From the township of KwaMashu to the forefront of African innovation, Landile Mabele is transforming lives with technology and innovation.
The 23-year-old South African entrepreneur has already developed a smart cane for the visually impaired, a continuous glucose monitoring device for people living with diabetes, and a Covid-19 prevention tool.
As a founder of Navwok Technologies and Formidable technology, Mabele said this was his contribution to curbing the sky-rocketing unemployment in South Africa while redefining what it means to build solutions that are not only smart but socially impactful.
Growing up in the township, Mabele said, meant access to opportunity was limited while his ambition was limitless.
“Growing up in such a community fostered in me a strong sense of resilience, a hunger to solve real-world problems, and a deep desire to uplift others through innovation and always thinking big, not limited by my circumstance.”
He said his academic path has helped bridge natural curiosity for structured technical knowledge. This empowered him to apply information and communication technology to solve tangible societal challenges, especially through work in health-tech and assistive innovations.
His educational path began at Saint Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, followed by New Forest High School, and he is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce in Information Technology Management.
Mabele’s journey into technology was sparked by an early fascination with mobile phones and their ability to transform lives. In high school, he began experimenting with electronics and software.
Then came the Covid-19 pandemic, during which he built a bracelet device to help reduce the spread of the virus.
“I called it the Covid bracelet because I did not have an official name for it because I wanted to mass produce and sell, but before I could even start, our presidency announced that vaccines were coming the next week,” said Mabele.
He said the bracelet would prevent the wearer from touching their face by detecting movement to the face and would also alert them that the person they are about to make contact with had tested positive for Covid, provided they were also using the technology. The bracelet would vibrate when someone breached the 1.5 metre personal space distance.
That passion took form with Formidable Technology, which he said was born from personal experience. He said he lost his grandfather to a long battle with diabetes, and he believes that seeing him go through the struggles was an eye-opener. The grandfather struggled with conventional glucometers as he aged.
“At our core, we’re working on a continuous glucose monitoring device that changes the game. Unlike traditional glucometers, our device measures blood sugar levels continuously, without finger pricks or painful wounds. It quietly tracks glucose trends and gives users personalised alerts when levels change.
“We’re integrating AI-driven insights into our mobile app to help users understand how different foods, habits, and times of day affect their glucose levels. This isn’t just data, it’s clarity. It’s peace of mind,” said Mabele.
In March, the inventor won the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission Youth Award for SMME Excellence in Innovation for effective use of Intellectual Property Rights.
His second venture, Navwok Technologies, was born in 2023 from a simple observation that many visually impaired people still relied on outdated canes.
“This led to the development of NavWok, our smart cane, which uses sensors and feedback systems to help users navigate safely and more autonomously without depending on their loved ones.”
He explained that Navwok began as an idea shared over coffee with friends who would later become business partners.
Despite their shared vision, they faced early challenges, including, among others, a lack of funding. He credited his persistence, partnerships with innovation hubs, and support from the SAB Foundation for funding opportunities.
