Driving Force Behind SA’s First VOiP Company

Yeigo Communications, SA’s first mobile VOiP Company started in 2005 by 3 tech-savvy communications software developers who graduated from UCT. Rapelang Rabana is the young female entrepreneur who acts as the driving force behind Yeigo and we interview her on how they burst onto the market after landing a multi-million dollar investment.

Rapelang  saw the solution to communications problems in South Africa was to bring together scattered mediums like email, chat and sms in order to combine all these services making them accessible in once place. Yeigo developed a space where one could use platforms such as Facebook, Skype, GoogleTalk, MSN Messenger, ICQ, AIM and Jabber to message or call for free from a single hub, as well as make free calls between Yeigo users.

Rapelang ventured into starting her own business exlplains how establishing a business and becoming an entrepreneur was a huge challenge that she had to overcome. Even though she had the skills and means to develop her idea, access to finance was not easy to find and she approached every bank, government funding and resource available. Since her company was still in its pre-venture revenue phase, she could not find anyone to invest in it. However, one thing that Rapelang made a point of doing was to build up a network and make friends with as many people as she could in the process of looking for an investor.

Through the strong relationships that she developed, finally an investor came to believe in her idea and was willing to take a risk on it. After joining with a telecoms service provider to tackle the market, Yeigo now acts as the innovation house for Telfree, who is their face and distributor.

Rapelang describes that being an African entrepreneur begins by capitalising on local opportunities, resolving local and immediate problems, as well as that solving something that is real to you sustains your company. Realising your own capabilities and utilising your skills means there is no need to look outside of Africa for expertise and services.

Yeigo will continue to house its headquarters in Cape Town and will continue to employ and train young South Africans in the rapidly developing mobile telecoms market.