They called it the "CV typing class." I called it the first verification system a township kid ever sees proof that you exist, that you qualify, that you belong in the room.
I watched brilliant minds get filtered out of opportunity because Africa's trust layer doesn't exist yet. A hospital that can't find your records in time. An employer who can't confirm your skills. An interview panel that can't tell the candidate from the proxy. A deaf classmate with no interpreter in sight.
So I stopped teaching CV layouts and started building the rails underneath.
Soweto taught me that ubuntu is a specification. Rust taught me that trust is a compile-time guarantee. A 🥈 silver medal at the Rust Africa Hackathon 2026 taught me I can ship.
My name is Rakau Keorapetswe Lucas Kgoatlha. I build in public from Naledi. I'm open to work, and my only condition is that we build something that matters.
use africa::trust_layer;
struct Developer<'a> {
name: &'a str,
handle: &'a str,
origin: &'a str,
thesis: &'a str,
shipping: Vec<(&'a str, &'a str)>,
awards: Vec<&'a str>,
status: Status,
mantra: &'a str,
}
enum Status { OpenToWork, Compiling, Mentoring }
fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
let rakau = Developer {
name: "Rakau Keorapetswe Lucas Kgoatlha",
handle: "@mrlucas679",
origin: "Soweto, Naledi 🇿🇦",
thesis: "Africa's trust layer is missing. I'm writing it.",
shipping: vec![
("🏥 MediChain", "verify who you are, in an emergency"),
("💼 TrustWork", "verify what you can actually do"),
("🤟🏾 Amandla", "verify that everyone gets heard"),
("🔐 VerifyMyInterview", "verify who's really on the call"),
],
awards: vec!["🥈 Rust Africa Hackathon 2026 · Finalist"],
status: Status::OpenToWork,
mantra: "you can never stop learning ♾️",
};
trust_layer::ship(&rakau)?;
// → compiled in 0.42s, shipped with love from Soweto
Ok(())
}
| 🚧 building | MediChain — blockchain-verified national health ID with NFC/QR emergency access. Rust + smart contracts, designed for paramedics with zero signal. |
| 🌱 learning | Distributed systems · Solana · zero-knowledge proofs · African fintech rails |
| 🎯 looking for | A team that ships fast, mentors hard, and builds things Africa actually needs. |
| ⚡ my edge | Empty repo → shipped MVP in < 30 days. Silver medal at Rust Africa 2026 as proof. |
| 🗣️ I speak | English · Setswana · isiZulu — useful when your product ships across African markets |
| ☕ fuel | Rooibos, YouTube tutorials at 1.75×, and the sound of cargo build succeeding |
## [v2026.04] — current ✦ "ship / repeat"
### Shipped
- 🥈 Rust Africa Hackathon 2026 — Finalist with MediChain
- 🤟🏾 Amandla — real-time SASL avatar for the South African deaf community
- 🏢 Co-founded Lukau Tech Invasion (@LukauTechInvasion)
## [v2025.Q4] — "prove it"
### Shipped
- 💼 TrustWork v1 — built for the **FNB Hackathon** · marketplace that tests skills, doesn't just rate them
- 🚀 2 hackathons competed · 1 trophy brought home · 0 regrets
## [v2025.Q2] — "the pivot" ◉
### Changed
- ROLE: youth educator → full-stack developer
- LESSON CARRIED OVER: if you can teach a kid to type a CV,
you can ship a system that verifies one
### Added
- Rust · React · TypeScript · Supabase to the toolbelt
## [v2022–now] — "raw reps"
### Added
- Discipline. Thousands of YouTube hours. F&B App Academy.
- Late nights reading std::* documentation until it clicked.
- Zero shortcuts. Zero complaints. Refused to quit.
## [v2020–2022] — "origin"
### Initial Commit
- Born & raised in Soweto, Naledi 🇿🇦
- Taught kids how to type CVs at community centres
- Watched the access gap up close. Decided to do something about it.Languages & Runtimes
Frameworks & Libraries
Data & Infra
Tools
- 🥈 Proof, not promises. Rust Africa Hackathon 2026 · Finalist. I ship under pressure.
- 🏗️ Range. Rust backends. React frontends. Three.js avatars. FastAPI services. SQL schemas. I move across the stack without translation overhead.
- 👨🏾🏫 Teacher's communication. I can explain a linked list to a twelve-year-old and hold my own in a design review with a principal engineer.
- 🌍 African context as a feature. I understand what it means to build for 3G connections, shared devices, and users who rely on cash-based payment rails.
- 🗣️ Trilingual. English · Setswana · isiZulu. Useful the moment your product touches the continent.
- 🎯 Ready for: Junior Dev · Graduate Dev · Freelance · Internship.
