NewsDay (Zimbabwe)

Cassava urges use of digital platforms and caution ahead of Easter holidays

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STOCK Exchange-listed fintech giant Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe has joined public health authoritie­s and government in urging the public to exercise caution ahead of the Easter holidays, encouragin­g the use of digital platforms to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections.

There are concerns from experts that a third wave of the deadly coronaviru­s may breakout if citizens let their guard down following the recent relaxation of lockdown restrictio­ns imposed to arrest the spread of the disease, that has been declared a global pandemic.

Several countries, including South Africa, Germany, Italy, the Unite Kingdom and France have ristricted movements or imposed some form of restrictio­ns, to keep citizens safe during the Easter holidays.

Cassava Smartech chief commercial officer Mr Givemore Jojo said while the Easter holiday is an important period to spend time with family, it is vital for citizens, where possible, to stay at home, practise social distancing and observe precaution­ary measures prescribed by the World Health Organisati­on and the government.

“There is still a possibilit­y of a third wave if we put our guard down and stop following safety guidelines to beat this pandemic. We, therefore, urge our customers and the public to exercise caution for their own sake and for the sake of their loved ones and the nation at large,” Mr Jojo said.

“We also take this opportunit­y to encourage the public to use digital platforms which allow them to access services such as to buy

Zesa tokens and many other products, from the comfort of their homes,” he said.

The Cassava group’s platforms offer several digital services across multiple sectors, that include mobile money, banking, transport and logistics, health, farming and many others.

The group also offers peer-topeer transactio­n services, merchant payments, micro-credit, internatio­nal remittance­s and cardto-wallet services.

“We understand that people will want to buy groceries and other accessorie­s that make the long weekend enjoyable, and we recently upgraded our e-commerce platform Ownai to add more products by partnering with more retailers and wholesaler­s,” Mr Jojo said.

“Customers can simply order online, pay with EcoCash and we’ll deliver the goods right to their doorsteps through our VAYA service,” he added.

Cassava’s mobile money business EcoCash now allows new users to register to the service without visiting any physical shops.

“Unregister­ed customers can dial *151#, enter 1 to confirm that they want to proceed with selfregist­ration, and then validate the informatio­n that will appear on their smartphone screens. Successful registrati­on will be confirmed via an SMS,” Mr Jojo said.

“This is all part of our digitalisa­tion process aimed at reducing face-to-face interactio­n and protect both our customers and staff from contractin­g COVID-19.”

Since its inception nearly a decade ago, EcoCash has become ubiquitous in the country and is playing a key role in fostering financial inclusion and poverty reduction by providing convenient financial solutions to rural communitie­s, women and the youth in Zimbabwe.

 ??  ?? Cassava Smartech chief commercial officer Givemore Jojo
Cassava Smartech chief commercial officer Givemore Jojo

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