Security system for township residents startup Jonga has been named the winner of the inaugural Santam Safety Ideas Campaign, receiving free incubation at Stellenbosch University’s LaunchLab.
The Santam Safety Ideas Campaign invites South Africans to put forward innovative ideas and concepts that have the potential to help keep South Africans safe. The inaugural edition of the campaign saw over 150 ideas submitted; from which 10 entries were shortlisted to receive incubation at LaunchLab.
The top four participants presented their ideas to a panel of Santam representatives and investors, with Jonga selected the winner of the campaign, receiving ZAR150,000 (US$11,260) worth of ongoing incubation at LaunchLab.
Jonga has created a cost-effective security system for residents of townships, with the aim of making home security affordable for all. The solution consists of a hardware section mounted on the wall, and a software part that is either a smartphone app or SMS notification. The hardware will sense a person breaking in and sends a notification to the user’s phone, asking if the entry was expected. If not, it sends notifications to the user’s neighbours, alerting them to what is happening.
“This initiative is very close to our hearts because we also have families in townships. We are thrilled and grateful to Santam and LaunchLab for believing in our product and making it possible for us to start developing our product so that we can launch our pilot programme in various townships,” said Ntsako Mgiba, co-founder of Jonga.
“As an insurance provider, we know we must pre-empt and mitigate potential risks. What better way to do this than to nurture and invest in solution-driven innovators? By investing in risk mitigation strategies like these, we are helping to secure a sustainable future and create safer communities,” said Mokaedi Dilotsotlhe, Santam’s executive head of brand and marketing.
Applications to round two of the Safety Ideas Campaign are now open, until September 29. Preliminary workshops will be held during the application period, with entrants encouraged to attend a workshop before submitting an application.
