WATCH | How social media is helping youths find work as runners

When Elona Njube completed matric but did not pass well enough to study further, she packed her bags and moved to Johannesburg in the hope of landing a job that would put food on the table.

But she became just another unemployment statistic when she arrived in the city, as there were few suitable opportunities for her, and many other young people were also looking for jobs.

Today, however, 21-year-old Njube is one of the many young “runners”, or personal shoppers, who are turning to hustle culture by using social media as a way of surviving SA’s worsening unemployment crisis.

Runners travel to shopping centres like Dragon City, China Mall and the Joburg CBD and create their own catalogues by filming products available in stores and posting videos on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook and WhatsApp.

Customers then place orders remotely and pay the runners to buy and deliver the items on their behalf.

“When I came here after matric, I saw how busy Joburg was and I had nothing to do,” Njube said.

“My friend then gave me the idea of becoming a runner. I started doing research on TikTok and Facebook, looking at how other people were doing it.”

The rise in these informal businesses comes as SA’s unemployment rate has increased from 32.4% to 37.1%, forcing many young people to seek alternative ways to earn an income.

Njube began her business by selling perfumes and sourcing stock for a small number of customers in her neighbourhood of Kya Sands.

What began with just five to 10 clients has since grown into a business with more than 50 customers across SA, including deliveries to Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

“Because I was not familiar with Joburg, my friend offered to show me where to buy stock, and we did that for about a week before I started getting orders,” Njube explained.

“The following week I started posting the videos I had made during that trial week.

“I first got one customer and then started advertising with the products she had sent me to buy for her,” she said.

Njube said her business gained momentum during the festive season when many people wanted to avoid crowded shopping centres and preferred to use runners to do their online shopping.

To build trust and protect herself and her customers, Njube asks clients to verify their identities through video calls before they send money for their purchases. She charges R150 in addition for courier costs through Paxi and other delivery services.

However, Njube said the business also comes with challenges.

“One of the biggest challenges is when I go to a delivery service and find their system offline or the storage units full at the courier service. That means I have to go back home with the parcels.”

Njube is not the only young person who has turned to the runner industry for work. Twenty-five-year-old Zola Mbina left his job as a consultant after two years to become a personal shopper for small businesses.

Mbina entered the sector in January after a former employer opened a salon and online store and needed someone to source stock daily.

“I prefer being a runner for businesses,” Mbiza said. “There’s more money in it, and I can actually see that I’m making a living for myself. It’s more profitable, and I always have something to work on every day.”

Mbina supplies wigs, beauty products and clothing for his clients.

“In a month I make almost R3,500 from one client alone and about R1,500 from another business, although that one is not always consistent,” he said.

“I knew from school that books were not really for me. I would advise young people sitting at home with nothing to do to start something instead of waiting for someone to give them a job. It’s not easy, but start somewhere.”

However, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) has warned people to be cautious when using personal shoppers on social media.

Spokesperson Phetho Ntaba said while many young people are managing to earn an income as runners, the work comes with risks.

Under the Consumer Protection Act, runners are regarded as suppliers and cannot take consumers’ money without delivering goods, she said. However, consumers who experience problems can lodge complaints with the commission.

“The sector is developing; therefore, the NCC is watching closely,” Ntaba added.