By: Sizakele Nduli
Living in a country plagued by child kidnappings and violence against women, Simphiwe Ntuli who is a jewellery designer from Umlazi in Durban, has created a smartwatch to help keep both children and women safe. The device features real-time tracking and a panic button for instant help in an emergency.
Ntuli who founded KV Track, has helped develop the smartwatch so that parents can track their children’s whereabouts and women can get out of abusive situations. “Our watches are so easy to use and understand. The watch is linked to an app that can be downloaded on their phones so that when the child presses the panic button, they will get a notification as well as location,” Ntuli said.
He told Vutivi News that he integrated safety features for women because many of them fell victim to gender-based violence. When the panic button is activated, a signal is sent to a response team who locates the victim and dispatches help within minutes. After facing setbacks in his business in 2017 due to high production costs and customers’ reluctance to pay for the smartwatch, Ntuli stopped his operations. He relaunched in 2021.
Even with a strong customer base, a lack of financial assistance means that the company has struggled to meet an increasing demand for the product. “… the prices of the watch components are very high, therefore, we are forced to sell the watch at a higher price which sometimes goes against us in terms of growing our client base. Some parts of the watch come from abroad and that makes our sale price high,” he explains.
The waterproof smartwatches, which are available in black, blue, purple, and pink, cost R1500 for individuals. They can also be purchased in bulk by schools, private companies, and non-profit organisations. “If you have our watch, no one will know that you have a tracking device on you. Our prices are very high if we sell to individuals, but if we sell as a bulk order, our prices become reasonable,” Ntuli said. Starting his business with personal savings, Ntuli later secured funding from the SAB Foundation and Innovation Durban.
He said that being recognised by the SAB Foundation in 2022 and seeing his client base grow steadily, had been immensely rewarding. Although Ntuli is the mastermind behind the business, he works with another company to help produce the watches. He gives them the specifications, and they manufacture the watches. “We plan to introduce ambulance services as well since we all know that not only human trafficking and abuse can happen to our clients, but also accidents can occur at any time, therefore, our watches can also be used as a call for help,” he said.
