By Phumla Mkhize
A love for Maths and a passion to help small businesses work easier with the help of technology has catapulted Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) graduate, Ezra Seroto to superstardom in the software-programming industry.
TUT graduate Ezra Seroto, the builder of popular App Spaza Eats, is making waves in software development.
Seroto is a sought-after software programmer and the developer of popular smartphone application (App) Spaza Eats, which is is a marketplace connecting 500 townships with local traditional cuisine sellers, spaza shops, fresh produce sellers and electronics providers.
Seroto, who studied at TUT from 2008 to 2011, graduated with a National Diploma in Information Technology: Software Development in early 2012.
With over 60 000 customers who use the App, Spaza Eats has onboarded 2 500 restaurants on its platform, according to Analytics X, the company that owns the App. Of the restaurants onboarded, more than 300 are informal business owners. Founder and CEO of Analytics X, Talifhani Banks, said the App has provided employment to over 800 people across six provinces. The company projects that about 4 000 direct and indirect jobs will be created through the App in South Africa in the next few years.
For Seroto failure is just a setback and a great teacher
Spaza Eats combined Seroto’s love of solving problems and his passion for helping small businesses. Unperturbed that the previous developer failed to build the App and quit, Seroto said for him failure is just a setback and the greatest of teacher.
He worked with Analytics X in 2023 to build the popular App.
“I have built plenty of systems,” he said, “When you are building you keep learning. I now have more than 10 years of experience in building systems. I already had some plug-ins that I had built from my side. So, it was easy to do plug and play from other things that I had built before.”
Seroto counts among the projects he has built, the live streaming platform Motionsense HD. Better known as MSHD Live, the platform is a live virtual broadcasting media and productions company specialising in content, events and digital media solutions.
The 36-year-old from Serare village in Tzaneen, Limpopo said he initially wanted to pursue studies in the medical sciences, but his physical sciences gave him a reality check.
“In high school I loved maths. I even stopped playing soccer with my friends to practise maths,” he said.
Seroto, who now lives in Polokwane with his wife and four children, said armed with good maths marks he came to TUT Soshanguve.
“At TUT, I just said I wanted something that had to do with mathematics and allow me to solve problems. That is how I was introduced to IT,” he said.
He said when he started learning about programming, he fell in love with it.
“Maths is about solving problems. Software development is also about solving problems” he said.
Seroto has developed systems for diverse industries
Seroto has been working with accounting firm, Moepathutsi Consulting, since 2017, building different systems for the firm.
“We started with a project management system which also has human resource and client relationship management components,” he said.
Seroto said Moepathutsi Consulting works with contractors in the mining sector.
“Sometimes we analyse problems and collect some data at the mines to find out the challenges that contractors are facing,” he said.
“We also ensure that the contractors are able to manage their own profile in the system,” he said adding that the system is complete and that all he does now is to maintain it and add more features.
Seroto said he is looking forward to taking some students on board in 2025 so that he can share his skills.
“I have registered a new business and have hired a few people to help me with sales,” he said about his plans.