CCI opens call center in South Africa’s 4th largest township

KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA — Business process outsourcing (BPO) firm CCI South Africa (CCI) has opened a new call center in Umlazi in a bid to launch a hub with employment firm CareerBox Africa (CareerBox).

Umlazi is the fourth largest township in South Africa. CCI and CareerBox plan to open their joint center there in early 2024.

CareerBox, CCI’s sourcing partner, offers employment opportunities in CCI’s centers. Prospects undergo a two-week readiness program to develop the skill sets needed in the BPO industry. 

“We have seen incredible demand for training at the CareerBox offices in Umhlanga and we are delighted to be able to offer many more of the motivated young people from Umlazi access to the BPO industry through our work readiness [programs],” said CareerBox Africa MD Lizelle Strydom in a statement.

CCI currently employs 8,000 people across eight sites in three cities and is looking to increase its employee base to 20,000 in the future. The South African BPO industry aims to create up to 500,000 new jobs by 2030. 

A report by McKinsey & Company detailed that the South African business outsourcing industry employed over 270,000 people in 2022 in six cities. Its own estimates reveal that the headcount could grow to over 775,000 by 2030, with up to two-thirds in the service of overseas markets.

Apart from laying down the foundation for their venture with CareerBox, CCI’s new center in Umlazi has a noble objective of reducing the commuting time of its employees, 20% of whom hail from the township.

CCI South Africa CEO Peter Andrew said: “We realized many of our valued employees have a long and costly commute to work in our current offices in Umhlanga, so we started really thinking about how we could ease their burden and facilitate access to employment.”