At this year’s Bellville Connect Level Up Business Programme, hosted by the Greater Tygerberg Partnership, Sodieq Barendse claimed the top award for his innovative platform, Pekkish — an ordering marketplace and POS ecosystem built to close the digital divide for micro-entrepreneurs.
The win affirms the hard work behind building a brand “with minimal resources, powered more by grit than glamour” as Sodieq puts it, and demonstrates what is possible when a solutions-driven mindset meets purposeful technology.
From Project Manager to Techpreneur
Cape Town-born and community-minded, Sodieq built his 10-year career as an NEC-accredited project manager spanning construction digital innovation projects across the Western Cape.
But beneath the technical expertise sat an entrepreneurial instinct, and a passion to create and develop tech that solves real, lived challenges in South Africa.
“I firmly believe that real impact happens when you give ordinary people access to extraordinary tools,” says Sodieq.
The spark of inspiration that became Pekkish ignited just before the Covid-19 pandemic, when Sodieq saw informal businesses and traders struggling to trade effectively due to a lack of digital tools. At the same time, customers were moving online, expecting convenience, ordering and delivery at their fingertips.
The gap was clear, and the question followed naturally: “What if we made it possible for even the smallest vendor to have access to the same digital power as a major franchise?”
Pekkish was built as the answer — a platform designed to bring informal traders into the digital economy, and was officially launched when lockdown restrictions began to ease.
Today, Pekkish stands as a trusted digital partner for small businesses, having supported 322 vendors, 19 762 users, and R10.7 million in processed orders at its peak.
A Platform for Everyday Business Owners
Pekkish functions as a fully integrated ordering marketplace and POS ecosystem designed for home businesses, informal traders, home-based cooks, spaza shops and small neighbourhood vendors.
Within one app, vendors can:
- Accept and manage orders
- Process payments
- Track sales
- Manage menus or product lists
- Run day-to-day operations
The Pekkish purpose is powerful: “To formalise informal businesses by giving them affordable, easy-to-use digital tools that help them operate professionally, grow and scale.”
And the vision is clear: “To empower millions of micro-entrepreneurs across Africa, who are often overlooked, but who collectively fuels and embodies the continent’s economic engine.”
Building a Pan-African Digital Future
Pekkish is gearing up for strategic expansion with a roadmap designed not just for growth, but for long-term digital infrastructure across Africa’s informal economy.
Their plans include:
- Scaling into more informal hubs across the Western Cape and nationally.
- Launching an advanced WhatsApp ordering AI directly integrated with their POS.
- Securing funding to expand the tech team and enhance platform capabilities.
- Introducing new micro-logistics and delivery tools to support drivers and marketplace aggregation.
- Partnering with corporates, municipalities and SMME programmes to roll out digital enablement at scale.
- Adding revenue streams through payments integration and marketplace expansion.
Valuable lessons learned along the journey
For Sodieq, entrepreneurship has been a masterclass in patience, resilience and pacing.
“You don’t scale a business by sprinting – you scale it by surviving long enough to win.”
Cash flow cycles, product iterations, funding delays and customer adoptions taught him that growth rarely matches the entrepreneur’s ideal timeline. The real test is to stay resilient and disciplined.
Looking back, he says he would have focused earlier on building the right ecosystem consisting of technical partners, mentors, operational collaborators and early adopters, rather than chasing fast traction. Testing early and failing forward would also have accelerated learning.
“Progress,” he says, “is more valuable than perfection.”
A Mission Rooted in Impact
Ask Sodieq what drives his entrepreneurial spirit, and the answer is immediate:
Impact. Real, measurable, community-level impact:
A vendor moving from handwritten orders to a full digital operation.
A home business doubling its income because customers now see them as “professional.”
A trader improving retention and repeat sales through simple digital tools.
“Money is a metric. Impact is the mission.”
Winning the Bellville Connect Level Up Programme was more than recognition — it was powerful validation that his model is both scalable and socially relevant. With this momentum, Sodieq is focused on broadening Pekkish’s footprint while staying true to the values that shaped the brand from day one.
The Mindset That Keeps Him Moving
For Sodieq, the entrepreneurial mindset blends optimism, discipline and strategic adaptability.
“It’s the ability to stay optimistic in public while solving panic in private,” he laughs, though the truth behind the humour is unmistakable.
It’s seeing opportunity in obstacles, creating value before extracting it, and showing up daily with a plan… and a backup plan for the backup plan.
“The entrepreneurial mindset is equal parts bravery, discipline, and a little delusion — but the healthy kind. You need courage to keep adapting and adjusting.”
His advice to fellow entrepreneurs is grounded in the realities of building a startup:
- Start with what you have. Perfection doesn’t pay the bills.
- Build a business that solves a real problem. Not one designed to impress on a pitch deck.
- Protect your energy. Surround yourself with people who bring clarity, not chaos. The entrepreneurial journey is long, noisy, and unpredictable.
Powered By Purpose
Sodieq’s journey shows what’s possible when technology meets intention. What began as a simple question — “How do we give small vendors big tools?” — has grown into a pathway for everyday traders to operate, earn and grow with confidence in a digital world.
In a country where micro-entrepreneurs sustain entire communities, Pekkish is a reminder that innovation doesn’t have to be complex to be transformative — it simply needs to be accessible.
As the platform enters its next phase, its mission remains clear: to power and strengthen the communities that form the backbone of South Africa’s economy.
