This archive report was first published on 19 May 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic brought international travel to a standstill, Petronella Mabhena, a 53-year-old domestic worker in South Africa, found herself struggling to send food to her relatives in Zimbabwe. For over a decade, she had relied on bus drivers to ferry groceries across the border, but when the two countries restricted movement in March, the supplies abruptly halted.
With the help of a friend, Mabhena discovered an app called Malaicha, which allows people in South Africa to order groceries for delivery in Zimbabwe. The app, which has been in operation for about a year, has seen a surge in usage since the border restrictions were put in place.
According to Sayjil Magan, the managing director of Malaicha, the app has handled an average of 20,000 to 30,000 orders per month, but this number increased by around 200 percent in April, while user numbers grew by around 100 percent to 75,000.
Deliveries in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, reached 200 per day in April, up from an average of 20 before the lockdown. Warehouse manager Mario Ventouris noted that workers were putting in extra hours to clear long lines of people collecting orders.
For Mabhena's daughter, Epiphania Moyo, and her baby, the app has been a lifeline. Their first delivery via Malaicha was a welcome relief, and they praised the app's speed and reliability.
