By: MORAGI & Inspiration
​
When a young Makgoro Mannya started making achar to help pay for her studies at university, she had no idea that it would lead to a multi-million rand export market.
Hers might not exactly be a rags-to-riches story, but it is one of dogged determination, inspiration, hard work and a bit of luck.
Ask any farmer about the pitfalls to working the land and they will talk of droughts, soaring fuel costs, labour disputes, crop failures, stringent legislation, repayments to the Land Bank.
The list will go on.
But Mannya thrives on the challenge.
"Farming is my choice, my love," says this single mother of two teens.
Her farm, Mielieskloof, is situated just outside Tzaneen in Limpopo. Consisting of 440 hectares, the farm produces mangoes, avocados, guavas, litchis and an assortment of vegetables. But it is mangoes that are her biggest source of income.
"We have close on 600000 mango trees and we produce the achar on the farm, which is sold locally,as well as in Botswana and Japan," she says.
After matriculating from Malebo High School in Elisaras, she decided to study for a Bachelor in Administration at the University of Venda. This is where the idea of producing achar first took off.
"I was catering in my spare time, but it was my achar that was most popular. I would get requests to produce containers of the stuff so I would travel to Tzaneen to buy mangoes and come home and make the achar."
Though she had no farming background - and no one in her family had farming experience - she decided this was the path she wanted to travel.
While her days were spent in class studying, at night she would devour any information on achar she could lay her hands on.
"I wanted to understand the achar business - what ingredients are needed, equipment, and so on.
"I approached Shoprite-Checkers with a proposal to supply the supermarket chain with my achar. They gave me a long list of requirements before they would give me the order - labelling, bar-coding and so on.
"Imagine my surprise when they said they needed 12 tons of achar a month. At that stage I was not even producing one ton," Mannya says.
Undaunted by how quickly events were unfolding, she set about identifying a mango farm so she would not have to rely on suppliers.
"When I saw this farm, I decided it was the one. I said: 'God just help me get this one!'"
It took close to three years for the farm to be transferred onto her name.
"The farm belonged to an Italian gentleman. He has been absolutely fantastic and turned out to be my mentor. I still turn to him for advice, which he gladly gives. He has not been selfish in any way so I have been very fortunate in that regard."
She paid R8,5 million in 2003 for the farm. Today, she employs 86 full-time and 40 casual workers, depending on the fruit season.
In an attempt to improve conditions for her workers, she has introduced an Adult Basic Education and Training programme for workers and the nearby community.
"Nearly 90 percent of my employees are illiterate. The other 10 percent can only write their names. Three teachers come to teach every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for two hours in the afternoon," Mannya says.
She is up at 5am every morning. First she checks that the overnight delivery from her farm to the fresh produce market in Johannesburg has arrived safely; then it's endless meeting with suppliers, checking prices; marketing strategies and ensuring the smooth running of the farm.
"I normally only finish at about 6pm," Mannya says.
It is this dedication that last year saw Mannya named the 2007 Female Farmer of the Year by Agriculture Department. Her company - Ditubatse Business Enterprises - was named winner in the export-market category.
But for her it is just the beginning.
"We have many more plans. A workers trust has been started which will see the farmworkers receiving 10percent of total profits. We also want to build a new factory for packaging the achar. Just watch us grow," Mannya beams.
​
To view a video and picture gallery of this interview log on to www.sowetan.co.za
​
Sowetan Newspaper :
BY UNKNOWN
18 June 2008 - 02:00
-------------------------------------------------------------------
MANGO ACHAR
By: S.M Enterprise & Inspiration
Dj Sbu
​​
Sbusiso Leope, popularly known as DJ Sbu, is a South African entertainer, media personality, best selling author, international speaker, social entrepreneur & he’s also a philanthropist who thrives on giving back to the youth of Africa. He gives talks to disadvantaged schools around SA, gives scholarships, offers mentorship to learners.
The brand, DJ Sbu has shaped youth culture & their thinking in South Africa over the past 16 years since 2001. Despite his tough upbringing in the impoverished neighbourhood of Tembisa in Johannesburg Ekurhuleni South Africa. He has overcome obstacles on his journey and made a name for himself using his music, acting, hosting prime time radio & television shows.
Over the past decade and half, Sbusiso has worked on national platforms exposing his brand and personality to over 20 million people every week.
Together with TK Nciza they built an independent record label TS Records in the early 2000s which produced popular artists in South Africa with continental appeal. They have discovered & helped multiple careers in the South African music business. Including South Africa’s second highest selling female artist of all time Zahara. His music career as a producer has seen him co-executive produce over 30 gold & multiplatinum selling albums. He has released 7 successful house albums of his own.
He is the founder and chairman of SLEF, ‘The Sbusiso Leope Education Foundation’ which has given away over 500 bursaries/scholarships to pupils throughout South Africa. He also personally mentors and supports young students who show an appetite for education.
Having been invited to speak at Harvard Business School. Getting standing ovations at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) & University of Westminster in London. Sbu Leope is a brilliant inspirational speaker who has spoken on multiple international platforms. Forbes Africa recognized Sbusiso as 1 of 13 young Africans to watch. Sunday Times named him one of the ‘Coolest Brands’ in SA. Mail & Guardian named Sbu one of 200 brilliant Young South Africans and he has also been listed as one of 100 Most Influential Africans.
Sbusiso is the executive chairman of Leadership 2020, a future leader company that inspires and teaches leadership to entrepreneurs. He has published a 2 best selling books under Leadership 2020. The first entitled ‘The Beginning’ & the second entitled ‘Billionaires Under Construction’ – The Mindset Of An Entrepreneur.’
Published under his company Leadership 2020.
Leadership 2020 is an educational services/entrepreneurship & leadership training company that puts together conferences, networking events, runs a leadership/entrepreneurship curriculum, mentorship programmes and coaching to young professionals in South Africa.
He is co-founder of MoFaya Beverage Company which produces the first 100% black owned energy drink brand called MoFaya Energy Drink. He has used non-traditional methods of marketing & brand building to grow the MoFaya Energy Drink Brand.
He is a proud African industrialist & has a riveting story to tell around the growth of this hugely well known competitor brand in South Africa. It’s currently fastest growing beverages brand in South Africa.
Leope is the host of a weekly entrepreneurship television show on CNBC Africa called Kicking Doors with Sbu Leope. The show is designed to showcase Africa’s entrepreneurial talent & profile the success stories of entrepreneurs who have a proven track record, experience & inspiring stories to tell. The show also interviews female CEO’s inside their C-Suite and provides real-time coaching and teaching through its various segments.
He also anchors his own brand of morning breakfast radio called ‘The DJ Sbu Breakfast’ which is a daily syndicated product under his new digital innovative radio station “Massiv Metro” in partnership with the Times Media Group & Massiv Media.
Sbusiso Leope is the epitome of popular culture, & is described by some people as a philanthropist and a person who has a heart to give.
​
Author: Wiki Mzansi
-----------------------------------------------------------
By: S.M Enterprise & Inspiration
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Home of Local Online Shopping
​
Vusi Mabona is the founder of zoke.co.za – a premium online marketplace for South African brands. It allows customers to shop from a range of locally manufactured products including books, watches, homeware and personal care brands. The idea to build a platform exclusively for local entrepreneurs was developed after Vusi needed to reach customers for his first business which traded interior design accessories.
I’m an architect by profession but I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I had difficulty getting my products into the market and that dilemma gave birth to Brands Afrika. I realized that a lot of entrepreneurs were producing and manufacturing but their biggest failure was getting their product into the hands of consumers
Formally Brands Afrika, Zoke solves the problem of accessto markets for local entrepreneurs while also encouraging a culture of buying local to stimulate the economy, “I personally believe that buying local is the only way to transform the economy. We need to start producing”. Zoke is home to Bathu ( which means ‘shoe’ in township slang) – a popular shoe brand among Joburg youth which consists of a range of brightly coloured mesh sneakers that are produced at a factory in Durban.
Most of these entrepreneurs would rely on Facebook and Instagram for marketing and sales but they didn’t have an ecommerce presence. The special thing about interacting with them is realizing that these are youth owned businesses and being able to give them an additional distribution channel, connecting them to a bigger market
Driven by high mobile penetration, ecommerce is growing exponentially in South Africa and is estimated to about R 10 billion during 2017. There are massive growth opportunities in the digital commerce sector which can result in greater competition but Vusi’s response to that is simple: You cannot exist in an industry with no competition.
Your competitors can make you realize things about your industry that didn’t know and force you to be creative and innovative
Like every entrepreneur, Vusi has experienced a fair share of failure but his wins more than make up for it. In 2016, he won The Hookup Dinner Johannesburg’s pitching competition twice which afforded him the first round of funding for his business. “THUD gave me the validation that my idea can work because it was still in the ideation phase. I had the confidence to approach vendors to collaborate with me because now I was more credible”. In the same year he also won the Innovation Hub’s Gauteng Accelerator Township Economy Competition which is directed at identifying and nurturing township based innovation.
Some of the key lessons he’s picked up are doing research about an industry before delving into it and knowing how to manage and reinvest money when the business starts to make a profit or when there is access to funding. What keeps him coming back even after several failed businesses is a personal vision of the legacy he wants to build, leading intra-Africa trade and the need to solve problems in the African community, “I want to create an African market place. To solve problems, promote and support local business and create employment”
Written by: Dimpho Lekqeu
Dimpho Lekgeu is an award nominated media enthusiast who loves to write about young people shaking up the world. She’s Christian and believes in #blackgirlmagic.
​
Posted on July 11, 2018
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By: S.M Enterprise & Inspiration
​
Moja Chicken is a brand new container restaurant based in Soweto. Moja Chicken is a brainchild of Entrepreneur, Letlhogonolo Donald Motseeng, known as Tloks Lepara.
​
Moja Chicken is a new brand that has entered the food industry with a bang. Having been in the celebrity space before and being a social media influencer, Tloks seems to attract the right customers including celebrities to this joint.
​
Moja Chicken aims at growing its footprints all over South Africa through its chain of franchises.
​
Moja Chicken has its unique taste that seems to be enjoyed and admired by many customers. Its signature sauce makes all the right noises and it has a variety of tastes depending on the customer’s choioce.
​
You can choose between different Moja Chicken flavors such as Lemon & Herb, Prego, Mild, Hot or Monster Hot, depending on your preference, Moja Chicken signature sauces can cater for every kind of taste buds. The restaurant offers a variety of meal choices ranging from Daily specials, Daily Meals, Family Meals, Kiddies Meals and recently introduced “Ribs Monday” and many other extras. You’re sure to get the best meal that will leave you feeling Moja at all times.
​
With it’s roof top designed perfectly to accommodate daily walk-in clients, Moja Chicken also rent out the facility to small scale events such as Birthday Parties, Kiddies Functions, Baby Showers, Bridal Showers and many other events.
​
Moja Chicken also cemented their entry into the industry by introducing the delivery option for customers within 5Km radius from their store. There are plenty of options available to suit all kinds of customers.
​
For more info or for booking, kindly contact the Moja Team: admin@mojachicken.co.za
​
Remember to visit Moja Chicken when you’re around Soweto. Grilled Moja To Feed You Moja!
​
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By: S.M Enterprise& Inspiration
​
​
THE REALISATION OF A GREAT AFRICAN DREAM
​
In 1997 Imbizo Shisanyama popularly known by its venue name, BUSY CORNER, was established with only a single pot, gas griller, display fridge, gas paraffin stove and two employees. It was then that the concept of commercialised Shisanyama was born on a dusty street corner of Ivory Park, Gauteng and has today become one of the fastest growing sectors in the food, beverage and hospitality industry in South Africa.
​
Imbizo Shisanyama prides itself in the history of Africa since its establishment in 1997 with an inspiration from the South African identity and traditions.
​
Historically in South African families it has always been a culture to braai meat around an open fire when performing traditional ceremonies and celebrations in uniting of families and friends. This culture has been practiced across racial lines and class. We can safely say that a braai (Ukosa in isiZulu) is a single most common practice that carries our history.
​
We also know historically that not all people could enjoy a braai in a dignified way, hence the mission of Imbizo Shisanyama is to promote the African culture and ensure that our patrons braai quality meat receiving excellent service in an environment that undoubtedly exudes style, class and dignity.
​
The secret to the restaurant’s success is found in the deep understanding of African culture and heritage. Over the years patrons have become part of the BUSY CORNER Imbizo Shisanyama family and their high brand ownership has seen the restaurant grow from success to success.
​
Imbizo Shisanyama is a brand that patrons can easily identify with because it is built on the authentic African lifestyle and culture, it is a brand that customers can easily identify with and relate to.
​
The restaurant continues to grow in-line with high customer demand and it is clear from its success that it is not only South African patrons that are proprietary about this hidden Gem in Jozi but also for international travellers who have made it their home away from home.
​
Rita Zwane founder of Imbizo Shisanyama has a vision that soon Shisanyama will not only be a nationally recognised African food cuisine in South Africa but that it will also gain widespread international recognition; in much the same way that Pizza and Pasta are recognised around the world as authentically Italian cuisine!
​
https://www.imbizoshisanyama.co.za
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By: S.M Enterprise& Inspiration
Plastic Brick Innovators
​
Two young sisters are breaking barriers with bricks. With an invention that uses plastic to create bricks for construction, Kedibone, 30, and Kekeletso Tsiloane, 27, have found a real-world solution to plastic waste.
​
The sisters are the founders of Ramtsilo, a construction business named after their grandmother. Ramtsilo was created to address the high levels of plastic waste found all around us.
​
For months, the Tsiloanes melted different types of plastic and mixed it with sand. Eventually they created what has become the Plastibrick, a durable product stronger than cement bricks, with a longer building lifespan and less water requirements. And it is fire-retardant too.
​
Kedibone says when their brick was tested, it was found to have lower water-absorption rates and higher compressive strength than normal bricks, making it ideal for insulation and energy efficiency.
​
The pair created Ramtsilo in 2013 and registered the business in the same year.
​
The sisters are no strangers to the world of construction. The Free State-born pair have memories of being taken on site with their father — who owned a construction company — when they were children.
​
Kekeletso, who trained as an engineer, has a passion for reducing waste and creating a greener environment and came up with the idea for Plastibrick.
​
She recalls an early-morning chance encounter with an elderly waste collector, who was rummaging through garbage.
​
"Her story touched me," she says. "I was bothered by waste but I wasn’t able to make a difference by reducing its impact as she had.
"When she told me that she uses the income she gets from selling waste to feed her grandkids and afford medication, I knew then that I wanted to find an opportunity based around plastic waste," Kekeletso says.
​
Soon after, she pitched the idea of a brick made of plastic to her sister and the idea for their company was born.
​
Kedibone, who left her career in finance and auditing to make a success of Ramtsilo, says it took months to create the brick. Their next step was taking it for testing at Civilab, a mining and civil engineering lab that tests industry products. The results surprised even the sisters, and they took the product to market.
They sell mostly to small-scale contractors.
​
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Apart from having to convince their mother to accommodate recycled plastic in her small garden, they paid more than R100,000 to have their product tested, and another R50,000 to market their product at exhibitions. And they have found themselves overcoming quarrels with waste pickers for dumped plastic at landfills. The sisters obtain their plastic from waste collectors, landfills and households.
​
But coming to terms with being doubted and criticised in the world of construction, simply because of their gender, has been one of their hardest lessons.
​
"People tend to doubt you just by looking at you," says Kedibone. "The biggest challenge for me is that people don’t take us seriously as young businesswomen."
​
And educating people on how best to use their product has also been tricky. The Plastibrick requires the use of less water and less cement. Builders who haven’t taken time to listen to the sisters later reject the bricks because they have failed to use the right measurements for optimal use.
​
But no challenge is too difficult for the sisters, who are thoroughly pleased with the reception their product has received.
​
"I don’t think we expected the results we got from testing," says Kekeletso. "All of those added benefits are not things that we foresaw. It shocked us and also motivated us. We know now that this is great. This is beyond what we were trying to do."
​
Published: 16 JANUARY 2020
By: PHUMI RAMALEPE
​
--------------------------------------------------------
By: S.M Enterprise & Inspiration
CHICKEN FARMER
​
Turning to farming after retrenchment​ meet Thuli Mageba who fell in love with chicken farming at a young age because her family kept them in their backyard while she was growing up.
She can still remember waking up to the crowing of a rooster and the smell of eggs prepared by her gogo from the chickens in the yard.
​
Thanks to that background, Thuli Mageba (27) – who grew up in KwaNongoma, a village situated north of KwaZulu-Natal – is now a successful chicken farmer.
​
She grew up in a household where they kept chickens, grew their own crops and were self-sufficient, because almost all their food and meat came from their backyard garden and the chickens running around in their yard.
​
She never imaged chickens would one day be her source of income.
​
All she wanted to do was to go university and get a higher education, as that to her meant success.
​
Which is why after completing matric, she decided to study supply chain management at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
After graduating from UKZN, she got a job and worked full-time in supply chain management.
​
The older Thuli grew and gained knowledge about agriculture, and did research about what it means to be a farmer, the more she wanted to change careers. However, she had a full-time job and couldn’t do both.
​
“After doing more research about agriculture and the opportunities it can open for me, the more I wanted to do it for a living. But I had a full-time job and not enough time to do both”.
Then she lost her job and the choice was made for her.
​
UPBRINGING
Raised by her grandmother and father, Thuli and her siblings had to grow crops and look after chickens from a
very young age. She enjoyed it and loved that they ate food that came from their own garden, nurtured by their own hands. The chickens were also slaughtered in their backyard.
​
But she never thought it could be a career because growing up, everyone talked about getting a nine-to-five job to be successful.
She thought there was no way possible for her to be considered a successful person doing agriculture.
​
“Growing up in a rural area, with lack of information about career options, they want you to be a teacher, lawyer or anything that is ‘formal’. Being a child and told to go plough, we saw it as punishment, as intriguing as it was – the thought of doing it for the rest of my life meant I would be punishing myself forever,” she says laughing.
​
Little did she know that what she considered punishment would one day turn into her career and her biggest blessing.
​
BUILDING A LEGACY
Her farm is called Misuzulu Poultry, which relates to building a legacy for the people of Zululand.
​
“I wanted to build a legacy for my people and create something that will benefit all of us,” she tells Move!.
“When I started my business, I only had 200 chickens and now I have 2 500.”
​
She started the poultry farming business last year after being retrenched.
​
She thought instead of starting the job application process all over again and waiting for another company to get back to her, why not start her own business doing something that she has always loved and known her whole life.
​
That is when she took her whole unemployment insurance fund (UIF) money and invested in her business.
“I did not what to go through the process of looking for a job again and working for someone, so I decided to take my UIF and also applied for a loan.”
​
It was tough for her, as it was very costly to build the chicken house and she had no other source of income to help her in the start-up of her business, and should it fail, all her money would have gone down the drain.
​
But it turned out to be a good investment. Her business has expanded, as she now owns two chicken farms. One is based in her hometown in KwaNongoma and is managed by her father, Gcinumndeni Zulu, while she manages the one in Durban.
​
At the moment, Thuli hasn’t employed anyone permanently, from time to time the neighbours help her father when there is a lot of work to do and she also gets help from two university students in Durban.
​
“I asked two university students, who are interested in business and wanted to make extra cash, to help out.”
​
Chicken farming is not the only thing Thuli is currently busy with. She also grows vegetables. “I recently moved into growing vegetables as well, for now it is only butternut and potatoes as they do not need too much h water – our area has no water,” Thuli says with a sigh.
​
CHALLENGES
Her biggest challenge once the business was up and running, was getting clients.
​
“People did not trust me when I started my business. I would approach businesses and restaurants to ask if I can supply them with chickens, but they were sceptical,” she shares.
It took some time but she’s managed to win over enough clients to keep the business afloat.
​
“The best part about my business now is that I have been able to create a relationship with a lot of my clients. We have a professional relationship between supplier and customer, I am more confident in myself as well as in my work.
​
“I do my own marketing and grow my own chickens with little help from anyone. I have gained a lot of skills and now I am happy to be a young, independent business owner.”
​
FUTURE PLANS
One day Thuli hopes to own a nursery and an abattoir. “I hope to expand my business, especially the vegetable one. If I could just get an irrigation system on the land where I come from, it is just a matter of fencing it and growing more crops and being able to sell to the people in my community,” she says.
​
“I hope to also open an abattoir for other farmers, so we can have a proper and regulated place to slaughter our chickens because there are laws of health and safety that require us to slaughter in a specific place. And this will also help them have a definite market that they will sell their chickens too.”
​
The abattoir and nursery will also create a lot of job opportunities in Thuli’s community. She sees how the young people are desperate to learn.
​
“In December, a lot of youngsters in my area were so interested in what I am doing, they came with me to help me grow my vegetables and feed my chickens, and that made me very happy,” she says.
​
“It is not only about me – when I rise, the community rises with me.”
​
Published : 11 Mar 2020
By : Move!
By: S.M Enterprise & Inspiration
Orlando Sneaker Care Technicians
My name is Gontse Nxumalo and I am 28 years old. I grew up in the dusty streets of Orlando East in Soweto, a township with rich history and heritage, and like most of the kids in the neighborhood, I was raised at my maternal home by uMama with the help of uGogo. Papa (My Dad) was there as well, however, I did not spend much time with him due to their separation (you know how it is for most of us township boys). I am a son of a saleswoman and a legendary kwaito artist. My mom is the strongest woman I know in my life, and my dad is the most creative being I am yet to meet. My dad, Ditshotlo “Jairus” Nkwe is part of a legendary kwaito group called Trompies from Soweto and when I was 3 years old, him and a group of friends founded Kalawa Jazmee which became one of the biggest music record labels that paved the way for most artists in Mzansi, so as you can see the spirit of building things from the ground is engraved in my DNA (LOL).
​
I am a Sneaker Care Technician and Founder of Orlando Sneaker Care Technicians, a sneaker cleaning and shoe care business based in Orlando East, Soweto. We are basically in the market of selling convenience because we understand that most people do not have much time to clean their sneakers due to their busy schedules. We offer services such as sneaker cleaning, nubuck/suede renovations, leather maintenance, heel maintenance, repairs and a bit of customization-the aim is to restore the lost love and relationship you had with your shoes, we are simply a one-stop shop catering for all your shoe needs in Soweto.
​
The reason I named it after the township I was raised in was because I always had hope that something great will come out of my Kasi (Township) and as black kids growing up in harsh conditions and lack of opportunities, I also felt like we deserved the best things life had to offer. In a way, building my business here was part of contributing to the betterment of my community. Another inspiration was to show the ones coming after me that it is possible to come from eKasi(the Township) and still dream big, and that is why I built my store without sponsorships or any backing but perseverance, hard work and the love from the people. We cannot keep waiting for others to come and build for us, we might as well do it on our own and create jobs for our people, all we have is us to be honest. Through this trial and error we have managed to create 3 full-time jobs (Bongane Nkabinde 23, Khulekani Zulu 26, Katlego Mthembu 30) and 2 part-time (Lebogang 16 and Nkosinathi 15) and as we grow we will continue to remove our brothers and sisters from the streets.
​
To every young person out there trying to build something, my message to you is to never ever doubt your capabilities or settle for less, be true to yourself and what you stand for, it’s okay to believe in your dreams and always strive to make this world a better place as long as you live.
​
Published : July 14, 2020
By: S.M Enterprise & Inspiration
Meet Edward Molatela Kgarose (29) is the founder of Kgarose Kgaros (Pty) LTD, a company that produces sweet potato yoghurt in three flavours, namely banana, strawberry and apricot.
Kgarose, who has a qualification in marketing management, said that he saw a gap in the food sector and researched the health benefits of sweet potatoes and started his business in 2016.
​
He found out that sweet potatoes are a low sugar vegetable, a good blood regulator and high in fiber, vitamins and calcium.
​
“Sweet have a neutral flavour, they can easily blend with other flavours. They also have high plant protein levels and low calories, which make it a healthy and smart choice compared to other starchy root vegetables,” he said.
​
Kgarose said the product is lab tested and is safe for human consumption.
​
He is one of the young people who have heeded government’s call to consider entrepreneurship as a way of helping the economy grow, create jobs and fight youth unemployment.
​
In the two years that his business has been in operation, he has employed four people in his province and has plans to open a mini factory in Germiston, Gauteng soon.
​
Currently, his product is available at two retail stores in Polokwane.
Over the years, government has urged the private sector to support emerging small businesses to assist South Africa with economic growth by generating meaningful economic activity in townships, rural villages and rural towns.
​
Kgarose has received support of about R70 000 from the Shoprite Hustle competition.
​
His company also won about R50 000 from SABC1’s Making Moves entrepreneurial show.
​
“With all the funds I received I managed to buy small equipment that has enabled me to produce 500 units of 385g of yoghurt per day,” he explained.
​
PUBLISHED : 29 October 2018 - 07:00
By : gcis vuk'uzenzele
By: S.M Enterprise & Inspiration
After struggling to find work in the construction industry, Tshepiso Sibisi decided to take matters into her own hands and started Mwari Pizza House, a pizzeria she runs out of her garage in KwaThema.
​
“I initially thought of selling food, but there are many people who sell hot plates, so we decided on pizza,” she explains.
​
Sibisi says she had no idea how to make pizza when she started, but with the help of her cousin, who is a cook, and Google, she learned quickly.
​
Mwari Pizza House makes four flavours: beef, chicken, pork and Hawaiian.
​
The recipe was not the only stumbling block, she did not have money to rent premises, which resulted in her using her garage.
​
She says entrepreneurs must use what they have and implement simple solutions to solve the problems they face in their businesses.
​
“The best part of working from my garage is the look on my customers’ faces as they see their pizzas being made from scratch,” she says.
​
Tshepiso says she enjoys connecting with people through food.
​
Mwari Pizza House is situated at 48 Ramothibe Street in KwaThema, customers can also sit down and eat their pizza there if they do not want a takeaway.
​
Tshepiso Sibisi can be contacted on 078 788 8376 or 067 262 0261
PUBLISHED : April 13, 2019
BY : Sphumelele Ndlovu
By: S.M Enterprise & Inspiration
​
​
Meet Theo Baloyi, founder of Bathu Shoes the accountant-turned-businessman has built a thriving sneaker business that sells the shoes online and already has five physical stores across SA
​
At a time when the SA economy is shedding jobs, Bathu, a local sneaker brand, has bought office and storage space and expects to have 100 employees on its payroll by June. That is more than double the 48 permanent staff it currently employs.
​
The man in charge, Theo Baloyi, 30, is a former accountant in a plaid suit and chameleon sneakers (they change colour according to their exposure to natural light). It is easy to label him as another street-smart, fashion-forward, fun-loving guy. He is all those things but also much more.
​
He built his sneaker business from his uncle’s back room in the township of Alexandra. Baloyi lived with his uncle, Katlego Maubane, while studying for a BCom accounting degree. "My dad had to sell his car in order for me to study," says Baloyi. Even though his father was able to raise the funds for tuition fees, a room in Johannesburg was too expensive. "So, I squatted with my uncle."
​
Guided by the principle of doing whatever it takes to succeed, Baloyi and his best friend Andrew Lale approached a local street vendor, in the hope of helping him sell merchandise. "We sold knock-off perfumes," he says. "A lot of our clientele liked to dress well and smell good, but they couldn’t afford the real thing."
​
Their door-to-door business model turned out to be a winning formula. The business was so prosperous, the young men would make well over R1,200 a day, each. "We were making real money, but we were young so the business didn’t grow from there," he says, laughing off their lack of foresight.
​
After graduating and landing a job with PwC, he moved to Dubai. The cushy job meant he could care for his family after his father died.
But the entrepreneurial bug never left him. "My seniors at PwC were supportive of me having a side hustle," he says.
​
So Bathu was born. Baloyi’s vision was simple: a sneaker company with unique and innovative design, produced in SA, that would eventually compete with the global giants.
​
Bathu sneakers are made using a breathable mesh, which is an original concept of Baloyi’s. Mesh is normally a component of sneakers, but in Baloyi’s product it is the main material.
​
He found a factory in Durban that would make the sneaker, but his design first needed their approval. It took him 18 months to research and develop his prototype. Only on his 21st try was the sneaker ready. The factory took a loss on the first batch it produced because Baloyi could only afford to have 100 pairs made.
​
"In order for it to be worthwhile for them to switch on their machines, the minimum order quantity had to be about 1,200 pairs." Baloyi began selling them from Maubane’s back room and from the boot of his car.
​
Lale, with Maubane, kept the business going when he returned to Dubai. "They helped me deliver and Andrew conducted media interviews on my behalf, but I was always hands-on."
​
But after five years at PwC — three in Dubai — Baloyi quit his job and invested his savings into building his dream to become an entrepreneur making a real impact in his community.
​
The risk paid off. Baloyi now sells his sneakers online and from five Bathu-branded retail stores, where he also employs 20 casual workers. The stores are in Bloemfontein, Thohoyandou, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria and Newtown in Johannesburg. The sneakers sell for between R800 and R2,100.
​
In 2019, the brand entered into an agreement with Opel and it will soon announce a partnership with Sprite.
​
Baloyi attributes the company’s success to his ability to delegate and care for his employees. "You must have the right people in the positions they enjoy."
​
His personal vision is to see the growth of wealth in black communities. "The corporate space exposed me to wealth building and my vision is to build that wealth."
​
PUBLISHED BY : Simthandile Ntobela
DATE : 30 January 2020
SOURCE : https://www.businesslive.co.za
BATHU FOOTWEAR
By: S.M Enterprise & Inspiration
​
​
Meet Lekau Sehoana, founder of Drip Footwear, a multi-million rand sneaker brand founded at his Ivory Park home. Lekau Sehoana is living his dream trying to inspire and empower young people.
​
Sehoana, 32, moved from having no shoes to wear to building a sneaker brand called Drip Footwear.
​
Though he started off back in 2003 by redesigning old sneakers by adding denim cloth and some polyurethane fabric to them, the formal trade of Drip as a commercial brand started last year.
​
The business is now a multi-million rand operation.
Born in Limpopo but raised at an informal settlement in Ivory Park, Midrand, Lekau said his humble beginnings inspired him to go into the world of business.
​
"My inspiration of going into business was not having much, including shoes. I grew up in an impoverished family. Sometimes relatives and neighbours would give us clothes," Sehoana told Sowetan.
​
"My grandmother taught me how to sew. So for this one particular day at school, we were told to wear our private clothes. I didn't have any shoes to wear. So I took an old torn pair of sneakers and I sew it together, using denim and polyurethane.
​
"That's how I created my first pair of sneakers."
He said he later made sneakers for teachers and schoolmates at Eqinisweni Secondary School in Ivory Park outside Tembisa.
"That's what I did most of my high school years. This is where the inspiration for Drip came from."
​
Sixteen years since his first sneakers in 2003, Sehoane has not only made himself a top businessman but also created opportunities for his family and other people who were there during hard times.
​
He said his company's slogan, "The Township Dream", is meant to raise hopes and inspire youth growing up in poor environments to dream big and far beyond their lives' circumstances
Tomorrow, Drip Footwear opens its second shop in the Pretoria CBD, after opening their first store at Newtown Junction in Johannesburg.
But Drip's shoes can be found at other retail shops specialising in sneakers.
​
Sehoana said going forward he wants to "impact and empower young black people, create employment".
"I want us to have more physical and online shops and tap into the sports market by designing running shoes, soccer boots, gym wear and soccer jerseys.
​
"My dream is to see one of the biggest PSL clubs walking onto the pitch wearing tracksuits and soccer boots by Drip; seeing one of the best athletes in the world, Caster Semenya, running in Drip attire."
​
PUBLISHED BY : By Mpho Koka
DATE : By Mpho Koka - 03 July 2020
SOURCE : https://www.sowetanlive.co.za
DRIP FOOTWEAR
By: S.M Enterprise & Inspiration
IYEZA HEALTH
​
The 21-year-old South African entrepreneur realised that many people in the poorer areas of Cape Town must experience the same problem: they didn’t have access to the money, time, energy and transport to collect medicine from public health facilities. Sizwe also saw there was a need to help local hospitals that were struggling to cope with a rapid increase in chronic patients.
To solve these problems, he founded Iyeza Express, a bicycle delivery service that collects chronic medication from public health facilities and delivers it directly to people’s homes. Hospitals helped and patients helped: two problems solved at once with a simple, cost-effective and efficient solution. And one that just happens to be planet-friendly as well.
​
Where the business is headed
​
Iyeza Express was founded in 2013 with just one customer, Sizwe’s grandmother. Today it is delivering much-needed medication to over 1000 people in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, as well as creating employment for youth with basic skills. Today Iyeza Express employs five local residents as specialised chronic medicine delivery service in the Khayelitsha area.
​
By establishing the Iyeza Health specialist health logistics company we aim to:
-
Link our health logistics services (Iyeza Express) with doctors, clinics and hospitals, as well as patients, to offer accessible alternatives to the current status quo in the pharmacy distribution and supply chain
-
Strengthen the public health system through improved access for more community-based patients
-
Ensure Iyeza Health is compliant with pharmacy council regulations
-
Support small business and B-BBEE empowerment.
-
​
Sizwe’s story
​
Sizwe Nzima was born in 1991, went to Battswood Primary School in Wynberg and then Harold Cressy High School. Initial thoughts of a legal career soon got sidetracked by the attractions of the business world. He applied to the Raymond Ackerman Academy and was at first rejected but persevered and eventually got accepted, funding his studies by working part-time selling chips and muffins at the UCT Graduate School of Business – already the budding entrepreneur.
While at the academy, the idea for Iyeza Express was born. As a result, he received numerous accolades:
​
-
He was listed as one of the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 most promising young entrepreneurs of 2013
-
He was named one of the Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young Pioneers of 2013
-
He came 6th in the SAB Innovation Awards in 2012
-
He was voted Cape Town’s Best Young Entrepreneur at the Telkom Cape Town Entrepreneurship Week in 2012
-
The following year, in 2013, he was the National Champion for the Engen Pitch & Polish Competition
-
In 2014 he received the CPSI Public Sector Innovation Award for improvement of public service in South Africa.​
​​
So who does this multi-awarded entrepreneur look up to? A Mr Luvuyo Rani, a gentleman from Khayelitsha who runs an internet café which was started from the boot of a car with his brother. They started selling refurbished computers and now he brings ICT skills and internet access to many townships. Sizwe did an internship with him before he started his business. He looks up to him because he has built a successful business which now has branches in the Eastern Cape and other provinces, despite the fact that he started right there in Khayelitsha.
​
Click on the link for more info : https://www.iyezahealth.co.za/
By: S.M Enterprise & Inspiration
Smart Glove Sensor
​
LIMPOPO – Having struggled throughout his childhood to communicate with his deaf parents, Lucky Netshidzati (26) created a hand glove which translates South African sign language into voice, text, and voice-to-sign language animation to improve communication between him and his parents.
Netshidzati’s parents were born deaf so he wasn’t able to communicate with them. It prompted him to do something to improve the situation.
​
“Growing up was difficult because both my parents are deaf and I was unable to communicate with them properly because they used sign language,” he said. “Imagine not being able to speak to your own parents because they can’t hear you or respond to what you are saying because they only use sign language and you have never been taught sign language at school?”
​
Innovation
Born and bred in rural Tsianda, outside Thohoyandou, Netshidzati said that he was encouraged to come up with an innovation to help deaf people communicate with everyone easily, not only for his family but for others in a similar situation to his.
​
“I don’t want other children to go through what I did as a child.”
​
Netshidzati said that when the glove sensor is connected to a mobile application on a phone, it can also be used to make phone calls.
​
“I believe it will go a long way in assisting hearing-impaired people to communicate with people who can hear, without any barrier.” He said the glove can be powered by charging it electronically, or by using a battery.
​
Though it is not yet out in the market, Netshidzati believes that it will go a long way in empowering people who are deaf or hard of hearing. – Health-e News.
​
Lucky Netshidzati is the brains behind a smart glove sensor that turns South African sign language into voice and text.
​
Both my parents are deaf, I had to be raised by my granny because I couldn't communicate with my parents.
​
— Lucky Netshidzati, CEO and co-founder of Rudzambilu Holdings
​
I couldn't understand what was happening when I was young... I had a lot of questions.
​
Netshidzati explains that he developed the concept and briefed a technical team to bring his invention to life.
​
While there may be similar inventions in other parts of the world, such as Kenya, Netshidzati says his model is more advanced and tailored specifically to South African sign language.
​
It's a glove that works with a mobile application.
​
A deaf person wears the gloves. When they sign in South African sign language, it translates sign language into voice.
​
It creates a real-time communication between deaf people and hearing people.