The South African startup Shesha is poised to challenge the status quo in the e-hailing market, which is currently dominated by global powerhouses such as Uber and Bolt. Shesha’s strategy hinges on leveraging its deep understanding of the unique local dynamics to offer a homegrown alternative.
Launched in the current year, Shesha’s inception was sparked by a growing realization that existing e-hailing services were not adequately addressing the specific needs and safety concerns of South African customers. Furthermore, there was a sentiment among drivers that they were being marginalized and exploited by these international entities, which seemed indifferent to the drivers’ working conditions.
Nomsa Mdhluli, a spokesperson for Shesha, conveyed to Disrupt Africa that the startup is prioritizing safety above all else. Shesha has implemented stringent identity verification processes for both drivers and customers to ensure the authenticity of all parties involved in a trip. The company also identified a significant opportunity in fostering a sense of inclusion and ownership among drivers, who are essential to the e-hailing ecosystem yet often feel disconnected from the profits they help generate.
Shesha’s funding comes from a consortium of local stakeholders, including the Gauteng Taxi Industry Trust, Santaco Gauteng, and the Gauteng National Taxi Alliance. This backing has endowed Shesha with a nuanced insight into the local context, enabling the startup to facilitate a groundbreaking truce between the traditional taxi industry and the e-hailing sector, thereby resolving longstanding tensions over routes and customer base.
Currently, Shesha is in the midst of integrating over 13,000 drivers into its platform and has reported an impressive rate of customer adoption. While operations are initially confined to Gauteng as a testbed, the company has ambitions to extend its services to other provinces in the future.
Despite the inherent challenges of launching a disruptive venture in a market replete with established giants, Mdhluli remains optimistic. She believes that Shesha’s unique market position gives it a distinct competitive advantage. This is evidenced by the fact that Shesha’s emergence has already influenced one of its competitors to remove over 6,000 drivers from their platform due to safety concerns—drivers who would not meet Shesha’s stringent safety criteria to begin with.
Shesha operates on a conventional e-hailing business model, offering competitive pricing to monetize its services and providing a viable, locally attuned alternative to the international incumbents in the South African e-hailing landscape.
