The annual MTN Business App of the Year award winners were announced this month, and on-demand cleaning services app Domestly took the top prize, as well as the best consumer category prize.Locally developed Domestly is a prime example of the Uber principle of business: it is a company that brokers the services of others, connecting those who offer a service with those who need it. Sometimes called the "Uber effect", this term is associated with reduced permanent employment and shrinking rates in established industries, like the taxi industry. In a largely under-formalised and under-regulated industry like domestic cleaning (where work is often informal and sometimes woefully underpaid), it’s not immediately clear whether that "Uber effect" criticism fits fairly.Domestly says its strategy supports unemployed and underemployed cleaners, primarily women, by supplementing their work opportunities.The company believes its app has created 600 jobs in the past nine months and it hopes to ...
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