Late last week Vaya and Thumela eKhaya announced a partnership that offers Zimbabweans in South Africa an avenue to send groceries back home. This service (and services like it) offer Zimbabweans abroad an alternative to the middlemen and runners who usually carry goods across the border. Besides avoiding the irregular and high fees charged by independent transporters, services like the one Vaya and Thumela eKhaya offer some accountability for the safe arrival of the goods purchased.
In light of this development, we thought that it would be interesting to see what other companies offer a similar service. I am sure there those who are already aware or have some experience with one or all of the services listed below.
Mukuru Groceries
Mukuru, the popular remittance service, also has a service that allows Zimbabweans in South Africa to purchase groceries for family and friends back home. The major difference between Mukuru and the services that follow is that it doesn’t physically send the groceries. Mukuru partnered with Metro Peech and Browne so that recipients can collect their groceries as soon as the payment is confirmed. The only requirement to use this service is that you have to register with Mukuru.
Mukuru offers two packages on their website, one for the US$30.00 and another for US$50.00.
The instructions to place an order with Mukuru (in South Africa) are as follows:
- Dial *130*567#
- Select option 2 to send groceries to Zimbabwe
- Create or select a profile for the recipient that you want to send money to.
- Confirm the order and select the payment method
- Once the payment has been confirmed, the recipient can go to any 19 Metro Peech and Brown outlets across Zimbabwe.
If you’d like to give this service a try or get more details click the link below:
Malaicha
Malaicha is service we covered in 2019. The service came about because of the partnership between Malaicha and Hello Paisa. The partnership allows registered Hello Paisa customers to send groceries across the border.
On the website, Malaicha offers a range of products which include, everyday essentials, appliances electronics, medication and more.
To send groceries home, Zimbabweans in South Africa need to register either on the Malaicha application (iOS, Android) or on the website. They can then select the goods they want and then complete the payment process. When an order has been processed, Malaicha says that the goods will be delivered in 24 hours.
Recipients can recieve the goods at the pick points in the link here.
Shumba Africa
Shumba Africa is an online store that sells groceries, appliances and building materials. The store also offers Zimbabweans living in South Africa grocery deliveries to their family and friends back home.
Like the previous examples you’ll need to register to get started, this can be done on Shumba Africa’s website. After registration is complete you can shop for the products you want and make a complete the payment process. The company offers free shipping for purchases over US$150, but for sums underneath that threshold, there are charges for different zones.
- Zone 1: Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare and Masvingo – US$10.99
- Zone 2: Gweru, Kwekwe, Kadoma and Rusape – US$15.99
As previously mentioned Shumba Africa is an online store, so if you live in Zimbabwe and want to shop or have a look at their catalogue you can do so with the link below:
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