Entrepreneurship is often born from a personal problem—a moment of frustration that demands a solution. From Uber’s founder, who struggled to find a reliable taxi, to local South African innovators who built businesses out of necessity, many great ventures begin this way. In a country where youth unemployment remains alarmingly high, few young people manage to turn adversity into opportunity. Yet against all odds, Chidi Amadi-Ahaneku has done exactly that, building a township-based business that deserves our attention.
What inspired you to start Nomayini Deliveries, and how did your journey begin?
NOMA YINI DELIVERIES started because there was a time when my Grandmother was sick, and I needed to get medication for her at the nearest pharmacy. I couldn’t leave her behind, but I really needed to go, so I took my phone and decided to search for a business that offers that service. I found that there was none. During that period, we also wanted to order food at home but still couldn’t as the place I lived was “out of service”. I then conducted my research and realized that there were other big players in the Vaal area, such as MR D and Uber Eats, but these businesses didn’t cover most of the townships. That is when I decided to start NOMA YINI DELIVERIES and change the logistics story in the township. Starting the business was difficult as I had recently graduated, was unemployed and selling fat cakes. However, I did not let my circumstances stop me.
What does the name “NOMA YINI” mean to you and how does it reflect your company’s mission?
When people hear our name, NOMA YINI, they think its because we deliver everything and that is true but to us it means more than that. The phrase is “nomayini bozza yam.” This is a phrase said by most hustlers in the township, said by individuals who would do anything to put food on their plates. It is a badge of honour for us, not only do we deliver to the customers but we also deliver for the Hustlers. The single mother who has a small Kota Shop, the grandfather who started his alcohol business and made it one of the biggest in the VAAL. These are the people we deliver for, real hustlers from the township. To us it means being a resillient, innovative, and always staying at the heart of our community. NOMA YINI is an old phrase in the township but represents a new era for us, where we, as the township, are building the future we want for ourselves and changing the narrative.
Can you share a defining moment or challenge when you realized this business could really take off?
6-months into running the business, we were doing account audits and we realized that we had made over 500 000 in value for the vendors we deliver for. When starting the business, people had told us that this won’t work for many reasons and we decided not to listen to them. Now we are a crucial part of peoples lives. We deliver their breakfast, lunch and dinner and we also deliver necessities whenever they need them. Thats when I saw that, we have reached product market fit but also we mean something to people.
How did you identify the delivery needs in the Vaal area, and what gap were you aiming to fill?
Townships are built in a particular way, where all Malls are aggregated around the same place but townships(especially low to middle income households) are situated far from the Malls and shops. For example, I live 18 kilometers away from the nearest Mall and would take 35 to 45 min to get there by taxi and then we realised that the already existing last mile delivery businesses that exist, consider the township a liability and choose not to service them. That is where we come in. We service the townships in the Vaal, we do not profile them or rule them out. We fill the gaps in the township.
We offer food delivery, parcel delivery, and shoe cleaning services.
In what ways does Nomayini Deliveries support local community members (employment, partnerships, etc.)?
We understand that we don’t exist without our communities so local support is important. Entrepreneurship is important to us so we constantly urge and equip the small businesses that approach us wanting to be part of our vendor list. We help them with the technological aspects of uploading their store on the app and teach them the importance of e-commerce in an ever changing world, we provide free marketing on our platforms and we help them reach a larger audience than they currently do. We also work with South African riders, ensuring that they get a chance to provide for their families through NOMA YINI DELIVERIES. We also have a volunteer program where the youth who have nothing to do can get a chance to work in a company within their community and learn new skills. We have also partnered with a young app developer in the VAAL who is helping us build our new app that when finished will rival all the big apps in South Africa.
How do you recruit and train your delivery team to uphold your service standards?
Our drivers undergo a process of customer training as they are our connection to the customer. We currently don’t have any funding so that has been very difficult to do but we do try to maintain an excellent service.
Have you faced any community-specific challenges (like safety concerns), and how have you addressed them?
Contrary to popular belief, we have not faced a lot of security issues. Most of the issues we have faced relate to infrastructure. Navigation has been difficult in the township as some addresses do not appear on Google Maps, other individuals don’t know their addresses and the worst is the state of the roads in the township.
What has been the most rewarding feedback you’ve received from a customer or partner?
One day, we received a WhatsApp text from a customer saying that she was grateful for our service because, before us, she had to leave her toddler with a neighbour so that she could go to the Mall. We also once delivered food to a lady at the hospital who had just given birth and her husband had ordered for her through our app while he was at work. That is why we started the business and we are happy we could help and do so with love.
How have you used social media or local media to grow your brand and engage with the Vaal community?
One of the biggest things that helped us grow NOMA YINI DELIVERIES on social media is that for every delivery we make, we ask the customer to take a video of themselves collecting their order, this has grown our social media because once the customer has taken a video, there is a high chance of posting it but most importantly when we use the video on our platforms, our customers get to feel like they are a part of our journey and they engage more with the content. Another way is that we use music created by VAAL artists in some of our videos and we also work with rising influencers who want to showcase their talent and creativity. This has helped us alot in growing our brand.
What are the biggest obstacles you’ve had to overcome as a young entrepreneur in the Vaal region?
Running such a cash intense business has been very difficult without funding. We are growing but our growth is limited by our lack of capital. This has helped me to master the discipline of financial management and has encouraged us to keep costs as low as possible. Another big problem is our lack of resources in the VAAL. With constant electricity outages and slow or non-existent network, it is difficult to run a technology reliant company in the VAAL.
Where do you see Nomayini Deliveries in the next 3–5 years?
In 3 -5 years, NOMA YINI DELIVERIES will be the best last mile delivery company within the township. We aim to be in every household in the VAAL, and to run on clean and sustainable energy. Moreover, we want to start a project we call Project x where we will be using the experience we have gained to build a drone delivery system, making us the first drone delivery company within South Africa. Another important thing is hiring 1000 young people and giving them a chance to change their story and make a living.
Are there plans to expand your service area outside the Vaal or introduce new services?
We will be expanding our services into nearby townships but hope to, with support and funding, expand into other provinces.
How do you envision integrating technology (like an app or real-time tracking) into your business model as you grow?
We are in the process of building an app that is created specifically with the townbship in mind. Our app will integrate AI to make ordering more convenient than the current market standard.
What partnerships (local businesses, stores, apps) would you like to build in the future?
We would love to partner with more South African warehouses and Spaza shops and markets. We would live to help small and medium businesses within the township to grow and have a share in the growing e-commerce market. We also want to make NOMA YINI DELIVERIES a business that directly impacts the community. We want to be the first business in the township where individuals can make money by participating in the business. We want to partner with the community.
What’s one lesson you’ve learned as a founder that you think other young entrepreneurs should hear?
The biggest thing I have learnt is that as a young entrepreneur its important for you to bite more than you can chew and find the most innovative way to chew. We should always be thinking above ourselves and the resources we have, never allow yourself to be limited by the thought of your inadequacies or by the resources your business you have. I have achieved more by trying to bring the impossible to life than trying to manage the little I have.
What advice would you give to someone in the Vaal who has an idea but doesn’t know how to start?
To anyone who has an idea but doesn’t know where to start, I say talk about it. Tell more people about it and in you talking about it constantly, you will find different ways to bring it alive. Then you need to write 5 of the smallest things you will need to do and can do right now to reach your goal. Then everything starts to fall into place.
How do you stay motivated and resilient during tough times in business?
The one thing that keeps me motivated during the tough times is the pressure. Knowing that people rely on my business to feed their family is what keeps me going. Everyday I wake up and remember that every decision I make doesnt only affect me or the business but everyone who eats because of it.
What does success look like to you personally, and how has that definition changed since you started Nomayini Deliveries?
I always thought success was a lot of money for me and my family but ever since I started with NOMA YINI DELIVERIES, things have changed. Now, success is building something that can outlast me, something that people in the township and in Africa as a whole can say, I know the founder of that business, he grew up in an RDP like me and if he can build a business that can employ thousands of people and make billions in value, I can too. That is true success for me and I will make it, I will pull it off and I will create the biggest last mile delivery business in Africa.
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