26-05-2025
A new social media app is betting on South Africa's love of the veldskoen
What sets the JusTrend app apart in an oversaturated digital landscape is its intent, says Gqeberha founder Unathi Dulwana. It's not chasing clout. It's built for connection, self-definition and community-driven storytelling. And it's using the South African veldskoen as a symbol to do that.
On JusTrend, you don't have followers — you've got 'stalkers' (don't worry, it's a compliment). You don't post a photo — you drop a 'Pho_Mo'. And if you're really feeling yourself? You're officially 'MoTrending'.
If that sounds like the lovechild of Instagram and proudly South African swagger, it's because it is. Built in the heart of New Brighton in Gqeberha, JusTrend is a homegrown social media app with a big mission: to make Africa fall in love with herself again — one photo, one story, one veldskoen at a time.
Launched on Google Play Store in April 2024, JusTrend is the brainchild of Unathi Dulwana and the team at Riziki ICT Solutions. Dulwana explains that he first came up with the idea in June 2023 — on his birthday. By then, he says, he had become a 'hermit from traditional social media' platforms because he felt they did not represent him.
But why download another social media app, you might ask? According to Dulwana, the aim is to build a platform that offers more than just likes and shares — one where users are rewarded for showcasing their communities and everyday surroundings.
In December, JusTrend ran a pilot competition in partnership with soft drink brand Twizza, offering prizes for the most liked photos. Dulwana says the team is exploring similar collaborations as part of a broader strategy to make the platform more interactive and incentive-driven.
Rooted in New Brighton
For Dulwana and co-founder Musa Jali, a software developer, the app is rooted in place. The team is from Gqeberha, and building from New Brighton — which they say matters greatly.
'I was born and raised in New Brighton. My business partner, Musa Jali, who has been our software developer, is from New Brighton.
'Besides being the oldest township in Gqebera … our township is rich with history which is not told. It has been a melting point for the Eastern Cape for politics, arts and culture, as well as fashion, among others.
'The first cell of MK (Umkhonto weSizwe) was set up here … We have produced the best for the country and the world.'
To illustrate the point, Dulwana points to his own neighbourhood. In just five streets, he says, they've produced two Springboks — Thando Manana and his former schoolmate, the late Solly Tyibilika, plus rugby legend Themba Ledwaba — as well as figures such as former National Director for Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli, Zolani Mahola of Freshlyground, and Lulu Johnson, a former ANCYL President.
Start-up challenges
But it hasn't all been smooth coding.
Dulwana recalls one particular moment on New Year's Eve 2020, when the young company was just starting: they'd just bought a R25,000 laptop but had no data to download the software they needed to start building.
They went to the Nelson Mandela Bay ICT hub in the CBD, but were told it was closing for the year. Rather than give up, the team squatted outside the building to stay within range of the WiFi signal and keep working.
Now, they're expanding. 'We have just set up camp in Cape Town and immediately partnered with a restaurant called Downtown Ramen near District Six. We will soon be launching a feature where all users on the app, when they pass specific landmarks, will get notifications and short virtual stories about those.
'Users will also soon be able to book tables and purchase meals at their favourite eateries as well as tourism destinations. Soon we will go full-blown on short videos for content. The intention of the app is to be a rewards-based platform where users post beautiful content,' Dulwana said.
Mfundo Sambane, who manages Downtown Ramen's social media, said the restaurant had decided to partner with the app developers because 'it's really exciting to see young guys doing something interesting and inspiring'.
The former Gqeberha resident added that he had given other restaurants in the area the platform to experiment with. 'If it catches on with us here… I believe other places will be very happy to join in.'
That trusty leather lace-up
As part of JusTrend's vision for a unified South African identity, the team has their eye on a symbol they believe everyone can get behind — the veldskoen.
Yes, that trusty leather lace-up.
But for Dulwana, it's more than just footwear. It's a metaphor.
'I could be wrong, but the vellie transcends race, class and culture. The simplicity and the strength of the skoen symbolises the power that our country has. At the core of the campaign is the view that say, one opportunity we missed over the past thirty years was the failure to create a single SA identity.
'Given that to a large extent, we have accepted our unity in diversity, it sort of makes sense to have a symbol like the vellie that will be recognised immediately when we visit other countries,' he says.
Not just another app
What sets JusTrend apart in an oversaturated digital landscape is its intent, says Dulwana. It's not chasing clout. It's not built for doomscrolling. It's built for connection, self-definition and community-driven storytelling.
'We don't promote chatting for its own sake,' says Dulwana.
'Our goal is for Africa to develop herself through intra-collaborative efforts. We do not seek for our users to trend for the sake of just trending. Nor do we promote chatting for its sake.
'Ours is to showcase our people, farms, villages – the beauty thereof – and small dorpies among others, and project them to the world on our own terms, and in our own language.
'We want the Western world to talk about chikanda, mopane worms, magwinya or banku and roosterkoek as part of their vocabulary, like we do with their languages as well.'
Seeking collaborators
The team is currently seeking collaborators — from local eateries to tourism boards, schools and youth initiatives.
'Our go-to-market strategy centres around university and school ambassador programmes across South Africa, influencer-led trend challenges and rewards campaigns, as well as partnerships with local brands.
And while the reach of the platform is still quite small, Dulwana says JusTrend is laying the groundwork for a proudly African digital space — one that celebrates the continent's culture, creativity and tourism potential. DM
