Inside OUR HERITAGE ISSUE
Cover Story Tumi Sole Working tirelessly to rectify the social and political injustices that ordinary South Africans face.
Q&A Lele Chikowi Founder of Ntozinhle Brand which easily translates to beautiful things from IsiZulu.
Profile Vincent Kheswa Poet, writer, published author, motivational speaker and teacher (among other things).
EDITOR'S NOTE In the course of editing the magazine each month, I often find an unexpected theme that organically rises to the surface, although we theme each and every edition. It’s as if the writing muses are working their own magic, handing us a gift that we hadn’t anticipated but that we eagerly welcome. These organic elements arise simply from people telling their stories with truth. And in my experience, when profiling people - I try by all means to do very little editing because I want the reader to experience the unedited version of the person who is being interviewed. And bearing in mind the Heritage theme, it dawned on me that every issue has a story that speaks to people’s identity. I’ve interviewed entrepreneurs who are so passionate about what they do that they admit that it becomes an
A story about who people are, where they come from and
extension of who they are. I had a chat with a
who they ought to become. And so my recollection of all of
fierce and tenacious female entrepreneur last
these instances made me realise just how beautiful heritage
month and I remember her saying: “I cannot
is. The South African story is part of our heritage, our history
separate what I do for a living from who I am.”
is part of our heritage, being African is part of our heritage. We really cannot separate these things from who we are.
I have spoken to entrepreneurs outside the
I am proud to be a part of a team that has created a platform
boarders of South Africa who say that they are
that allows business aspirants, entrepreneurs and trailblazers
working tirelessly because they want to witness
to tell their story with pride.
Africa rise. And every other entrepreneur and trailblazer that I have spoken to cannot express
I hope that you can draw great inspiration from these stories,
their love for what they do and how they got
just as I do when I am interviewing some of these African
where they are without sharing the story of where
stars.
they come from. And it’s in that moment that I realised that everything issue has an underlying
Happy Heritage month, enjoy!
tone that speaks to heritage.
Baradi Moletsane
Tumi Sole COUNTRY DUTY
BY BARADI MOLETSANE startupAFRICA’s heritage theme was partially inspired by Founder of the #CountryDuty Movement, Corporate Attorney and Social Media Activist, Tumi Sole - a force to be reckoned with. Tumi is working tirelessly to rectify the social and political injustices that ordinary South Africans face every day. Our first encounter of Tumi, will undoubtedly go down as one of startupAFRICA’s most memorable interviews. Engaging him affirmed one of my favourite quotes by John C Maxwell – “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” In saying so, Maxwell explains that understanding leadership and actually leading are two different activities, and that the key to transforming yourself from someone who understands leadership to a person who successfully leads in the real world is character.
Speaking of character, I can only admit that my encounter of Tumi was exemplary of it. He afforded us so much of his character the minute he walked through the door until he left the building to honour his next engagement. Prior to his arrival, he had sent a text message (at a reasonable time) to inform us that he’d be roughly 10 minutes late, which wasn’t bad at all, bearing in mind that it took my Assignment Editor and I an additional 30 minutes (later than our scheduled time) to get to the photo-shoot destination. The studio is nestled in the heart of the suburb and the roads that led us there were never ending. It was a maze really. I would have been surprised if anyone made it on time. And it didn’t help that traffic surrounding that area was at an all-time stand still that afternoon. Tumi arrived a little under seven minutes late, but humbled himself and apologised. While my Assignment Editor was preparing to document my conversation with Tumi, I was itching to ask him about the very much talked about – Country Duty and what the core objective of this movement was. “And so, you being the face of Country Duty, do you find that many a times people…” – and in that moment he took a moment to rectify my assumption. “Although I am the founder of Country Duty, I need people to understand that the movement is not about Tumi Sole. Behind Country Duty is a tenacious team that’s working hard to try and curb and eradicate social injustices in our country.”
1 Many people may know the popular #CountryDuty, however, they may not know the founder. Who are you and what do you do?
I am Tumi Sole, a Corporate Attorney by day and Social Media Activist by day. #CountryDuty is a Civil Society Movement, I refer to it as the “movement of the people”. Essentially, it’s not only a social media awareness initiative which asks unpopular questions, but also solution-driver that allows ordinary people to raise their voices. In essence, #CountryDuty is about accountability. Holding leaders, institutions, political parties, businesses accountable for their doings. Country duty consists of a team of roughly 12, all of which come from various professional backgrounds. I have Lawyers, Accountants, Doctors – you name it. The most important thing to note is that our mission is to afford the people of our country to voice out their grievances, share solutions to various social and socio-political issues etc. Also, it’s about national pride. Being South African is part of our heritage, bearing in mind our history and how far we have come as a people.
2 And what would you say is your favourite part about Country Duty? It’s the little things that we can do for people, that can potentially change their lives tremendously. One of my favourite stories to tell is the one about the young lady, Dr. Zee. Someone of Facebook put up a post saying that there’s a young lady who is a medic and that she needs R60 000 to graduate.
I was then contacted by another doctor on Twitter (via DM) who reached out to me and said: “Listen, I see what you guys do, can I ask that you please help this girl graduate?” We then took it upon ourselves to inform the social media masses about her needs, using the Country Duty hashtag to drive conversation and disseminate the narrative. The word spread like a wild fire. We had people coming forward pledging different amounts of money and in less than 48 hours, the funds were raised and she was able to graduate.
"Country duty consists of a team of roughly 12, all of which come from various professional backgrounds"
3 Is Country Duty aligned to any political parties? Not at all. I get asked this a lot because the minute we challenge and berate a specific political party, people will naturally assume that we’re for their opposition and what people don’t get is that we’re not here to align ourselves to any organisations. Our members have different political views, however, those views are not necessarily those of #CountryDuty.
#African
Q&A with Lele
Tell us about who you are and what you do for a living. My name is Sphelele Chikowi (fondly known as Lele), I am the founder of Ntozinhle Brand which easily translates to beautiful things from IsiZulu – in honour of my belated dear friend. Seven years ago, after being diagnosed with a debilitating bloodclot in my brain, I was put on a disability grant, which I declined. Supported by my family and the faith I had in myself, I recovered regained my speech and mobility. A new journey was ensued , beginning with a hair salon in Chiawelo. After two years I entered the world of photography and it was at this point a more organic entrepreneurial journey began. After receiving numerous compliments on my accessory choices at shoots, that’s when I saw an opportunity for traditional tribal accessories, starting from the boot of my car. I then moved to trading from a stall at the popular LoCrate Market in Soweto, saving enough capital to build my first store called The Fashion Mkhukhu (Shack) at home in Phiri Street Orlando West, not far from the famous Vilikazi Street, year later NtoZinhle Accessories was born and we have since evolved from just providing accessories to introducing Basetsana which is our women clothing brand under the NtoZinhle brand. What is your definition of an entrepreneur? Anyone who sets up a business in hope of living a better life and make profit in the process. Please share with us one of your childhood memories that you can never forget. Well it’s a sad one, when I was 10 my grandma sent me to buy a few groceries and on my way back was hit by a car- not a major incident. This driver took me home and gave my grandma money for me to go to a clinic the following day. The next day I got up early so I could go to the clinic and to realise that the money was stolen, and my grandma accused me of stealing it and gave me a good hiding and to think my body was still in pain from the accident.
Which tribe are you from and
For me being African means
certain body shape or size. If
what do you love about it?
being proudly born in Africa and
you don’t wear Make Up or wear
embracing it, with Globalization
Brazilian hair or have a certain
I am Zulu from the sunny
we have became aware or learnt
ascent, you have to work four
province of KwaZulu Natal and I
that being African means a few
times more to prove you can do
love the fact that we are such a
other things, being tolerant of
it.
colourful and rich (rich in
other Nations, even after
culture) and we love to sing and
decades of colonialism, we
What’s the one thing that
dance.
managed to forgive and move
makes your blood boil?
on without holding grudges. What does heritage mean to you?
Theft, I hate dishonesty, and We have the rare ability to learn
even my beaders know that I
different languages in order to
hate it when they buy raw
Heritage to me means being
survive in a foreign country and
material from unregistered
able to celebrate our intangible
last but not least, UNITY!
suppliers. Theft is a spirit and if
attributes we have inherited
they use stolen Raw Material
from my forefathers and
What’s the one unpleasant
they are bringing the same
preserving that for the future
thing that you have
spirits to my business.
generations to come and
experienced in this career that
celebrating who we are without
you want to share with
What is this chapter in your
fear of being judged.
people?
life called?
What does it mean to be
The Fashion industry can be very
“I was Never Ready”
African?
cruel sometimes, if you are not a
Meet Vincent Kheswa
By Baradi Moletsane The startupAFRICA team managed
is currently working for Standard Bank
BMI Student Marketing Campaign,
as a Senior Analyst in Data Profiling
which awards bursaries to
under Data Quality Management.
students with a previously disadvantaged background who
to catch up with Vincent Kheswa, a poet, a writer, a published author, a
He is the founder of Simply Vincent, a
want to pursue a career in Business
motivational speaker and teacher
campaign set to inspire young black
Mathematics and Informatics
(amongst other things), who serves
people to discover their purpose in life
(BMI). And did we mention that he
in the NWU Vaal Alumni
through the works of projects,
has contributed towards the
Committee.
seminars corporate presentations,
establishment of Standard Bank
education, music, books and articles.
Rosebank Toastmasters Club –
Vincent is also the founder of the
Moving Forward? Trailblazer
NWU/Absa
much? Yeah!
In addition to everything, Vincent
You seem to be winging it in your career, need I ask more? Any other recent achievements you wish to share with us? Yes, I just recently published a book titled, “Is South Africa ready for a Female President? History of African Female Leaders.” What is your definition of an entrepreneur? A person who commercially provides solutions to people’s problems. Three words that best describe you? Humble. Intelligent. Visionary. Please share with us one of your childhood memories that you can never forget. My first childhood memory is from my primary school [Motlotlo Primary School] in standard 3 when I challenged my Maths teacher to solve Mathematical problems differently, the name of the teacher was Mr. Motale. He strongly advised against the methods I used because they were deemed to be complex and difficult, but for some odd reason I found them to be very easy and interesting, I enjoyed them. I remember being the 1st learner in my primary school to wear a school tie. I managed to influenced my friends to follow, and from that point onwards, a school tie was incorporated as part of the official school uniform of Motlotlo Primary School in Zone 14. Another one of my memories is my small savings as a child. I used to save my R1 lunch money every day for a month, so I could have R20 to stock up sweets and Crack–a –Snack at Zone 10 Industrial, to sell at school and that was the only way I could generate income to get by. Which tribe are you from? I am from the Zulu Tribe, from a clan of Zwane who originate from the iNgwe people. The Zwanes are royalty of the iNgwe people, who also gave birth to other royalty clans like uCebekhulu, uPhikela, and the great uMangethe. Issue 27 | 234
HIKE MAGAZINE
What does heritage mean to you? The word “heritage” has the same origins as the word “inheritance”, and to me, it has a lot to do with what we inherit as descendants of our forefathers. It is not only limited to traditional customs or religious affiliations that are passed over to us by our parents, in fact, it goes deeper than that. As heirs of a Kingdom that is meant to govern the Earth, and Africa as a whole, our true heritage, or rather “inheritance” is the knowledge carried by our ancestors that revealed the true identity of
our royalty, and understanding of the elements of the Earth, as well as Spirituality, and how this knowledge shaped and molded our way of living. Matthew 5: 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” This verse marks the true essence of our heritage, because being meek has nothing to do with being weak, but rather being disciplined and submissive to the principles of nature. Our Heritage is not what we wear or what we eat as Basotho, AmaZulu, Batswana, or
collectively as Abantu. The true celebration of our Heritage is not only learning and remembering our African History, which is not slavery, but applying the knowledge found in our history to shape the future of our destinies. Your favourite quote? “A person who fails to see the ultimate, becomes a slave to the immediate.”
Farewell to Africa's son, Kofi Annan
BUILDING GHANA’S BIGGEST SOLAR FARM By Ndileka Swakamisa
For more than a decade, one 48-year-old entrepreneur in Ghana has been quietly building up a multimilliondollar oil and gas outfit called UBI Group. Salma Okonkwo is a rare woman to head up an energy company in Africa. “I don’t stop when the door is being shut. I find a way to make it work,” Okonkwo says. “That’s what propelled my success.” She’s now expanding her reach across Ghana’s energy industry, working on an independent side project that may become the biggest in her career. Okonkwo is building Ghana’s biggest solar farm, called Blue Power Energy, slated to open in March 2019 with 100 megawatts of energy. It’s set to be one of the largest in Africa.
“Most of the multinational companies that come to Ghana don’t put in infrastructure. They operate a system where they invest very little and they take it away. They sell their products and leave,” Okonkwo says. “I’m hoping to provide employment and add to Ghana’s economy.” Okonkwo grew up in Accra, one of 14 children born to a real estate agent and developer mother and a cattle dealer father. She often visited her
grandmother in her family’s ancestral village. She’s a member of the Akan clan, whose women often sell products they make, like sandwiches or smoked fish, to make sure their children are provided for—and that left an indelible mark on Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s ultimate goal is to bring cheap energy to northern Ghana through the solar farm, which she hopes will incentivize companies to create lasting jobs there.
TRULY AFRICAN DOLLS WITH REALISTIC NATURAL HAIR By Bombi Mavundza
A couple of years ago, Khulile VilakaziOfosu’s then two-year old daughter came home and demanded flowy hair like her friends at creche. "I told her that no matter what we do to her hair, it will never be as ‘flowy’." To drive the point home, she went looking for dolls that would help her daughter embrace her own natural hair and looks.
She was also looking for dolls that were not sexualised and had bodies that resembled that of her daughter. But the only black dolls she could find had western features, and the hair was all wrong. She decided to make her own. It was then that she approached her business partner, Caroline Hlahla. Together they owned the hair brand Bounce Essentials Hair.
The pair met after Vilakazi-Ofosu suffered from hair loss after giving birth to her daughter. She bought a wig from Hlahla who was importing Afro-textured clip-ins and wigs. Vilakazi-Ofosu was so impressed with the products that they went into business together to create hair products and wigs.
The dolls and accessories are sold online, and at their flagship store at the Ferndale Village Shopping Centre in Randburg.
Ntuthuko Shezi; creating a cash cow By Stafford Thomas Crowdfunding has become a popular means of bringing people together to finance a cause. But Ntuthuko Shezi has taken the concept to a new level with Livestock Wealth, a company that enables people to participate in what he terms "crowd-farming".
Shezi’s brainchild is proving to be a roaring success. "I started working on the business model in 2014 and began trading in October 2015," he says.
It’s a venture that has attracted enormous attention.
Shezi’s investors come from all walks of life. "About 65% of our investors are black, 30% are mainly white foreigners and the balance are Indians and coloureds," he says. "We are also seeing good growth in investment by stokvels."
"We enable people who do not own land or have the skills to own cattle [to do so]," says Shezi. "We call ourselves ‘professional herdsmen’." The concept is simple: investors buy a six-monthold calf, which is reared on one of three farms leased by Livestock Wealth. The process is fully transparent. "Calf prices are published every week by Absa and Farmers Weekly," says Shezi.
Just over two years later, 600 investors own 1,200 cattle between them. The biggest investor owns 14.
News of the venture’s success has spread widely, attracting investors from countries such as Australia, the US, Canada, Ireland, France, Australia and Germany. Shezi’s long-term ambitions go way further: his target is a mind-boggling 13m cattle.
ANIMATING THE AFRICAN CULTURE By Luyolo Mkentane
Award-winning film producer Isaac Mogajane
Late Night News with Loyiso Gola landed the
has taken it upon himself to promote diverse
company two Emmy Award nominations in
African cultures through the clever use of
2013 and 2014. Mogajane says they are now
cartoon characters.
busy setting up an animation studio to be launched in Rosebank in August.
Mogojane, 36, from Johannesburg is cofounder of TV production company Diprente,
“Doing animation is personal interest for me. I
in which he serves as managing director of the
want to create content that we can export all
animation division.
over the world in Europe and America. Animation is easy to put in different
He co-founded the company with renowned
languages and kids like content from
stand-up comedian, actor and director Kagiso
anywhere in the world as long as it’s good.,"
Lediga in 2009. The company has produced
he says.
South African police comedy Blitz Patrollie, satirical news TV series Late Night News with
Diprente won an international award for their
Loyiso Gola, The Bantu Hour, and romcom
pitch for another animated series at the
Catching Feelings, the first South African
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
movie to be shown on streaming service
and Market (MIFA) 2018 in France recently, as
Netflix, among many other productions.
well as the Disney Prize.
Love
IS THE ANSWER
ENTREPRENEURSHIP REQUIRES A HEALTH WARNING By Allon Raiz As someone who is a strong proponent of
And it should most probably also state that there is only
entrepreneurship as a tool for economic development,
a 4% chance of the "medicine" working!
arguing that glamorising entrepreneurship is a problem may, on the face of it, seem a little hypocritical.
But, when entrepreneurs try and fail and do not try again, that — to me — is the worst outcome. All that
But I believe SA has developed a culture around
effort, money and time become fruitless and wasted. In
entrepreneurship that is, in a sense, "false advertising".
my view, the real indicator to watch here is not the
The warning label is missing. It is widely accepted that
failure rate of businesses but the re-entry rate of
96% of new businesses fail within a 10-year period the
entrepreneurs post the failure of a business.
world over. That is staggering statistic and not one that can be easily glossed over. How many kids would enlist in
A few years ago, I read a research paper that compared
the army if you told them only four out of 100 would
various countries’ entrepreneurial re-entry rates. In SA
come back alive?
the rate was slightly more than one times, while in the US it was in the region of three-and-a-half times. This
I believe prospective entrepreneurs should know what
means that the average South African "entrepreneur"
the real risks are when starting a business. If, as the
tries entrepreneurship only once and then stops trying,
government, you view entrepreneurship as the
and the average American tries again at least two-and-a-
"medicine" to treat high unemployment, slow economic
half times after the first failure.
growth and a lack of wealth creation, surely it should come with a warning label like any other "medicine"?
By destroying confidence, we are destroying capital. We
Such a warning might read: "Starting your own business
must stop spreading the false mythology that business
will likely lead to loss of money; loss of family; loss of
plans and funding are the elixir to success.
friends; loss of fun; and loss of confidence."
When people are empowered, success is inevitable By Carin Smith
This is the ethos which Lerato Nxumalo lives by. She is the founder of LNL Group, a facilities and vegetation management company. As an entrepreneur my intent is to foster growth in our thriving venture. Through our sustainable business approach, we have grown to provide employment for a number of people," she explains. Tell us a bit about yourself I started my career in the mining industry as a process engineer prior to obtaining an MBA from the University of Stellenbosch Business School. Before that I completed my undergraduate with a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.
Though the technical qualifications empowered me to enter any market, it was the barriers to entry of vegetation management that enticed me to make a mark in the male dominated industry. I wanted to make a difference in the sector and appreciated the challenge to rise to the occasion. I have found that entrepreneurship and leadership are a call to serve others. Over the years, my goals as an entrepreneur, have thus not only been economic, but an opportunity to explore all possibilities to impact lives. What have been your achievements in the business so far?
My greatest achievement is personal, in that, since our business is labour intensive, we continue to create employment opportunities for many South Africans. I see the fruits of being a part of solving the unemployment issue of South Africa. Our ideas as a company and my approach on leadership supports families across the nation. That for me is purpose. Another achievement so far has been publishing the sustainability report. This positioned us as an entity to rigorously employ international principles and standards that will ensure that we are sustainable.
Theo MothoaFrendo, founder of Uso — African Dermal Science By Vuyolwethu Tshandu
The woman known as the doctor
Mothoa-Frendo took matters
"The skin-care industry in SA is
of melanin-rich skin, Theo
into her own hands, founding
dominated by multinationals.
Mothoa-Frendo, is in constant
Uso — African Dermal Science, a
Over 80% of our market share
pursuit of the perfect glow.
luxe skin-care brand developed
belongs to foreign firms, when
specifically for darker skin tones
over 80% of our women and their users are black."
"I’ve always been obsessed about skin care and healthy skin. I’ve
Mothoa-Frendo, who had spent
used most of the brands on the
10 years as a medical director
Unilever is the leading player in
market," she says.
for sub-Saharan Africa for
skin care, with a 21% share of
pharmaceutical firm Roche,
the market in 2016, according to
One morning, Mothoa-Frendo
developed Uso while studying
market intelligence firm
looked at her bathroom shelf and
towards an MBA at the Gordon
Euromonitor. The company’s
thought: "How is it possible that
Institute of Business Science in
largest segment is body-care
one person can own so many
Johannesburg.
products, where it has a 35% market share through brands
skin-care brands, and how is it that so many of my skin-care
Uso, a word that translates
such as Dawn, Vaseline Intensive
brands are foreign?"
loosely to "face" in Swahili, was
Care, Lux and Dove.
launched last November, but it is After a series of disappointments
the outcome of three years of
with international brands,
research and development.
I AM AN AFRICAN By President Thabo Mbeki
I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land. My body has frozen in our frosts and in our latter day snows. It has thawed in the warmth of our sunshine and melted in the heat of the midday sun. The crack and the rumble of the summer thunders, lashed by startling lightening, have been a cause both of trembling and of hope. The fragrances of nature have been as pleasant to us as the sight of the wild blooms of the citizens of the veld. The dramatic shapes of the Drakensberg, the soil-coloured waters of the Lekoa, iGqili noThukela, and the sands of the Kgalagadi, have all been panels of the set on the natural stage on which we act out the foolish deeds of the theatre of our day. At times, and in fear, I have wondered whether I should concede equal citizenship of our country to the leopard and the lion, the elephant and the springbok, the hyena, the black mamba and the pestilential mosquito. A human presence among all these, a feature on the face of our native land thus defined, I know that none dare challenge me when I say - I am an African! I owe my being to the Khoi and the San whose desolate souls haunt the great expanses of the beautiful Cape - they who fell victim to the most merciless genocide our native land has ever
seen, they who were the first to lose their lives in the struggle to defend our freedom and dependence and they who, as a people, perished in the result. I have seen our country torn asunder as these, all of whom are my people, engaged one another in a titanic battle, the one redress a wrong that had been caused by one to another and the other, to defend the indefensible. I have seen what happens when one person has superiority of force over another, when the stronger appropriate to themselves the prerogative even to annul the injunction that God created all men and women in His image. I know what if signifies when race and colour are used to determine who is human and who, sub-human. I am born of the peoples of the continent of Africa. The pain of the violent conflict that the peoples of Liberia, Somalia, the Sudan, Burundi and Algeria is a pain I also bear. The dismal shame of poverty, suffering and human degradation of my continent is a blight that we share. The blight on our happiness that derives from this and from our drift to the periphery of the ordering of human affairs leaves us in a persistent shadow of despair. Whoever we may be, whatever our immediate interest, however much we carry baggage from our past, however much we have been caught by the fashion of cynicism and loss of faith in the capacity of the people, let us err today and say - nothing can stop us now!
PORTIA MNGOMEZULU, PICK N PAY’S 2018 SMALL SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR By Ndileka Swakamisa
Local entrepreneur Portia Mngomezulu, founder of Portia M Skin Solutions, has been awarded Pick n Pay’s 2018 Small Supplier of the Year award for her business’ exceptional growth performance and job creation. The annual award recognises and rewards the company’s top performing small supplier in the country across various categories. When Portia gave birth to her son in 2010, she not only embraced motherhood, but also entrepreneurship. After developing stretch marks during her pregnancy, her mother-in-law suggested Marula oil to treat the scarring. The results were so impressive that Portia wanted to share it with those closest to her. Investing R200 initially, Portia bought Marula oil directly from rural women in Limpopo, bottled it herself and began selling it as a side-business. The profit she made on each bottle was reinvested into her business. Fast forward to today, Portia has created a skincare range of 12 products for both men and women, is in the process of launching her baby range of five products, and employs 27 full-time staff. In the last 24 months and through Pick n Pay alone, her business has generated over R20 million in sales. This excludes the products she has sold through her online shop, other retailers, and independent pharmacies.
NgiyiMbali Wines is a newly-launched, familyowned range of wines in South Africa, founded by entrepreneur Mbali Masike. It has always been Mbali’s dream to become a winemaker. A little over five years ago Mbali tasted a bottle of wine and she fell in love with it. The inspirational story of Ngiyi Mbali Wines started there. Having experienced the joys of wine tasting, Mbali Masike tracked down the maker of the wine which she initially fell in love with on that first tasting, who was John Robert Frater, a fifth generation winemaker whose family have been producing wonderful wines from the De Zoete Inval Estate in Paarl in the Western Cape. She told Rob about her experience with his wine and asked him to mentor her and teach about the art of wine making. Much has happened since that first wine tasting. Mbali is not yet a cellar master but believes she will be one day. She is very involved in the production of the wines that today carry her name – Ngiyi Mbali – and plans to expand the current range of six wines that are now being produced and sold.
NGIYI MBALI WINES By Thinah Bhengu
A private company owned by Wits University has launched a new unit to focus on entrepreneurial development. The company, Wits Enterprise, said the new unit, called The Entrepreneurial Wayz (TEWZ), would focus on aligning business ecosystems, developing strategic partnerships, building entrepreneurial cultures and providing business support to contribute towards building an entrepreneurial economy.
WITS UNIVERSITY COMPANY LAUNCHES ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT UNIT BY KOKETSO SELOANE
"TEWZ is a response to the country’s socio-economic challenges and the need to prepare young people for the 21st century global economy," it said. TEWZ will provide insights, skills, tools and mentoring at every stage of the entrepreneurial journey, offering short courses, master classes, research, outreach projects, business incubators, design projects, business development support, advocacy and assistance with formalising strategic partnerships. "Wits has various initiatives in place toward becoming an entrepreneurial university where an entrepreneurial culture ensures that research ideas can be converted into solutions and graduates leave with experiences that allow them to contribute to the country’s development."
A social entrepreneur helping the younger IT crowd BY LUYOLO MKENTANE
Social Entrepreneur Thuli Sibeko is the brains behind a non-profit organisation aimed at teaching young people much-needed IT skills and how to solve the world’s mounting problems. Sibeko, 39, from Soweto, is the founder of consulting firm TS Management Consultancy, based at Craighall in Johannesburg. A public speaker and master of ceremonies,
Through her non-profit organisation, Girls
Sibeko says she matriculated from St Anne’s
Invent Tomorrow, Sibeko runs a programme
Diocesan College, a boarding school in
aimed at equipping high school girls with
Pietermaritzburg, many years ago.
much-needed IT skills, as the world embraces the much-touted Fourth Industrial
Her passion of identifying and trying to fix
Revolution.
social ills saw her establishing her first company Anglo-African Events at the age of
“We teach them basic computer skills and
27 in 2006.
how to solve the world’s problems,” she says, emphasising that her consulting firm is not
The marketing and events company, which
about chasing profits.
has since folded, was aimed at addressing the scourge of youth unemployment in the
She says they are concerned about
country. As a result, its staff was mostly
community uplift and would always avail
made up of youth, says Sibeko, a former
themselves of making a difference, no matter
member of the Community Youth
how small.
Empowa’ment, an organisation committed to social upliftment through community-based
Besides that, Sibeko also runs career days
initiatives.
and a Saturday school in Soweto.
MALI’S CULTURAL CAPITAL SHOWS HOW CITIZEN-CENTRED DEVELOPMENT CAN TRUMP GENTRIFICATION BY JENNY MBAYE Over the past 10 years, Ségou – with its architectural heritage, creative craftsmanship and natural landscape – has established itself as Mali’s cultural capital. This has happened because local government, local artists and broader civil society actors have worked together to create a cultural development policy focused on sustainable local economic development. Arts and culture programmes have been collectively designed and implemented, drawing on local resources, knowledge, strategies and institutions. This homegrown policy has residents’ long-term wellbeing at its heart. It is based on the city’s specific cultural identity and supports local cultural operators and enterprises. And, importantly, it encourages access to culture for all. This inclusive, sustainable, citizen-centred model of urban cultural development is fundamentally different from Johannesburg’s Maboneng cultural district or Istanbul’s waterfront Golden Horn.
There, the idea of the “creative city” has been used to justify aggressive neoliberal policies of “regeneration” and gentrification. These enrich a few and contribute to urban inequality. But as Ségou’s journey shows, there is another way to manage and nurture the urban creative economy. Now four other cities on the continent are following Ségou’s lead. They are working towards developing cultural policies and programmes that bring together the objectives of sustainable local economic development, cultural diversity and social cohesion. This dynamic, collaborative process of discussion and engagement between civil society and local institutions is what I like to call a “cultural polis”. For cities – in Africa and beyond – that want to build their urban cultural economies while avoiding the pitfalls of gentrification, these endogenous experiences offer important insights.
BY ANNSTELLA MUMBI
So where are all the African entrepreneurs? I have watched many startups and inventions with great potential lose momentum in under a year since the founders have no idea how to go about the business aspect of it.
Remember, it is not about the product but about the problem and the addressable market. Books such as “Zero to One — Notes on Startups by Peter Thiel” are a great for any startup.
Exposure and information is everything and not just product development as is a problem for many. Mentors in the tech industry tend to be harder to reach and everything culminates into a pitching competition to join this or that accelerator.
Pass it along. As a founder or successful African techpreneur who has understood the process, set time apart to become a mentor. Teach others what you learned, and speak at different engagements, accept invitations to exhibitions for new technology in universities.
More and more institutions that just mentor and expose startups need to come up. Institutions that act as a business 101 class for young entrepreneurs at no cost.
The experience of running an African startup is unique and having first-hand information will be more than just beneficial for young start-ups.
A company’s potential lies in its founder’s exposure. As a founder, read wide, talk to other people in your industry and learn, learn, learn.
After all, it may be business but every new solution put into the market by an Africa techpreneur gets us a step closer to the self-reliant Africa we all dream of.
AFRICA’S NEW SILICON VALLEYS BY MBALI SIBIYA Perhaps most famously, Route 128 and Silicon Valley in the United States developed around the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford universities, while key European knowledge regions developed at the Sophia Antipolis high-tech park in Côte d’Azur, France, and the Leuven region in Belgium. In Africa, however, it is a relatively new phenomenon. But some universities on the continent are working towards setting themselves up as catalysts of innovation and entrepreneurship. Notable mentions must go to the University of Nairobi and the American University in Cairo, but South Africa is leading the charge. The likes of Stellenbosch University, the University of Cape Town (UCT) and University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) are focusing more than ever on equipping their students to be entrepreneurs, primarily in response to unemployment issues in the country. Almost 50% of those aged between 15 and 24 in South Africa are without a job, and some tertiary institutions are adapting by equipping them to become job creators. Bakang Moetse is Impact Investing Project Manager at the Bertha Centre, a dedicated entrepreneurial unit within the Graduate School of Business at UCT. She says high youth unemployment had made the promotion of entrepreneurship an imperative for many African governments. “Whilst government may be responsible for creating an enabling environment for the development of businesses, universities play a key role in delivering skills and expertise, as well as creating enabling environments for incubation of entrepreneurs,” says Moetse.
Introducing Esaïe LUPEPELE, manager of the Eteyelo, a startup from Kinshasa, Congo Please introduce yourself to our readers,
including: Lack of traceability and transparency
who you are, where you come from and
in financial management; Lack of efficiency in
what’s your background.
monitoring student progress due to the difficulty of accessing the volume of the school
My name is Esaïe LUPEPELE, I am Congolese
records; and Lack of involvement of some
(DR Congo), I have a degree in mathematics
parents in monitoring the schooling of their
and data processing at the faculty of
children due to lack of access to information.
sciences of the University of Kinshasa, and I am the manager of the Eteyelo.
What is your view about the startup scene in your countries and more regionally in Africa?
What is the problem you are addressing and what is your solution?
There is not yet an awareness of the importance and opportunities around new technologies. The
The manual or traditional management of
resources are not mobilized and no strategy is
schools is subject to operational
put in place to support their development. And
difficulties, school and financial monitoring,
this is not only the case of the DRC but also in most African countries.
STORYTELLING CAN HELP YOU BUILD A HERITAGE BRAND BY ANNA JOHANSSON
By making an investment in content marketing, you can tell your brand’s story and relay your heritage to connect with customers on an emotional level and encourage loyalty. Here's how: 1. Record your history. If you don’t know your story, you can’t relay it to customers. While you obviously can recollect where things began and how the business has evolved, take the time to actually put pen to paper and record the time line, dates and important moments. In doing so, you’ll begin to see some common trends and identify a story that connects who you are now to who you were at the beginning. 2. Be authentic. You might not have a compelling history, but don’t try to compensate by fictionalizing your past. Authenticity is the key to successful heritage branding. Making up stories -- or even embellishing them -- will only come back to bite you. 3. Focus on people. Your company history is interesting, but customers really want to hear stories about people. Your focus should be less on corporate
elements and more on the people who have built your brand from the ground up. This is the true heart of a heritage brand. 4. Evoke nostalgia. Nostalgia has a way of intoxicating people and making them align with certain brands. Having said that, you’ll have a far better chance of being successful in your heritage branding efforts if you can evoke some sort of nostalgia in your storytelling. 5. Never stop innovating. Why have companies like Wells Fargo and Lee hung around, while massive brands like Kodak and Blockbuster eventually withered away? In short, the former two brands have continued to innovate while still acknowledging their heritage. Heritage and innovation don’t necessarily have to be in opposition with each another. In fact, traditional heritage brands -- i.e., those that have been around for decades -- are the best at innovating. This is how they continue to remain competitive in an ever-shifting landscape. Make sure that while your business embraces its heritage, it continues to press forward through innovation. Okay, now: What’s your brand’s story?
Koketso Moeti’s mobilisation through amandla.mobi BY NICK HEDLEY
A quarter of a million people have thrown their weight behind at least one of Koketso Moeti’s campaigns. Her civil-engagement platform, amandla.mobi, has even caught the eye of some heavyweights in the global world order.
Amandla.mobi aims to rally people around important causes, mainly those that affect lowincome black women — a demographic that is disproportionately affected by injustice, Moeti tells the FM.
In April, Moeti became the first South African to be named an Obama Fellow.
She founded amandla.mobi in 2014 when she decided a new approach was needed to mobilise activists across the country.
She was one of just 20 individuals — from more than 20,000 applicants — selected by the former US president’s foundation for the inaugural edition of its fellowship programme. And in July, Moeti was named the grand prize winner of the Waislitz Global Citizen Award — an annual cash prize of $100,000 awarded in recognition of an individual’s efforts to stamp out extreme poverty.
"I am a woman, I am black, I am from a lowincome background — all things which led me to see [what effect] the difficulties of coordinating actions, the barriers of geographic location, language and so much more have on attempts to organise," she says. At the same time, she saw how sustained collective action could overcome those barriers and "build movements and shift things".
Soweto's jewellery manufacturer eyes Mozambique market By Thembelihle Mkhonza
A black-owned jewellery manufacturing company based in Soweto - She Met Jewellery - which makes bracelets, earrings, pendants and necklaces is heading to Mozambique where it will showcase its products at the 54th Feira Internacional de Maputo. South Africa will have a pavilion at the trade fair, which will be held in the capital, Maputo, from 27 August to 3 September. Shermina Motlhasedi of She Met Jewellery said 22 other South African companies, assisted by the Department of Trade and Industry in order to be export ready, will showcase local products and services at the South African pavilion. “Mozambique as an emerging economy is a very attractive investment destination for us seeing that the South African jewellery market is currently very small and is experiencing a decline," said Motlhasedi.
Palesa Sibeko — hard work can be fun BY NAFISA AKABOR She’s the co-founder of two companies and one nonprofit organisation, volunteers at two other organisations, dabbles a bit with open-source hardware and still has time for single-player games on her PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360. Johannesburg-based Palesa Sibeko is part of a trio who started Girls Invent Tomorrow back in 2013, a nonprofit organisation that aims to empower, educate and mentor high-school girls. "We started our organisation as a response to a global drive to get more women into technology and science careers," says Sibeko. Global chip maker Intel came on board as a sponsor for some of its projects in the past. This year it will partner with Ladies That UX (a meet-up of professional female designers in Joburg) and the Girls Fly Programme in Africa, which has a similar mission in the aviation and space sectors. The 36-year-old is also passionate about gaming, and started playing games at a young age. "I think I started when I was five or six years old; we were very fortunate to have a personal computer in the house way back in the 1980s because my dad was an electronics engineer." One of the first games she played with her family was Digger, a PacMan-like puzzle game. It’s all a far cry from where she is today. Sibeko holds a BSc from Wits University, with majors in microbiology and biotechnology, and genetics and developmental biology. She also studied contemporary music. "I think I’m done with formal studies; I now learn through highquality online courses and practical application at work. "It’s harder but more fun." Despite having so much on her plate, Sibeko still manages to find time to volunteer as an organiser for the Joburg chapter of OpenIDEO, a social impact platform, and the GoodWork Society, which she co-founded.
JOYCEE AWOJOODU, FOUNDER AND CEO OF ORIKI By Koketso Seloane
Joycee Awojoodu, the founder and CEO of ORIKI, a luxury personal grooming brand that is proudly African. ORÍKÌ is a leading luxury personal grooming brand that fuses natural ingredients and scientific research to create extraordinary personal care products. The range of 32 products is for the ORÍKÌ woman and man covers the full spectrum of serums, moisturizers, body wash, moisturizers, exfoliates, toners, treatments, masks and more. Botanically based, we use potent plants, organic ingredients and 100% natural essential oils. The ethos of the business is that we are all natural, so ORIKI have primarily natural ingredients and source predominately from the continent of Africa. Besides the product line, ORIKI also offer different services, our spa treatments include body scrubs, massages, facial scrubs, all kinds of facials, body wraps and more.
Proudly South African Launches 100% Local Online Shopping Store BY LEBOHANG THULO
Proudly South African in an effort to give South African manufacturers and designers a new way of taking their product to market has launched an eshopping site, www.rsamade.co.za. The RSAMade site features 100% locally made items ranging from electronics and furniture, to beauty product and games. Proudly South African will vet and verify local content and quality and that all the vendor companies adhere to labour and environmental legislation which is all part of the terms of Proudly South African membership. The site works on the same basis as any other online shopping store, with a simple product selection and check out sequence, with door to door delivery within 48 hours within our borders.Â
In addition, the site has a fully functioning ticketing system and local events are encouraged to use this platform for their online ticket sales. www.rsamade.co.za is the first site of its kind in South Africa, a platform created not just to assist small, medium and even large local businesses to sell more, but it was also built using only South African suppliers and service providers. For a Proudly South African online shopping experience visit www.rsamade.co.za
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