NYS Opens Doors for KZN Youth

Mncedisi Makomo is building his future, brick by brick. After spending five months as a National Youth Service volunteer and a trainee in bricklaying and plastering, Makomo has emerged a successful entrepreneur who has used skills to start his own company and change the lives of other young people in his community.

Young Entrepreneurs Excel in the Agricultural Sector

Bulelani Goniwe (24) was born in Cofimvaba, Eastern Cape. His family moved to the Free State when his father got a job in the mines. Today, Goniwe and four other people own and manage a farm called Youth Navigators in Agribusiness which deals with vegetable and crop production. “Agriculture has always been part of my life, my father owned cattle and grew crops and our neighbours did the same. As a young boy I had aspirations of owning my own farm and land” said Goniwe.

Project Gives People with Intellectual Disabilities Hope

Desire Sithole (24) has not let her learning disability get in the way of her success. She is currently going through the Siyanceda Youth Service project, an Umsobomvu Youth Fund and National Youth Service (NYS) initiative which provides people with intellectual disability with skills training and employment opportunities. Siyanceda initially started with only 20 young people in the Cape Town townships, but has since grown in number. It now boasts 100 participants spread across five districts of the Western Cape.

Entrepreneur Determined to Conquer the Accounting Industry

Ndumi Medupe, owner and Managing Director of Indyebo Consulting, grew up in a dusty village called Bizana in the Eastern Cape. Born to a teacher and a postmaster she is the first born in a family of five.

Fit to Succeed

Ndweleni Junior Makhado (31) is the proud owner of two gyms in Limpopo, located in Thohoyandou and Seshego, and he will soon be opening another gym in the area. “When I was growing up I wanted to be an aircraft mechanic,” said Makhado. After matriculating in 1996, Ndweleni did not have the finances required to pursue a education. He then got a job as equipment and plumbing maintenance operator at the Health and Racquet Club, as Virgin Active was formerly known.

Umsobomvu-Nestle Ice-cream on wheels project: A Cool Favourite

For Stanley Tshibenga being boss does not mean designer suits, or sitting behind a mahogany table in the corner office on the 10th floor of a high-rise building. Although he has 25 people working under him and a turnover of R60 000 in his ice-cream distribution warehouse, the 33-year-old can still be seen driving his blue and white branded motorbike, clad in a pair of blue overalls, selling ice-cream in the dusty streets of Soshanguve.

Entrepreneurs' Maize-meal on Par with the Best

Maria Segonyela (54) has partnered with nine other people to produce Sunshine Meal Mealie Meal. ÒIt all started at a conference in De Aar that I was attending. They spoke about allocating money for local economic development and urged us to explore self-employment”, Segonyela explained.

UYF Helps Youth Secure Employment

Nhlanhla Masuku counts himself lucky. Unlike thousands of unemployed young people in his township, Masuku wakes up every morning not to sit around the street corners all day doing nothing Ð he has a job to go to. This is all thanks to the Jobs and Opportunities Seekers' Database (JOBS) which successfully linked him with an employment opportunity.

Former Offender Transforms into an Over-achiever

Ian Dlamini's childhood dream was to become an accountant. Little did he know that he would spend fifteen years of his life in jail. Born in Central Western Jabavu, Soweto, Ian and his siblings were raised by their grandmother. His mother got married and moved to Thokoza when Ian was just fourteen.

Teacher opens township B&B

In about five years, Confidence Morongwe Motlhanke hopes to have left her teaching post to focus more on her business. She owns Olaleditswe B&B at Mafura Square, a township in the Free State.