Zimbabweans turn to EcoCash, Ownai to protect themselves from COVID-19

MANY Zimbabweans are turning to EcoCash and online marketing platform Ownai to avoid contracting and spreading the deadly coronavirus.

The country, which is battling a second wave of COVID-19, is currently under lockdown following a surge in the number of people infected by the disease during the festive season.

By Wednesday this week, the country had recorded over 22 000 cases and over 500 deaths cumulatively, since the pandemic started.

To protect their families and loved ones from the virus that is spreading fast, through direct physical contact, over the air and surface contact, many people are resorting to self-service mobile money platforms and online stores for their day-to-day transactions.

“In line with the government’s lockdown regulations that we should stay at home, EcoCash has come to our rescue by helping us to maintain social distancing as we can buying electricity tokens and groceries from the comfort of our homes,” said Cosmas Sigauke from Inyathi in Matebeleland North.

He added that the rapid rise in coronavirus cases was making it impossible for people to venture outside their homes and mix with others in crowded places.

Sigauke’s views were also echoed by Charity Muzarabani, from Mt Darwin in Mashonaland Central province, who is regularly using EcoCash to buy groceries.

“Where I stay in Mt Darwin, swipe machines rarely work and it is no longer safe, when transacting, to use swipe machines that are used by many people,” she said.

“Each time I buy groceries, I make sure that I transfer my funds into EcoCash for easy and safe transacting. What is even more exciting about using EcoCash these days is getting rewarded for transacting,” Muzarabani added.

EcoCash, Zimbabwe’s largest mobile money platform, late last year introduced MyEcoCash Rewards promotion for both local users and international remittances customers as a way of rewarding them for their loyalty.

The hugely popular promotion, which is running until February 28, 2021, has so far seen over two million customers being rewarded with cash, airtime and data.

Pastor Gloria Banda from Harare said EcoCash was instrumental in ensuring that the gospel continues to be preached despite the current lockdown.

“We are on lockdown and churches cannot gather, but basa raMwari rinofanira kupfurira mberi (the work of God must go on) despite all this. As such EcoCash is very helpful in that our congregants can still make their contributions, including tithes and offerings, during this time. We do not have to meet them physically to collect the money and expose ourselves to COVID-19,” she said.

“We also pay builders who are doing work at our church with EcoCash to try and avoid contact by all means possible.”

Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe, the parent company of EcoCash, recently completed a multi-million dollar upgrade of the platform to guarantee efficiency, reliability and greater security on the platform, and to meet increased demand.

In addition to the upgrade, EcoCash also launched web and USSD portals to empower customers to do their own PIN resets, initiate transaction reversals and many other customer support functions.

Customers can use the USSD solution by simply dialling *150#, and they can access the EcoCash Web Selfcare Portal by making a once-off registration on https://selfcare.ecocash. co.zw/portal/.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Chakauya from Hatfied, Harare, said he was buying his groceries online to protect his family from possible infection by the coronavirus.

“Since the lockdown was introduced, I now do all my shopping online. I simply log on to Ownai and order the things I want. This is one of the safest ways for people to protect themselves from COVID-19 which can easily spread in supermarkets if people don’t take the necessary precautions,” he said.

Ownai, also owned by Cassava, sells a wide range of products such as groceries, hardware, houses and properties to rent — and delivers the products within 72 hours using Vaya Africa vehicles.

The company has also partnered with South Africa-based ecommerce firm Thumela eKhaya to facilitate the delivery of groceries from the diaspora to Zimbabweans.