From being a one man show taking clients to viewings, Antonio is now collaborating with estate agents and homeowners, providing them access to buyers that have already been approved, his startup Zakasi said in a statement.

"Township estate agents can now partner with us to form part of our value chain and vision of providing the locals with access to available township properties," Zakasi said. 

"We are currently looking to partner with estate agents within the two main provinces we operating on which are Western Cape and Gauteng, operating in townships such as Khayelitsha, Soweto, Mamelodi and Alexandra."

Antonio says his mission is to provide the public with a safe, convenient and accessible property platform and he lists a pitch to retailer Pick n Pay's founder Raymond Ackerman among his greatest achievements.

As a student at the Raymond Ackerman Academy of entrepreneurial development in 2015, Antonio says he came across a newspaper article which made him realise the township property market lacked platforms such as his, with residents often posting adverts on notice boards at shops and train stations.

Antonio joined an agency to learn the ins and outs of the real estate industry in 2016 whilst starting his own company.

ANA