Izipho Zokuphila co-founders Siyabonga Mngadi and Simphiwe Ntuli are dedicated to fighting kidnappings and gender-based violence (GBV) through their smartwatch tracker.
The duo from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal introduced the devices under the name KV Track but has since changed the name as it develops the device.
The safety wrist pieces were initially meant as a tool for parent-child tracking, especially during school days as children often go missing, but the skyrocketing numbers of GBV incidents have forced them to change the model and improve the watch from just a tracking device to a smartwatch offering more safety features.
Mngadi says he always feels excited when asked about the watch, but declines to reveal the “secret features” as he says certain important information should remain reserved.
“The features of watch has changed a lot since we first introduced it in 2017. The most important thing is that it is no longer for just tracking a child. We felt women were also in serious need of this technology.
“We have introduced a panic button that immediately alerts your loved ones and our team about the impending danger.
“In case the person does not respond to the panic, we, in the background, do a search of the nature of the panic.
“This means we try to check your surrounding to find out whether the button was pressed by mistake and if it is a serious situation we react immediately,” said Mngadi.
He said they have saved at least 10 people from dangerous situations but the demand has increased since the lockdown regulations eased.
“We are trying to incorporate the police and emergency services because they are legal persons to deal with gender-based violence and kidnappings.
“The truth is that our government is under pressure, so they cannot immediately attend, and this is where we come in.
“We want to make it possible that when you click the panic button the nearest police will also be alerted. For now, if you pressed that panic button and you are too scared to open a case, we keep the information as proof, and we’ll open a case for you,” he said.
“We added a lot of features, some of which we can only discuss with the customer because if we make certain information public we could be giving perpetrators ideas on how to outsmart us.”
The smartwatch can now monitor body temperature and make calls, among many other features. It sells for R1 700 with an additional R150 monthly tracking maintenance fee.
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