Project Overview
Platform Documentation & Technical Details
Confidential — Version 1.0 — April 2026
Jean de Dieu Nihorimbere
Founder & Creator
9 April 2026
Live — Final Testing Phase
Personal venture (pre-incorporation)
1 Executive Summary
Tradeza is a free online classifieds marketplace built specifically for the South African market. The platform enables individuals and businesses to buy, sell, swap, and trade goods and services across all nine provinces. It serves as a digital notice board — connecting buyers with sellers through direct messaging, location-based search, and a trust system built on verified reviews.
The platform was conceived and created by Jean de Dieu Nihorimbere in April 2026 and is currently in its final testing phase prior to public launch.
2 Vision & Mission
Vision
To become South Africa's most trusted and accessible marketplace for peer-to-peer and business-to-consumer trade.
Mission
To make buying and selling simple, local, and free for every South African — connecting people with fair deals without unnecessary middlemen.
3 Platform Description
Tradeza is a web-based application accessible via any modern browser on desktop and mobile devices. It is not a full e-commerce platform — it does not handle payments between buyers and sellers, shipping, or delivery. Instead, it facilitates discovery, communication, and trust.
What Tradeza IS: A classifieds platform for listing items, connecting buyers and sellers, and building seller reputation.
What Tradeza is NOT: An e-commerce store, payment processor, escrow service, or delivery provider.
4 User Roles
| Role | Description | Key Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Guest | Unauthenticated visitor | Browse, search, view profiles and dealers |
| Registered User | Verified account holder | Post unlimited free ads, message, save/like, review, boost ads with points |
| Dealer | Business seller | All user features + storefront, subscription plans, dashboard, verification |
| Admin | Platform administrator | Manage users, ads, reports, reviews, support, payments |
5 Core Features
Ad Posting & Management
- Unlimited free ad posting
- Up to 10 images, category-specific fields, swap option
- Content moderation & duplicate detection
- Auto-expiry after 30 days, free renew/repost
Search & Discovery
- Full-text search with autocomplete
- Filters: category, location, price, condition
- Smart category & price suggestions
- Boosted ads appear first
Messaging System
- Direct buyer-seller messaging
- Optional price offers
- Real-time polling (5s interval)
- Auto-closure when ad sold
Reviews & Ratings
- 1-5 star ratings with comments
- Verified purchase only
- Auto-calculated seller rating
- Rating breakdown on profile
Boost Points
- Everything is free right now
- Earn boost points by referring friends
- 1 point boosts an ad for 7 days
- Paid promotions planned for the future
Dealer System
- Branded storefront with custom URL
- Free dealer accounts (paid tiers planned)
- Dealer dashboard & analytics
- Admin verification badge
Safety & Trust
- Automated scam/spam detection
- Phone number masking
- User/ad reporting system
- reCAPTCHA v3 bot prevention
Admin Panel
- Dashboard with real-time stats
- User, ad, report, review management
- Support ticket system
- Payment tracking & revenue
6 Technology Stack
| Component | Technology | Version |
|---|---|---|
| Backend Framework | Laravel | 13.0 |
| Language | PHP | 8.3 |
| Database | MySQL | 8.x |
| CSS Framework | Tailwind CSS | 3.1 |
| JavaScript | Alpine.js | 3.4 |
| Build Tool | Vite | 8.0 |
| Authentication | Laravel Breeze + Sanctum | 2.4 / 4.0 |
| Payments | PayFast | Custom integration |
| Image Processing | Intervention Image | 3.0 |
| Error Monitoring | Sentry | 4.25 |
| Analytics | Google Analytics 4 | — |
| Hosting | cPanel (shared) | — |
7 Revenue Model
Tradeza generates revenue through three paid services. It does not take commission on buyer-seller transactions.
| Revenue Stream | Description | Price Range (ZAR) |
|---|---|---|
| Ad Posting | Unlimited ad posting, renew & repost | Free |
| Ad Boosts | Top of results for 7 days, paid with referral boost points | Free (1 point) |
| Feature / Sponsor / Dealer plans | Paid promotion options planned for a future release | Coming soon |
8 Project Timeline
Project inception — first commit, core architecture
Core features: ads, categories, locations, auth, messaging
Admin panel, payments, dealer system, reviews, notifications
Platform deployed to production (trade-za.co.za)
Final testing phase — bug fixes, UX improvements, documentation
Public beta launch (in progress)
9 Intellectual Property
All source code, design, architecture, branding, and content of the Tradeza platform are the original creation and intellectual property of Jean de Dieu Nihorimbere.
The platform was conceived, designed, and developed by the founder with the assistance of AI development tools (Claude by Anthropic) for code generation and implementation. All architectural decisions, feature specifications, business logic, branding, and design choices are the founder's original work.
The domain trade-za.co.za is registered to and owned by the founder. The brand name "Tradeza" and the associated visual identity are proprietary assets.
This software is proprietary. Unauthorized copying, modification, distribution, or use is strictly prohibited without prior written permission from the copyright holder.
10 Data & Privacy
- User data is stored in a MySQL database on the hosting server
- Passwords are hashed using bcrypt (12 rounds)
- No financial payment data is stored — all payments processed by PayFast
- Users can deactivate accounts (soft delete with 1-year permanent deletion window)
© 2026 Jean de Dieu Nihorimbere. All rights reserved.
Tradeza — South Africa's Trusted Online Marketplace