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SA company to certify flyers and retail drones

Johannesburg - Mobile phone repair company weFix is now training, repairing and certifying drone flyers in the country. 

weFix has entered a partnership with youth and adult training providers, Drone Racing Africa (DRA), to make the new business venture possible.

Alex Fourie, founder and CEO of weFix, said that education on drones will now be convenient and accessible across 36 weFix stores.

“The local drone industry has been explosive in the last few years, rapidly climbing in status among the typical technology purchases and seasonal gift lists across South Africa,” Fourie said.

READ: Rustenburg uses drone technology to map BRT development

“The challenge is that the industry hasn't yet known how to service and scale this demand in a nascent industry. The connection between sales, training and education, regulatory compliance, repairs and accessory suppliers has been disparate, allowing for drone enthusiasts to fall short of the law, putting themselves and others at risk,” he added.

Drone purchasers are also in need of repairs and accessories once they start flying. Propellers, camera and batteries are repeated items that need ongoing repair or backup will be available at the store.

"Buying a DJI Mavic Pro, for example, is only part of the equation if you want to film wide angle, sports or extreme footage. Equally important is the after-market accessories that mount the camera and the technology support nationwide. And once drone enthusiasts have access to the equipment, they most importantly need to fly safe," Fourie said.

While the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has published rules around the flying of drones, the vast majority of people are unaware of where they can fly their drone legally and of the various options for certification to fly. 

CEO of DRA, Simon Robinson, said that the partnership was great news for the industry at large, which has previously been known for its diverse service providers. 

READ: Drones reshaping aviation industry

“Now, together with DRA’s formal drone operating skills and weFix’s expert distribution of DJI drones, technical support and back-up, we can better uphold our responsibility to be safety first in a way that is accessible for customers at a national level,” Robinson said. 

Recently, the Rustenburg Municipality began using drone technology to track progress of its Rapid Transport System, which is currently being developed and aims to make public transport safe, accessible and reliable.  

“South Africa is moving toward the fourth industrial revolution, and as the municipality we leverage on ICT technologies to ensure that we meet the demands of the digital technology of the digital technology era which is changing the way we live work and run our daily tasks,” mayor Mpho Khunou previously said.

The municipality is acting on Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa's statement at the recent Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Johannesburg, where he said that digital disruption is one of the cornerstones of a modern, diversified economy. 

“The use of technology is crucial to service delivery. The drones are currently being used to map the landscape of the RRT, and have proven most efficient,” Olga Ribeiro, executive director of the marketing wing for the municipality said.

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