Meet Self-Taught Coder Who Was Inspired by His Gogo to Create CarPark App Supported by the Motsepe Foundation
- Self-taught coder Xolile Xaba created a CarPark app to help drivers find their cars in crowded or unfamiliar parking lots
- He told Briefly News in an exclusive interview that he was inspired by his grandmother to create the app and gifted it to her as a Valentine's Day present
- Word of the app spread, and Xolile was chosen by the Motsepe Foundation to exhibit his app at the Sandton Convention Center
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At 28 years old, self-taught coder Xolile Xaba managed to capture the attention of one of South Africa's wealthiest businessmen, Patrice Motsepe, through his innovative app.
Source: TikTok
The genius behind the CarPark App, who hails from Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal, spoke to Briefly News about his invention, the inspiration behind it and how he was chosen by the Motsepe Foundation to exhibit his app at the Sandton Convention Center.
Xolile shares where his interest in coding stems from
Although he studied BCom Law in business and accounting, Xolile's fascination with coding began when he was in Grade 11.
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"When I was in Grade 11, my mother bought me a smartphone. It was a tiny Samsung Galaxy Pocket. When I saw all the apps on Google Play Store, I became curious, and I wanted to have an app of my own on the app store."
"From there, I learned that if I want to develop an app, I need to know how to code, but at home we didn't have a computer. I had to use the computers at school during breaks and sometimes after school as a way of learning how to code.
"The first idea I worked on was a news streaming app called BizzPort, which focused on business news. I also added a chatroom like Zoom for people to have real-time discussions."
How Xoilie's grandmother inspired his successful CarPark app
It was brought to Briefly News' attention that Xolile's grandmother inspired him to create his app, which is available on all the app stores.
The young man said he was with his grandmother when they forgot where they parked their car.
"It was frustrating having to spend so much time looking for the car in a very huge parking lot. Suddenly, all of the cars in the parking lot looked the same. I asked myself, why doesn't someone just create an app to help find your vehicle in case you forget where you parked?
"It was around February, I didn't have a girlfriend then so I figured I should make a parking app for my grandmother as a Valentine's Day gift," - how sweet!
Xolile says his gogo, a retired teacher, is one of the best drivers he's ever met.
"Through her teaching years, I remember her coming home with piles of papers for marking, even on the weekends. She was very strict; now, she has loosened up a bit. Through her, we (me and my siblings) always knew that education is important."
Xolile added that he has carried his grandmother's teachings with him and even affectionately refers to himself as 'umfana kagogo' (granny's boy).
"I spent all my life with her until it was time to go to varsity. I remember trips from Newcastle to Johannesburg in her Mazda 2 and we often returned home late. Those were one of my best moments as a kid," Xolile recounted.
The coder's mother and his grandmother are his biggest supporters.
"I don't know what would've happened to me if it wasn't for their support. I followed a career they had never heard of before.
"They witnessed me working from six o'clock at night until six o'clock in the morning. That's when they saw how determined I was and supported me all the way."
How the CarPark app got recognition from the Motsepe Foundation
The Motsepe Foundation was founded in 1999 by Patrice Motsepe and Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, and giving back is integral to the foundation's moral duty and collective responsibility.
Xolile shared that word about the app was put forward to the foundation by a team at Tshimologong Precinct, a Johannesburg-based tech incubator with which he has been affiliated since 2019.
Lebohang Likhojane, the enabler, ensured that Xolile's name was put forward to exhibit his app at the Sandton Convention Center.
"It was a great experience. I was in the same room with Patrice Motsepe. I spoke to people who use our app and acquired new users on the spot. I heard people share problems related to their parking experiences.
"The Motsepe Foundation team was exceptional to work with. I learned a lot about the work that they do."
Source: TikTok
Self-taught coder shares insights on the challenges of creating the CarPark app
The app's core function is to help drivers find their cars in crowded or unfamiliar parking lots. A newly added feature also allows drivers to save on parking tariffs when they visit shopping malls.
For Xolile, the main challenge was having capital to build the app.
"The engineering power was very limited, and as a result, it took very long to launch. It is also very hard to monetise an app like CarPark."
As a coder, Xoilile saw his skills as the seed capital he needed to build the first version of the app.
"My only task was to build a minimum viable product to prove that I am solving a real problem and that people want an app installed on their devices like this.
"I was right. In the first week of rollout, the app was number one trending on Google Play. I attended many business events, searching for people to partner with. As a way of getting the word out there, we played on social media a lot.
"My mentor Tebogo Ditshego, the founder and CEO of Ditshego Media, schooled me about social media and how to protect your brand in cyberspaces. We developed a user-friendly method of displaying ads that don't disturb the user experience we are trying to create."
The passion and drive behind Xolile's successful app
According to Xolile, coding takes something from your head right into the hands of thousands of people in a concise space of time.
"We are the first generation to have something like that. It's like a superpower. With just a computer and the internet, your dreams can come true."
He advises young people looking to enter the industry to start building now.
"Just start with the little you have. Social media is a tool, so use it wisely."
Meet Kutlwano Tshatiwa, a self-taught 14-year-old programmer who creates apps
In another story, Briefly News reported that Kutlwano Tshatiwa, a self-taught programmer, has developed nine apps since he taught himself how to programme when he was 13.
Tshatiwa, who lives with his mom, two siblings and grandmother in Madikwe, said he was inspired by Thomas Suarez, a developer who created his first app when he was 12 years old.
"When I was 13 years old, I decided to learn programming languages and developed my first app at 14," he said.
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Source: Briefly News
