cheap food at varsity.
Born and bred outside of Witbank, in Mpumalanga, Lekala comes from an underprivileged background but with the support of his family, he excelled at school.
“I made a bit of money there and funded other ideas which, unfortunately, failed. But this did not dissuade me, and I pushed forward,” said Lekala as per IOL.
“I created Hike because I saw the need for an e-hailing app that is affordable for people. When I would request, I would hear about the drivers complaining about the commission, and students as well would criticise the expensive rides that the companies offer.
“So, I sought to make something that would be affordable for both users and drivers.”
When the world was still battling against Covid-19 struck in 2021, Lekala stashed away over R7 000 from the financial aid scheme, NSFAS, over several months and this all came through sacrifices.
“Most of my friends laughed when they saw the type of food I was buying. My roommate and I would each put forth R500 and would go to the shops. We subsisted on eggs, maize meal, and other cheap student foods,” he added.
There is definitely no successful business idea without proper research and Lekala is no exception as he sourced valuable information from YouTube.
The TUT student also revealed that he is inspired by SA-born American businessman Elon Musk who is the new owner of Twitter.
“He makes the impossible possible, and he is also innovative and forward-thinking,” he concluded.
While the application is currently only available in Gauteng, the young businessman plans to succeed in the province before extending his dream into the rest of the country and the neighbouring countries.
According to his website, Lekala boasts over 101 drivers with over 19 525 app installations and he prioritises safety above anything.
Main Image: Owen Lekala/Twitter
The post Owen Lekala: Meet a young student who developed an e-hailing app using NSFAS money appeared first on Entertainment SA - South African Entertainment News, Celebrity and Lifestyle Online Magazine & Entertainment.
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