South Africa is a diverse environment. It has a vibrant inner cityscape, but travelling outside the parameters of the concrete jungle, the rural countryside creeps up on you until you find yourself on the outskirts of civilisation. Here, communities have their own way of living. Life takes on a laidback appearance where everything moves more slowly and livestock roam on their own accord. But when this word meets the fast-paced world of rushing traffic and cars, a Big Bang-esque collision ensues.
Whether stray or just roaming animals are a serious problem in the rural areas of Southern Africa. They are dangerous on the roads as they are unpredictable, don’t fear roads and cause numerous deadly accidents every year that claim the lives of animals and humans alike. One victim who managed to walk away alive was Memphis Kaotsane, founder of Moonshine Reflective Spray.
“In 2017, I was involved in an accident that was caused by a stray animal, but fortunately, we only sustained minor injuries,” Kaotsane recalls. “That’s when I had the light bulb moment of coming up with a solution that would reduce accidents that are caused by stray animals, especially those that occur at night. I had to look into the high visibility factor and how motorists would be able to spot the animal from all different angles when the headlights are on. Secondly, I had to look into the crime factor, especially in my district of Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, which prompted me to come up with something that could not be stolen in removed from livestock.”
This speaks to an important aspect that many citizens face: crime. This non-removable, non-toxic, high-visibility product is an innovation that cannot be stolen and saves lives.
Acting like reflective paint, it ensures motorists can spot animals from 200 metres away, reducing collisions and saving lives by avoiding countless accidents caused by free-roaming livestock.
Understanding the Problem First-hand
Kaotsane grew up in a small rural area in the North West province called Taung: the donkey capital of the country. “I was the runner-up in the North West innovation competition in partnership with the office of the Premier, NWDC and the North West University.
“In 2019, I applied for the Grass-roots Innovation Programme with the Technology and Innovation Agency, which is under the Department of Science and Technology. Fortunately, I was accepted.”
Kaotsane explains that he initially only had a concept, and they were able to assist with the registration of the Intellectual Property and then moved to the development of the prototype with an SABS-approved laboratory at MUT (Chemical Technology Station). We then went through the testing phase for more than 12 months to ensure that the reflective paint was non-toxic and harmless towards animal fur, and we were able to receive certification of approval for the testing phase.
The Journey to Innovation
“We all know that innovation is born out of necessity, hence we came up with this amazing product called Moonshine. It is a reflective paint in a tube, which you apply to stray animals to make them visible at night.
“We have been able to collaborate with the Road Accident Fund since 2024, where they purchase a bulk of the sprays directly from Moonshine Reflective Spray and sponsor any village of their choice throughout the country where they have high accident zones caused by freely roaming livestock with no fencing next to the roads. We also intend to sell the product over the counter in partnership with agricultural retail stores. We would also like to sell the product directly to commercial and backyard farmers, and we have registered on Takealot for the product to be sold online.”
The future looks bright as our product is a first of its kind in South Africa, and at least 95% of the market is untapped.
Kaotsane dreams of seeing Moonshine Reflective Paint in all nine provinces and neighbouring countries such as Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia, where they encounter similar challenges. “There are already talks with the government of Botswana and the Department of Transport and Community Safety to help reduce accidents caused by stray animals in the Southern Hemisphere,” he concludes.
