Tech in Africa
Uber Eats is now present in the North-West academic city of Potchefstroom, the 13th area where it expanded its delivery app. Potchefstroom, a food delivery app, enables users to order their favorite meals on the mobile app and have them delivered to their homes.
Uber Eats has been downloaded over a million times in South Africa and is currently operating in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Stellenbosch, Port Elizabeth, Pietermaritzburg, Soweto, Paarl, and Durban, Pretoria, and Polokwane.
Restaurants were among the hardest hit sectors, particularly during the level three lockdown. This resulted in limited operation times and reduced their operational capacity in half. The expansion is part of a nationwide strike by Uber Eats drivers who protest low wages and slavery-like treatment.
As Uber Eats grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic and safety remains a major concern where all delivery drivers adhere to an in-app safety checklist that reminds them to sanitize their bags and vehicles. In May 2020, Potchefstroom partnered with local retailer Game to provide foods and essential products to their customers during the nation-wide lockdown.
