Are we ready for platform co-operatives in South Africa?

Summary

In many parts of the world, cooperatives are harnessing the “platform economy” for the benefit of communities as well as their members, and this movement is growing in strength. Could worker-owned co-ops in South Africa get a grip on the digital economy and, in doing so, contribute to help our communities stand together to win their socio-economic struggles? What does it take for a worker-owned co-op to survive economic challenges? Is it a quantum leap for a co-op to use open source software and transform itself into a platform co-op, taking account of the socio-economic context of South Africa? Is there any support for platform co-ops in South Africa? There are many questions and not yet many answers around platform co-ops in South Africa.