# Two Wits grads take SA gaming global

> Vetkoek Studios founders Eric Gardiner and Mamello Raboroko are building games rooted in South African culture, from taxi sims to spinning motorsports, while training the next generation of developers.
- Title: Two Wits grads take SA gaming global · Daily Maverick
- Summary: Vetkoek Studios founders Eric Gardiner and Mamello Raboroko are building games rooted in South African culture, from taxi sims to spinning motorsports, while…
- Keywords: vetkoek studios, eric gardiner, mamello raboroko, taxi ranked, south african gaming, création africa, wits university, game development, roblox accelerator programme, news, politics, Two
- Source: Daily Maverick — https://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-04-sa-gaming
- Author: Naledi Mashishi
- Published: 2026-10-04T22:08:38+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: vetkoek studios, eric gardiner, mamello raboroko, taxi ranked, south african gaming, création africa, wits university, game development, roblox accelerator programme, news, politics
## Wits students win with taxi game
In two thousand twenty-two, Eric Gardiner and Mamello Raboroko, then final-year Wits University students, entered a taxi-themed video game prototype into a Wits Tshimologong competition and won.
## Taxi Ranked hits half a million
Their game Taxi Ranked has over five hundred thousand downloads. The Tshimologong prize allowed Gardiner, aged twenty-six, and Raboroko, aged twenty-eight, to launch their independent company Vetkoek Studios.
## South African details make it unique
Taxi Ranked lets players drive a customisable taxi while dodging potholes, picking up customers, and escaping police. It features bright art and South African details like billboards advertising NikNaks and Ouma Rusks.
## Expanding beyond taxis
Since opening in two thousand twenty-three, Vetkoek Studios has launched Aquabots on Roblox with a wildlife nonprofit to teach marine conservation. Next is a car game based on the South African TV show Spinners.
## Training and corporate games
Vetkoek Studios has launched a corporate service offering specialised training games for companies, particularly safety training. The studio is also hosting the Roblox Accelerator Programme, paying five thousand rand to six winners.
## Empowering young developers
Gardiner says Vetkoek Studios wants to bridge being a profit-making company and a community structure. The pair plan to expand their game catalogue, collaborate with peers, and work with Wits and University of Cape Town on training.

> We want to provide a bridge between being a company that makes games for profit, and being a structure in our community.
## Selected for French incubation
Vetkoek Studios is among the top fifteen finalists for the two thousand twenty-six Création Africa seven-month incubation programme hosted by the French Institute of South Africa.
## A chance to sustain and grow
Gardiner calls the Création Africa selection a great honour and pivotal step. He says it is a huge opportunity to bring the studio into a revenue generation position where they can sustain themselves and bring in talent from their community.

> This is a huge opportunity for us to really take off from the ground and bring our studio into a revenue generation position where we can start reliably sustaining ourselves.
## Key takeaway

Two former Wits students have built Vetkoek Studios into a gaming company with over five hundred thousand downloads, now selected for a French incubation programme to expand while training young South African developers.