Chronicle Editor
Simba Jemwa, Showbiz Correspondent
From tour holidays to snacks and sweets, it appears that there has been an obvious and rather rapid shift in the business strategy.
Precisely, Sebenza Bulawayo Tours and Travels has ventured into the delivery and courier space and launched a rapid delivery service for parcels, grocery, and corner shop items in a challenge to the competitive local courier market.
The company, which just celebrated three years in business, began delivering to all of Bulawayo’s neighbourhoods last month. The company said it expects to increase the delivery fleet as well as incorporate newer technologies for the management of parcels and placing of orders.
“It’s about bringing the capabilities that we as Sebenza Bulawayo have been focused on building and connecting for our own customers for both local and national businesses,” Ferguson Tsvangirai, chief executive of Sebenza Bulawayo, told this publication.
Sebenza Bulawayo said its new service will be a white-label service, meaning deliveries will not be made by Sebenza Bulawayo-branded vehicles. The company said it will offer competitively priced same-day shipping as well as a two-day delivery option. The deliveries will be handled by a combination of associates, part-time workers, and at times other delivery companies.
“Ours will initially be a local parcel network, but we realise that sometimes we may have some overlap: local business may shift towards some of that national business,” Tsvangirai said.
Sebenza Bulawayo’s ‘no-frills’ food delivery service is already operational in Bulawayo. This will soon be aligned with a ‘super-app’ strategy to diversify revenues following the devastation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic to the tourism and travel industry. Tourism companies around the country are struggling to stay afloat and are finding ways to generate some revenue in whatever form.
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the online delivery service in Zimbabwe has become an established, stable business and is relatively tough to break into without deep pockets. However, the local market has scaled making it easier to operate than ever before.
On the other hand, with a relatively low population, Bulawayo is a small market. At present, it is difficult to imagine Sebenza Bulawayo’s delivery service reaching the scale where the delivery and courier business would be a significant revenue contributor to the company, but the vision is that they will be able to attract private equity investments and eventually increase their existing fleet of two mini-buses and a truck, thus become more competitive.
Sebenza Bulawayo explained that they would seek to give better value by reducing cost. Their competitive edge is a low commission rate compared with their competition.
Tsvangirai, said, “Just like how Sebenza Bulawayo Tours and Travels doesn’t have all the frills of some of our bigger competition, our delivery service does not have too many frills. We don’t think you really need to know where your driver is because that costs us.”
He continued, “We think you will still be able to communicate with us to know where your parcel is and that’s a necessary frill.”
A benefit for customers is that they can earn reward points which can be used for tours and travels.
Sebenza Bulawayo started its parcel delivery service early this year in its home market of Bulawayo. They are a small player making fewer deliveries a day compared with the bigger competitors who are fulfilling many more deliveries.
However, they hope to achieve 1 000 deliveries per month soon. There are plans to expand to other cities as well as into the region.
The firm will be the one-stop shop — from packaged tours to adventurous treks for all to parcel deliveries.
“Our model is to make all kinds of travel experiences accessible to the public,” Tsvangirai said.
He went on to add that the company will provide services in areas such as business, adventure, and heritage among others for Zimbabwe and overseas.
In the coming weeks, the company will roll out its travel services in the entire Matabeleland region and will promote its travel products such as the My Beautiful Home project which the company partnered with last year to promote the Matobo villagers’ quest to preserve and showcase local traditions through a painted huts competition. Later on, the firm intends to sell its travel products from its own outlets.
“We partnered with My Beautiful Home last year. Women in Matopo are doing an excellent job, decorating their homes and mixing natural resources to produce paint and materials to use for the decoration,” he said.
“Through this, the women are promoting tourism as they are attracting people to come to Matopo to view the place and learn how they can also do it, among other things. We want to help create an economy for the people of Matobo through our work.”
Sebenza Bulawayo has already done work with the French Embassy as well as travel author Dot Bekker who has an affinity for the Matobo area. They also organise family fun days at venues such as McDonald’s Club. – @RealSimbaJemwa
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