Selling online in Zimbabwe usually involves WhatsApp messages, EcoCash numbers, and a stream of payment screenshots that someone has to track manually. A Zimbabwean fintech called Linkwa.co.zw is offering an alternative. No API knowledge.
No company registration documents. Sellers create a link based on what they are collecting money for. Linkwa offers purpose-specific links for Goods and Services, Donations, Cash Gifts, Group Contributions and Event Registration.
Once a link is created, a QR code is generated automatically alongside it. The seller shares the link or QR code wherever their customers already are, on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, flyers, or social posts. When a buyer clicks or scans, they see a checkout page and pay using EcoCash, InnBucks, OneMoney, Omari, SmileCash, Visa, or Mastercard.
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Funds settle into the seller’s mobile wallet instantly. The buyer gets a digital receipt the moment payment goes through. Crucially, the platform also accepts Visa and Mastercard, which means sellers and fundraisers can receive payments from family or supporters in the diaspora directly, without going through a middleman.
“Most of our users do business on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram,” says Tafadzwa Mapanzure, co-founder of Linkwa. “Traditional payment gateways were not built for them. We removed every barrier we could so that anyone with a mobile number could start accepting payments online, locally and from the diaspora.” Sellers keep 100 percent of their listed price.
Event Registration carries a 1 percent plus 50 cents fee per checkout, also paid by the buyer. The platform offers an AI-powered form builder for Event Registration links, which generates registration forms in English, Ndebele, or Shona in seconds. The form looks and works like a Google Form but accepts payment on submission.
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