Samson LukheleSoftware engineer / Johannesburg, ZA

Software for real momentum.

I build web products, useful AI workflows, and developer tools with an eye on what happens after they ship.

Read the work
Currently

Software Developer Intern, Umuzi

2026 - present

01 / Selected systems

Built to be used.

Systems built from specific friction points, shaped into usable products, and shipped with clear engineering trade-offs.

01Live · Open source
Developer tool

GitHub Wrapped

For developers sharing yearly progress

Turns raw GitHub history into a personal year-in-review that can be shared in minutes.

Built to replace manual recap threads. A username resolves to a persistent yearly URL with stats, generated commentary, and optional roast copy.

ENGINEERING CORE:Per-user/year caching model · Idempotent report endpoint · Graceful AI fallback path
Next.jsTypeScriptMongoDBOpenAI API
02Live · Open source
AI workflow

AI Project Picker

For developers applying to specific roles

Helps developers choose which repositories to feature for a specific job application.

Built after seeing strong work buried in long portfolios. It compares role requirements against repository metadata and returns a ranked shortlist with application-ready talking points.

ENGINEERING CORE:GitHub + OpenAI orchestration · Ranking prompt contracts · Structured response shaping
Next.jsTypeScriptOpenAI APIFramer Motion
03Live · Open source
AI reference architecture

Word Generator

For teams integrating LLM features reliably

A small app used to stress-test reliable AI integration patterns on a simple domain.

Built as a reference implementation: schema-validated model output, cache-first responses, and local fallback data so the feature still works during external failures.

ENGINEERING CORE:Runtime schema guards (Zod) · Cache strategy for token cost · Failure-tolerant service boundary
Next.jsTypeScriptOpenAI APIMongoDBZod
04Live · Open source
Full-stack exercise

Shukuma

For fitness users and as a service-boundary exercise

Tracks workouts and progress across a client app and a dedicated API service.

Built to practice service boundaries early: UI concerns in Next.js, domain logic in Express, and independent deployments for frontend, backend, and marketing.

ENGINEERING CORE:Service separation · REST resource design · Independent deployment workflow
Next.jsExpressMongoDBTailwind CSS

02 / Working method

Curious in the messy part.
Clear in the final one.

I learn by making, work closely with people, and prefer short feedback loops over elaborate speculation. The goal is maintainable software that earns its place.

01

Interface systems

ReactNext.jsTailwind CSSVite
02

Server work

Node.jsExpressREST APIsauthentication
03

Data

PostgreSQLMongoDBrelational and document modeling
04

Delivery

TypeScriptGitGitHub ActionsLinuxVercel
05

Applied AI

OpenAI APIstructured outputsLLM integrations

03 / The record

Where I've been shipping.

Software Developer Intern

Umuzi

Advanced Full Stack Web Development

Umuzi Experience Lab

Web Development Fundamentals

Umuzi Academy