AboutJohannesburg, ZA5+ years shipping

George Chakama

Software EngineerSystems ArchitectCommunity Builder

I'm a Zimbabwean-born software engineer, systems architect, and technology innovator with over five years of industry experience building scalable platforms across logistics, accessibility, fintech, ESG, and social good.

I specialize in turning complex operational requirements into resilient infrastructure — whether orchestrating real-time geolocation streams with Google Fleet Engine, building idempotent APIs for fintech ecosystems, or engineering accessibility tools that change how people communicate.

Beyond engineering, I actively mentor developers through Google Africa Developer Scholarship and WeThinkCode, and speak at conferences like Google DevFest and Build with AI about applied AI and scalable system design. I believe technology should be intentional, human-centered, and impactful.

Toolbox
  • Node.js
  • Ruby on Rails
  • React Native
  • TypeScript
  • PostgreSQL
  • Google Cloud
  • AI Integrations
Say helloSee the work
George Chakama
Johannesburg · ZA
Open to opportunities
Based in
Johannesburg, South Africa
Currently
Software Engineer at Etapath
Focus
Mobile, backend & applied AI
Open to
Consulting, speaking & full-time roles

Engineering at scale

Built for real-world impact

React Native · Mobile

Built real-time fleet tracking for 1000+ drivers and 10,000+ clients using Google Fleet Engine and LMFS — live geolocation, route planning, and logistics dashboards.

Community Builder

Mentoring developers since 2019 through Google GADS and WeThinkCode. Speaker at Google DevFest and Build with AI.

800+

Devs mentored

50+

Talks delivered

6+

Years community

Award-Winning Work

Recognised internationally for building technology with social impact.

🏆

JCI TOYP

Ten Outstanding Young Persons

🚀

30 Under 30

Top Tech Innovator

Production Systems

From fintech APIs to real-time logistics infrastructure — writing code that handles failure gracefully and scales predictably.

fleetService.js
driver.rb
1async function syncFleetLocation(driverId, coords) {
2 const task = await Task.findActive(driverId);
3
4 await fleetEngine.vehicles.patch({
5 name: task.vehicleName,
6 lastLocation: {
7 latitude: coords.lat,
8 longitude: coords.lng,
9 },
10 });
11
12 broadcastToClients(task.id, coords);
13}

Journey

Career Timeline

10 roles · 2018 → present

  1. Jul 2023 – Present

    3 yrs 4 mos

    South Africa

    Etapath

    Software Engineer

    Full-timeCurrent

    Scaling Etapath's transportation and trip-dispatch platform across React, React Native, Ruby on Rails and Google Cloud — mobile, backend and the technical leadership around it: ADRs, SonarCloud quality gates and reviews across ~18 teammates' PRs.

    • Rebuilt the Etapath Driver App from the ground up in React Native/TypeScript — Google Navigation SDK, Fleet Engine Driver SDK, FCM, background GPS tracking and passenger geofencing
    • Led the migration to Expo SDK 56, React Native 0.85 and React 19 on the New Architecture, moving Fleet Engine to TurboModules and retiring 3 native patches
    • Re-architected the mobile data layer across 147 files with TanStack Query and resilient WebSockets — ~3,600 lines of obsolete code removed, test suite doubled; introduced Sentry, EAS Observe and a 25-flow Maestro E2E suite
    • Eliminated a Google Fleet Engine production error storm (~675 Sentry events in 6 weeks) with idempotent task creation, deterministic IDs and a retry/discard architecture adopted fleet-wide
    • Owned ~27 API routes and ~70% of the 12k-line Team Manager booking platform, and fixed a driver double-booking race with row locking, transactional guarantees and ~700 lines of regression tests
    • Designed fleet-scoped RBAC across 12 policies (97 tests, 100% new-code coverage), closed IDOR, LIKE-injection and OTP brute-force holes, and built an AI support-triage system across WhatsApp, Gemini and ClickUp

  2. Jun 2025 – Oct 2025

    5 mos

    United Kingdom

    TDi Sustainability

    Software Engineer

    Contract

    Built and delivered enterprise ESG and supply-chain risk tooling — system architecture, data integration, user experience and scalable delivery.

    • Designed and built the Strategic Roadmap platform: a multi-step materials risk workflow from Bills of Material through API-driven risk scoring to actionable roadmap reports
    • Architected a unified ESG risk dashboard bringing TEDD, Global Risk Tool, ICAT, Search 360 and Entities/Materials into a single interface
    • Secure, scalable architecture with token-based authentication, RBAC, multiple API integrations and Convex-backed data workflows
    • Rich data visualisations in Next.js, TypeScript, Mapbox, Recharts, Radix UI and Tailwind CSS, delivered to production on Kubernetes with Helm

  3. Sep 2022 – Aug 2025

    3 yrs

    Harare, Zimbabwe

    Built Different

    Community Manager

    Ran the Built Different developer community in Harare alongside full-time engineering work.

  4. Feb 2023 – Jun 2023

    5 mos

    Cape Town

    Restio Labs

    Software Engineer

    Contract

    Built scalable web applications and intelligent integrations with Node.js, Angular, REST APIs and cloud platforms.

    • Built and integrated bot-driven workflows, connecting conversational interfaces with backend services and business processes
    • Designed and consumed RESTful APIs integrating frontend applications with distributed backend services and third-party platforms
    • Deployed on AWS and Azure for reliable application delivery and scalable infrastructure
    • Contributed across the full lifecycle — system design, implementation, testing, optimisation and production delivery

  5. Jan 2023 – May 2023

    5 mos

    Harare, Zimbabwe

    Velocity Tech Inc.

    Full Stack Engineer

    Contract

    Digital agency delivering web and emerging-technology solutions for clients across multiple industries — several projects at once, each with its own stack and workflow.

    • Contributed to a large-scale job portal in Vue.js — frontend features, user workflows and integrations
    • Worked on a blockchain and NFT project, building Web3 functionality inside a production project
    • Delivered features across multiple client projects with designers, developers and stakeholders

  6. Sep 2022 – Feb 2023

    6 mos

    Berlin, Germany

    Codum.cc

    Frontend Developer

    Contract

    Frontend for a platform matching developers and technology enthusiasts with accountability partners to learn, collaborate and build projects together.

    • Built and enhanced the React.js frontend — reusable components, responsive interfaces, maintainable architecture
    • Integrated with Python backend services and PostgreSQL, and added Stripe for secure payment workflows
    • Shipped core matching, collaboration and project-building features, and improved performance and cross-browser consistency

  7. Feb 2022 – Oct 2022

    9 mos

    Nigeria

    Kerapay

    Lead Software Developer

    Contract

    Led engineering for a fintech platform that lets employers give employees flexible financial benefits — salary-on-demand, perks and utility discounts.

    • Led and mentored a team of developers across TypeScript, React, Node.js and React Native
    • Architected the financial-benefits platform for scalability, reliability, security and maintainability
    • Delivered core features across web and mobile, from technical design through to production release
    • Set engineering standards — code reviews, technical decisions and continuous architecture improvements

  8. Jul 2021 – Jan 2022

    7 mos

    Los Angeles, CA

    orbit

    Frontend Developer

    Contract

    Frontend for high-quality, scalable web applications and polished user experiences across client projects.

    • Built and maintained production React and Redux applications with GraphQL and Apollo Client
    • Designed responsive, accessible interfaces in SASS from product and design requirements
    • Improved performance and responsiveness across devices, with code reviews, testing and debugging as routine

  9. Jan 2020 – Apr 2021

    1 yr 4 mos

    Harare, Zimbabwe

    Benthos Technologies

    Web Developer

    Contract

    Designed and delivered websites and digital experiences for clients — responsive design, usability and reliable content management.

    • Built and customised WordPress sites — themes, layouts, plugins and content-management workflows
    • Responsive interfaces optimised for desktop, tablet and mobile
    • Owned projects from requirements through development, testing, deployment and ongoing support

  10. May 2018 – Jan 2020

    1 yr 9 mos

    Harare, Zimbabwe

    Covenant

    Web and Print Designer

    Web and print design for clients — where the journey started.

Education

  • Treehouse — Front-end Web Development & Full-stack JavaScript · 2018–2019
  • Zimbabwe Open University — Bachelor's degree, Computer Software Engineering · 2017–2018

Stack

Technology Radar

Frontend04
Backend05
Cloud05
AI05
Mobile04
Core
— what I reach for first
Regular
— in rotation on real projects
Exploring
— learning and evaluating

Engineering

Decisions & Tradeoffs

Real calls from production systems — the situation, what was chosen over what, and what it cost.

  1. Reliability

    Etapath

    Idempotent task creation to end a Fleet Engine error storm

    Google Fleet Engine task creation was producing an error storm — ~675 Sentry events in six weeks — as retried and duplicated dispatch requests collided with tasks that already existed.

    Chose

    Made task creation idempotent: deterministic task IDs so a retry resolves to the same task, behind one shared retry/discard architecture that every Fleet Engine integration now goes through.

    Over

    • Quieten the alerts — rate-limit and filter the Sentry noise
    • Add ad-hoc retries with backoff at each integration point

    Cost

    One more layer every integration must pass through, and the discard rules have to be exactly right — get them wrong and a genuinely new task is dropped as a duplicate.

    Result

    The storm stopped, and the same path was adopted fleet-wide, so new integrations inherit retry safety instead of re-solving it.

    Google Fleet Engine · Ruby on Rails · Sentry

  2. Data integrity

    Etapath

    Row locking over optimistic checks for driver bookings

    Two dispatchers could book the same driver for overlapping trips: concurrent requests both passed the availability check before either had written, so the conflict only surfaced in the field.

    Chose

    Serialised bookings with database row locking and transactional guarantees, backed by ~700 lines of regression tests and a conflict-detection UI that explains why a booking was rejected.

    Over

    • Check availability in application code and accept the small race window
    • Detect the conflict after the fact and notify a human

    Cost

    Locking serialises writes on a hot row, so bookings for a busy driver queue briefly instead of racing — a small latency cost accepted in exchange for never double-booking.

    Result

    That class of bug is gone, and the regression suite keeps it gone.

    PostgreSQL · Ruby on Rails · React

  3. Mobile architecture

    Etapath

    Re-architect the Driver App data layer on TanStack Query

    Hand-rolled fetching, caching and socket handling had spread across 147 files of the Driver App; stale state and reconnect bugs were a recurring source of field issues.

    Chose

    Re-architected the data layer on TanStack Query with one resilient WebSocket handler — removing ~3,600 lines of obsolete code and doubling the test suite — shipped alongside the move to Expo SDK 56, React Native 0.85 and React 19 on the New Architecture.

    Over

    • Patch the existing layer file by file
    • Introduce a global store but keep manual fetching and sockets

    Cost

    A large, risky change across 147 files landing with a runtime migration, so regressions had to be caught by the expanded unit tests and a 25-flow Maestro E2E suite rather than a gradual rollout.

    Result

    Less code, more coverage, and a data layer that recovers from dropped connections by design; Fleet Engine moved to TurboModules and three native patches were retired in the same push.

    React Native · Expo · TanStack Query · Maestro

  4. Access control

    Etapath

    Declarative, fleet-scoped RBAC instead of per-endpoint checks

    Team Manager serves many fleets on one platform. Permission checks were scattered through controllers, where one missed check is a cross-tenant data exposure.

    Chose

    Designed fleet-scoped RBAC as 12 declarative policies evaluated centrally, with 97 tests and 100% new-code coverage — alongside fixes for IDOR, LIKE-injection and OTP brute-force findings and committed credentials.

    Over

    • Keep per-endpoint checks and add more tests around them
    • A single admin / non-admin flag per user

    Cost

    Every new endpoint has to be expressed as policy before it ships — deliberate friction, since the failure mode is another fleet's data.

    Result

    Authorisation is one system you can read, test and audit, instead of a pattern each engineer has to remember.

    Ruby on Rails · RBAC · Security

  5. Product architecture

    TDi Sustainability

    One ESG risk dashboard over five separate tools

    Supply-chain risk work lived across TEDD, Global Risk Tool, ICAT, Search 360 and Entities/Materials; analysts stitched an answer together by hand.

    Chose

    Architected a unified ESG risk dashboard that integrates all five sources behind one interface — token-based auth, RBAC and Convex-backed data workflows — plus a multi-step Strategic Roadmap flow from Bills of Material to risk-scored roadmap reports.

    Over

    • A portal page that links out to each tool
    • Rebuild each tool's UI inside one application

    Cost

    Five upstream tools means five contracts to keep in sync; a change in any of them shows up in the dashboard first.

    Result

    Delivered to production on Kubernetes with Helm — one place for materials risk assessment instead of five.

    Next.js · TypeScript · Convex · Mapbox · Kubernetes

Recognition

Awards & Honours

2 honours · 2023

  1. 2023

    JCI TOYP — Ten Outstanding Young Persons

    Junior Chamber International

    Honoured as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World for developing HearMe — a mobile application empowering individuals with speech impairments in Zimbabwe to communicate more effectively and integrate into society.

  2. 2023

    30 Under 30 Top Tech Innovator

    30 Under 30

    Recognised for contributions to building impactful technology solutions across healthtech, fintech, and accessibility-focused applications — highlighting work on projects that solve real-world problems at scale.

Speaking

Talks & Conferences

Google developer events, DevFest and community meetups — applied AI, architecture and system design.

  1. Google

    Talk

    Google DevFest

    Applied AI Integrations & Advanced Architectural Patterns

  2. Google

    Talk

    Google Build with AI

    Integrating Gemini AI into Real-World Applications

  3. Various

    Talk

    Community Developer Events

    Scalable System Design & Tech Education in Africa

Community

Mentorship & Community

Actively mentoring developers since 2019 — 800+ developers reached across Africa through structured programmes, workshops and 1-on-1 guidance.

  1. Since 2019

    Google

    Google Africa Developer Scholarship (GADS)

    Mentoring aspiring African developers on software engineering, career paths, and Google Cloud technologies.

  2. Since 2019

    WeThinkCode

    Supporting junior developers through coding challenges, project reviews, and career guidance.

  3. 2022 – 2025

    Harare developer community

    Built Different

    Community Manager — organising tech meetups, mentorship sessions and engineering events that grow Zimbabwe's developer ecosystem.

Philosophy

“Technology should be intentional, human-centered, and impactful. The goal isn't just systems that scale technically — it's systems that improve how people communicate, work, move, learn, and connect.”

— George Chakama