Uber Eats goes local to find its niche in South African food fight

Couriers of the Uber Eats and Glovo delivery services in central Kiev, Ukraine, in September last year. — Reuters

SOWETO, South Africa: A stone's throw from Nelson Mandela's former home in South Africa's Soweto township, Dumile Badela's restaurant is now more hectic and lucrative than ever, thanks to Uber Eats, his hungriest customer yet.

Having already dominated Africa's ride-hailing sector, Uber is trying to conquer the food delivery market by leveraging its massive fleet of drivers in the continent's most developed economy and tracking popular food choices and destinations.