Thumo.app in Eswatini: A Young Delivery Platform’s Early Traction, Growing Pains, and Regulatory Questions Ahead

MBABANE, ESWATINI – Barely months after launching, Thumo has emerged as one of Eswatini’s most visible new digital platforms, positioning itself as a multi-sided delivery marketplace linking customers, restaurants, and independent drivers. With ambitions of evolving into a broader “super app” spanning food, groceries, rides, and other services, the platform is gaining early traction — but not without operational and regulatory challenges.

Early Uptake in a Small Market

In a country with a relatively small urban population, Thumo’s early signals are notable. Local media reported that the platform recorded more than 1,500 signups within days of its August 2025 launch. On Google Play, the consumer app now shows over 10,000 downloads — a meaningful milestone in the Eswatini context, though download numbers do not necessarily equate to active users.

The platform operates through three linked applications:

• A consumer app (iOS and Android)
• A merchant app for restaurants and stores
• A driver app for couriers

This architecture reflects a classic three-sided marketplace model: customer ↔ merchant ↔ driver.

Partnerships and Market Footprint

Launch coverage indicated partnerships with well-known brands such as KFC, Galito’s, Pizza Inn, and Debonairs Pizza, alongside smaller, family-run restaurants. Reports and third-party references suggest activity in Mbabane and parts of the Manzini–Ezulwini corridor, though the company has not published an official city-by-city coverage map.

For merchants, Thumo offers outsourced last-mile logistics, allowing restaurants to focus on food preparation while the platform manages delivery through independent riders.

Payments and Feature Evolution

Publicly available information suggests customers can pay via cash, bank cards, and mobile money. App-store update notes show ongoing feature development, including:

• Driver tracking functionality
• Promo codes for takeaway orders
• Age verification features
• Mobile money wallet integrations for drivers
• A bill-payment feature referencing DeltaPay integration

While Thumo has not published a detailed pricing schedule, local reporting describes delivery charges as “low,” and at least one App Store review characterizes fees as “fair.”

Online payment processing is handled through a third-party gateway, and the company’s privacy policy states that card details are not stored on its own servers.

Mixed Customer Sentiment

Despite promising early growth, customer reviews reveal operational friction.

On the Eswatini App Store listing (14 ratings, 3.6/5 at the time of review), complaints include:

• Deliveries exceeding estimated times
• Food arriving cold
• Account and password reset issues
• Perceived lack of customer support responsiveness

One user wrote:

“Food takes more than an hour to arrive… & the food comes when it is cold.”

While the review sample size is small and not statistically representative, it highlights a critical inflection point: logistics execution must scale at the same pace as user acquisition.

Data Protection and Compliance Risks

As a platform that processes personal information, addresses, and real-time location data, Thumo operates within the framework of Eswatini’s Data Protection Act (2022).

The Act requires notification to authorities and affected individuals in the event of unauthorised data access and provides for significant penalties — including fines linked to turnover levels. The national data protection authority also indicates breach reporting expectations within 72 hours of discovery.

Thumo’s privacy policies disclose that it collects personal details (name, email, phone), physical addresses, and location data. The driver policy references ID verification and continuous location tracking during deliveries.

A notable security observation is that the platform’s deletion policy instructs users to email a deletion request and include their account password — a practice that cybersecurity experts typically discourage due to phishing and credential compromise risks.

Courier Licensing Questions

The Eswatini Communications Commission has stated that courier service providers must obtain licenses to operate legally. While Thumo primarily positions itself as a food delivery platform, regulatory interpretation could become more complex if the company expands into broader parcel logistics or intercity delivery services.

For now, the platform’s documented operations remain focused on restaurant and essentials delivery rather than passenger transport.

Economic Impact: Opportunity vs. Sustainability

Local reporting indicates that drivers and restaurants are already experiencing new income streams through the platform. The dedicated driver app encourages motorbike owners to sign up and earn.

However, key economic metrics remain undisclosed:

• Active driver counts
• Average driver earnings
• Commission rates charged to merchants
• Monthly transaction volumes

Without these figures, it is difficult to assess the platform’s sustainability or its broader impact on food prices and small-business margins.

Competitive Landscape

Thumo enters a fragmented market that includes:

• Via Eswatini Foods (groceries-focused)
• Dial a Delivery (brand-linked food ordering)
• YeboDash (web-led delivery)
• Leap Taxi App (ride-request services)

Unlike global giants such as Uber Eats or Bolt Food, Eswatini’s delivery ecosystem remains largely local and regional — creating space for homegrown platforms but also limiting the scale advantages seen in larger markets.

The “Super App” Ambition

Founders have publicly framed Thumo as the beginning of a broader digital ecosystem, describing a vision where Eswatini can be “at the forefront of Africa’s digital economy.”

App update histories suggest incremental layering of services rather than a sudden expansion — a pragmatic approach in a small market where density and reliability matter more than feature breadth.

What to Watch in 2026

As Thumo moves into its second year, three key developments will determine its trajectory:

1. Operational reliability – Can delivery times consistently match estimates?
2. Regulatory clarity – Will licensing or data-compliance requirements tighten?
3. Merchant retention – Can the platform maintain strong brand partnerships amid competition from direct ordering channels?

For Eswatini, Thumo represents both a test case and an opportunity: a locally rooted tech platform attempting to digitize everyday commerce in a tightly knit market.

Whether it evolves into a dominant “super app” or settles into a niche delivery role will depend less on ambition and more on execution.