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Connecting clients to the correct networks

Ester Kamati

With internet connection, there is no stopping Macveren Kapukare, a telecommunication engineering graduate who is passionate about making a difference in the world and is keen on teaching children programming.

“The internet is an incredible source of information and you can teach yourself almost anything through tutorials,” says self-taught programmer Macveren Kapukare. Kapukare did a lot of heavy reading on the subject of computers and software and later shifted his focus to developing software.

With the knowledge he gained from this, he later created what is known as EstApp: an application that can be used to link tenants and landlords. As a young graduate, Kapukare was faced with the reality of finding a place to live that not only suited his lifestyle needs but met his budget as well. That was when he realised that “trying to source the right property in the right suburb at the right price is not an easy task.”

This drawn-out process involves going through newspapers, online listings and supermarket bulletin boards. “The information is very fragmented and therefore time-consuming,” he says. He spotted a need for a single platform where such information is collated for people looking to buy or rent property.

That was the beginning of EstApp. Kapukare and a few partners kick-started the development of the app to help bring Namibian property seekers, property providers and agents together within seconds.

“EstApp is an app that connects buyers with sellers, match roommates and tenants with landlords or home owners letting property.”

Tenants can pay their rent through this app. Estate agents can also list and sell their properties on EstApp, which could save them money compared to listing on different platforms.

Users of the app are provided a “simple, convenient, one-stop platform to browse for their housing needs, all at a touch of a button on their phones. It’s a little like having your very own estate agent in your pocket with you at all times.”

EstApp was conceived over a year ago and went live in mid-2019. Kapukare says although coding an app is not very difficult, it takes time to create one with a friendly user interface and to get it bug free.

Financial constraints were among the challenges faced by the dedicated team of five app developers. With the assistance of the GIZ Start-up Namibia project, a company that is keen on assisting start-up businesses, they managed to pull it off and get EstApp positioned in the market.

The development of the app will continue as they hope to add new features and listings for their established users and those who are yet to use their app.

“With GIZ as well as Bank Windhoek in our corner we feel confident that we can go from strength to strength,” Kapukare says.

“The world is a global village and to actively participate and contribute you need to learn and adopt technology or else you will be left behind.”

Kapukare believes that the world is inevitably moving online and the change is visible.

Although his time is normally occupied with trying to grow the business, Kapukare spends the little free time he has playing chess or reading and loves to go cycling.

“Namibia is such a beautiful country and seeing it on a bicycle gives you a real chance to marvel at the beauty of Namibia and its natural surroundings.”

Encouraging people to “be proactive and try to make your ideas, concepts and businesses a reality,” Kapukare emphasises that vision is nothing without action.

The idealist says that the sky is the limit and he has big plans for EstApp, which he hopes will grow and become a large employer locally and internationally. According to Kapukare “technology lies at the future of our economic development and we as a nation need to embrace this.”