KhayaHR wants to help small businesses find workers without the usual runaround

When a small business needs another worker, the owner often starts by asking people they know. A cleaner recommends someone, a friend passes on a phone number, or a vacancy goes into a WhatsApp group. Sometimes it works. Other times, the owner spends days looking for someone and still has no way of knowing whether the person will be right for the job. South African startup KhayaHR is trying to make that process less difficult. Founded by Jacques Roux, the company has built a platform for finding workers and handling some of the administration that comes with employing them.

KhayaHR says more than 12,000 workers have signed up since the company launched in May 2026. Its services cover recruitment, worker verification, training, HR and payroll. The business is targeting frontline jobs, including cleaning, domestic work and hospitality. These are areas where people often find employment through personal contacts, even when they have years of experience.

Experience that is difficult to prove

A person may have spent five years cleaning offices or working in a restaurant but have little written evidence of that experience. Their previous employer might be happy to recommend them, but a new employer still has to make calls and check the details. KhayaHR gives workers a digital profile where they can list their skills, work history, references, certificates and availability. The company calls it a workforce passport. Employers can use Khaya AI to search for candidates based on the job they need done, the location and the experience required.

For a small business owner who needs several workers, being able to review candidates in one place could save time. The owner would still need to check references and decide who to employ, but would have more information to work with before making contact.

Keeping track of staff after hiring

Finding a worker is one job. Paying them correctly, keeping their records and managing leave are separate responsibilities. A business owner with a few employees might handle everything personally. When the workforce grows, the paperwork can become harder to manage, particularly if employees work different shifts or at several locations.

KhayaHR also offers HR and payroll services. Employers can pay for these services on a per-employee subscription basis. For a small company that cannot afford a full-time HR administrator, the service could be worth considering. The important question is how much it costs and whether it saves the owner enough time to justify the expense. Many small businesses already have ways of handling payroll and employee records. KhayaHR will have to give them a good reason to change.

Training workers through the platform

KhayaHR has introduced a training service called KhayaHR Academy, which offers short courses that can be completed on mobile devices. Workers can add the certificates they earn to their profiles. This gives them another way to show what they have studied, especially if they do not have formal qualifications. Employers can consider the training alongside a person's work history and references. The certificates will be useful only if the courses teach skills that businesses actually need.

A business funded by its founders

Roux runs KhayaHR with his wife. He handles the technology, product development and commercial side of the business, while she manages much of its daily operations and engagement with workers. The founders are funding the company themselves rather than relying on outside investors.

KhayaHR earns money when employers pay to connect with workers. It also charges for HR and payroll services, offers paid training courses and works with larger employers through specialised programmes. Roux has said the company is generating early revenue, although it remains in the early stages of building its business. Funding a startup without outside investment means the founders have to watch their spending. They need money to improve the platform, attract employers and check workers' details, while making sure the business can cover its own costs.

More registrations are not enough

KhayaHR says its workers come from all nine provinces and cover 50 occupations. Those figures indicate the reach of its platform, but they do not show how many workers have found jobs through it. The company needs employers to use the service when vacancies arise, return when they need more staff and pay for the tools it offers. That may be harder than attracting workers to register. An employer who has always hired through referrals might see little reason to try something new unless the platform produces suitable candidates without adding more work.

There is also the question of trust. Employers need reliable information about applicants, and workers need to know how their personal information is used. KhayaHR says it checks identity and the right to work in South Africa before profiles become publicly available. The company plans to establish its business in South Africa before expanding into selected Southern African markets.

For now, the next step is getting more employers to use the platform and proving that it helps them hire people and manage staff without unnecessary expense. The 12,000 sign ups give KhayaHR a base to work with. Whether it becomes a sustainable business will depend on how many of those workers find jobs and how often employers return.