Altron FinTech announced the expansion of its Kasi Sales Squad initiative from Soweto into Ekurhuleni and the Johannesburg CBD, scaling a proven model that brings enterprise-grade payment infrastructure directly to township entrepreneurs.
The expansion represents a strategic commitment to financial inclusion, youth employment, and the digitisation of South Africa’s informal economy.
Launched as a pilot in Soweto, the Kasi Sales Squad addresses a critical gap: township businesses power daily life for millions of South Africans, yet many remain locked out of secure, modern payment systems.
The initiative deploys locally recruited youth consultants who deliver tailored fintech solutions, including DebiCheck recurring payments, offline-capable POS devices, and digital disbursement tools, directly into communities that have historically been underserved by traditional financial infrastructure.
“The idea started with a simple insight: township entrepreneurs were already running powerful businesses, but lacked access to secure, enterprise-grade payment tools,” Juice Ndlovu, Supervisor: Sales “Our Soweto pilot proved that when you bring solutions to the community, in their language and on their terms, adoption grows quickly. We’ve now seen strong demand from Ekurhuleni and the Johannesburg CBD, where traders want safer payments, formalised collections, and digital disbursements.”
Addressing real payment challenges in township commerce
Township businesses face distinct operational challenges that limit growth and profitability: cash-handling risks, customers missing instalments, manual bookkeeping, load-shedding interruptions, out-of-service ATMs, and difficulty paying staff safely.
Many people no longer carry cash, and the inconvenience of broken ATMs due to vandalism and technical issues has resulted in businesses losing out on sales.
The Kasi Sales Squad responds with practical, trusted tools matched to these pain points:
- DebiCheck enables recurring debit orders with bank consent and digital proof, reducing disputes and ensuring predictable cash flow for monthly repayments, lay-bys, tabs, school fees, rentals, and loans
- Offline-ready POS devices solve load-shedding payment gaps by queuing transactions, protecting daily revenue during power outages
- NuCash and NuCard remove cash-handling risks through mobile payouts and prepaid chip-and-PIN cards, enabling traders to pay staff and suppliers securely with full digital audit trails
- KwikKadima turns any counter into a compliant loan desk, allowing micro-lenders to approve in minutes, disburse fast, and collect automatically
“Cards are great for once-off sales, but DebiCheck handles the recurring side,” explained Ndlovu “It’s the only solution where the customer approves via their own bank, reducing reversals and boosting predictable cash flow. This is our unique value proposition in the kasi market – DebiCheck can improve how supermarkets and spaza shops structure grocery packages on credit, with repayments managed through digitally approved mandates.”
Transformation through youth employment and skills development
The Kasi Sales Squad creates tangible transformation impact by recruiting young consultants from the communities they serve.
Each squad member receives comprehensive training in digital payments, sales, compliance, and product knowledge, creating pathways into fintech careers while bringing authentic community insight to solution development.
“Our team of eight young consultants recruited from the areas we engage are able to understand their communities and local payment challenges,” said Ndlovu “With this feedback, we develop real solutions for real problems and, in doing so, modernise kasi commerce. Being at ground zero gives us a personal touch – that’s what builds trust and allows us to have in depth conversations with businesses around exact solutions for their unique challenges.”
The on-the-ground service model is critical in communities that rely on relationships and trust.
Traders want to deal with people, not just call centres.
By being visible, speaking the language, and solving their day-to-day challenges rather than selling products, the Squad has become part of the township business ecosystem.
Measurable impact and future expansion
After three months on the platform, traders report faster cash flow, fewer missed payments, better record-keeping, and increased confidence in offering credit safely.
Altron FinTech tracks impact through jobs created, SMEs digitized, recurring payments secured via DebiCheck, reduction in cash risk, and uplift in trader revenue.
“Having a presence in the biggest townships in the country gives us a tremendous opportunity to not just sell, but to bring great financial systems and solutions into spaces that have not always received the due level of attention previously,” said Juice Ndlovu, Supervisor: Sales “In addition, having proper systems in place enhances important elements such as safety and convenience for both business owners and their customers.”
The expansion into Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg CBD targets territories with enormous trading density and strong appetite for digital payments.
Both markets demonstrate higher need for secure collections, safer disbursements, and tools that work during load-shedding. Traders want to formalize operations without losing their kasi identity.
Further expansion is on the roadmap, with new territories already identified.
“Over the next three to five years, we aim to build the country’s most trusted township fintech ecosystem, empowering thousands of SMEs with safe, modern, affordable payment tools,” said Juice “We’re going to do this with local sales squads built within these communities, and we want to be represented in all kasi markets throughout Mzansi.”