Zanele Matome is revolutionising corporate and home healthcare in South Africa. She is building a tech-powered, people-first platform that brings quality care directly to where people live and work.
South Africa’s healthcare system is a tale of two worlds. On one side, a relatively well-equipped private sector features world-class hospitals, skilled professionals, and modern equipment. However, only about 16% of the population can afford private healthcare, which is primarily funded through medical aid schemes (such as health insurance).
Then, there’s the public healthcare system, which serves most South Africans and accounts for the other 84%. The public system is chronically underfunded, overcrowded, and burdened by staff shortages. Long waiting times, medication shortages, and outdated facilities are common, particularly in rural or township areas.
Zanele Matome has experienced this ache. She witnessed rural communities struggle for necessities like medicine, information, and access. Healthcare wasn’t something you could “acquire.” It had to be fought for, waited on, or accessed after travelling long distances. Sometimes, it even arrived too late. Somewhere along the way, Matome decided that this broken, inaccessible system was a puzzle she would devote her life to solving.
But first, she went mining.
Matome moves from mining to healthcare
Before Matome became one of South Africa’s most exciting health tech entrepreneurs, she spent 15 years in the concrete world of construction and mining. Although it may seem like an unusual detour to switch to healthcare, in hindsight, it served as a valuable training ground. During her time in the construction industry, Matome learned to lead, advocate for space, and accomplish tasks in high-pressure, high-stakes environments.
Then came 2020. As the pandemic revealed the fragility of global healthcare systems, something clicked for her. Just as she had once built physical infrastructure for mines, she envisioned creating something more robust for healthcare—reaching people where they were—in their homes and workplaces.
This is how Welo Health was born.
The businesswoman builds Welo Health
Welo Health is not your typical healthcare service. It isn’t a hospital or a clinic. It’s a digital-first, people-centred model that merges healthcare with empathy and technology with trust. The backbone of Welo’s model is robust technology. Welo’s digital system is encrypted, AI-enabled, and fully compliant with data privacy laws like POPIA.
POPIA is South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act, designed to safeguard personal information and regulate its processing.
This operational model enables individuals to book a nurse to their homes with the same ease they would use to order dinner on an app. Lab tests and wellness programmes can also be delivered to the workplace without anyone having to step into a crowded waiting room.
The platform collaborates with nearly 500 gig nurses and doctors nationwide, linking certified healthcare professionals to patients. Companies that partner with Welo are experiencing reduced absenteeism, healthier teams, and a revitalised sense of wellness in the workplace.
At Welo, African nurses, doctors, and caregivers can work on their own terms while still providing the highest-quality service. Health professionals benefit from flexible schedules, diverse clinical experiences, and opportunities for growth, while patients receive exceptional care.
Beyond Welo, Matome is quietly transforming lives through Innov8, a non-profit she founded to promote educational equity in rural South Africa and Tanzania.
