Uhuru Wallet is a remittance service that is taking a different approach to the exchange of money across borders. The first thing that is distinctive about Uhuru is that they were trying to solve the problem those without the necessary documents in South Africa have.
A number of Zimbabweans living across our southern border are undocumented so they can’t send money home to their loved ones through the traditional channels. This leads many of them to deal only in cash and this leaves them prone to theft and loss.
The founders of Uhuru identified this problem but realised that it was only half of the issue, the other half was that many people living abroad didn’t have affordable means by which to send money home. Having accounted for all of this the founders sought to create a platform that would have people move away from cash-based transactions as well as send money back home.
Uhuru Wallet services
The second thing that makes Uhuru different is that as much as the company is a remittance service it also sought to offer Zimbabweans abroad a means of paying for services that their loved ones at home would otherwise pay for with the money they are sent.
A Zimbabwean migrant living in South Africa can pay for utilities like electricity, purchase airtime and DStv for their friends and family back home. The wallet’s services also cover Malawi, and Nigeria.
The final aspect of Uhuru that makes it different is that it is a purely instant messaging-based service. WhatsApp is, at present, the messaging service that Uhuru operates from. So you can (via WhatsApp):
- Send money peer-to-peer in South Africa,
- Send money to anyone in the SA, Zimbabwe and Nigeria.
- Cross Border Payments for DSTV, Avon, Unuka, Airtime and Electricity in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Nigeria
How do you register for Uhuru?
Anyone can register for Uhuru by sending “Hi” to +27 60 070 2708. You’ll then need to:
- Enter your name
- Your email address
- Physical Address
- A password
You’ll then get a One Time Password via your email, you’ll need to enter that to the chat and registration will be complete.
Crediting your Uhuru Wallet
You can put fund your wallet in South Africa by way of an ATM deposit which will carry a 5% fee. EFT (electronic funds transfer) to Uhuru is the second alternative and that has a 2.5% fee.
After having done that you can send money over Uhuru (peer-to-peer), to the recipient’s bank account, EcoCash wallet or pay for the previously mentioned services. If you live in Zimbabwe you can use your Uhuru Wallet through your EcoCash wallet to pay for your DStv and send money peer-to-peer.
Uhuru also has a blockchain aspect to it by way of Stellar‘s services which the company plans to use to expand across Southern and Eastern Africa as well as Asia.
“Uhuru has set out to create a borderless ecosystem in which persons and enterprises can make near-instant transactions using their instant messaging platforms anytime anywhere at affordable fees.”
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