Born and bred in a small town outside of Pretoria named Bronkhorstspruit, Goodwill Mabena is a 23 yearold business enthusiast, an editor, co-host of ‘Tech People Talk’ - a Jendamark podcast and a growing leader of the new school that strongly believes in action more than anything when it comes to dreams. This young leader, who specializes in public speaking has recently moved to Port Elizabeth also known as Gqeberha, working as a voice over artist and digital content marketer for Jendamark Automation, a Gqeberha tech-driven company that made him fell inlove more with the tech world. “In all honesty, I came to work for and partner with Jendamark because of a mentor who recognized something useful in me that others did not. He is the one pushed and fostered me; the reason I am so inlove and curious about the tech world and mostly the reason I am where I am today”, he added.
“Speaking was always secondary for me; I saw it as a by product of my fascination with storytelling. I've always had a natural ability to relate tales, from my own life to those that alter the world and inspire me. In my opinion, reality is one enormous narrative. When I was 16, I discovered that storytelling was a multibillion-dollar industry and I’ve since been on a journey to discover myself through the artform”.
When did you realize you have a speaking gift and what inspired you to start making money out of it?
"Our youth is unaware of the digital world beyond social media".Leaderofthenewschool
What do you think is the current struggle for the youth of SA, and what solutions do you have in mind about those issues? “I believe it is hazardous to presume that the youth of South Africa or any other society are one people, because we are not. There is no one-sizefits-all answer, and if we are to truly empower the youth, we must consider individualized solutions. My concern is that we live in a digital world that is rapidly taking over, and that most of our youth are unaware of the digital world beyond social media. It is time to start fighting our own conflicts, not of blood and wars but, of financial transformation and economic prosperity”.
So, what do you think youth should invest their time on, to become better every day in their spaces? “The single most essential thing for everyone to devote time in is determining who they are and who they want to be. The sooner someone believes in their mission and purpose, the sooner they are transformed beyond measure ” .
Tell us about the GOODWILL SHOW, and your plans about it. “The GOODWILL SHOW is all about discovering what makes us unique. It is about discovering oneself and the chances that exist for us to live our greatest lives. I've shared my story to others who are trying to figure out who they are.
What has been your highlight? It could be in or out of your occupation thus far? “Thus far, my highlight has to be success and the attitude of people who succeed. I'm still amazed at how much my life has changed in such a short period of time. It has changed my life to realize how crucial it is to be kind. Kamogelo Mashotja's act of goodwill altered my life”.
Lastly, word of advice to the youth out there? "My advise is that we should start defining success for ourselves rather than allowing others to define it for us.
Personally, I'm constantly wondering what I could become if I acted out everything I've imagined in my thoughts”.
IGALOFU - a brand that precisely caters for golf sports audience, was founded by Banele Mhlahlo- a serial entrepreneur raised by a single mother with his big brother in the East Rand, Vosloorus. Currently, Banele resides in Pretoria with his wife & two kids. Entrepreneurs backbone lies in supporting each other to grow our economy, so firstly we wanted to know besides his brand which local brand is Banele’s favourite and why: “My favourite Mzansi brand is Bathu. I can relate to the story behind the brand, how it’s started (born in the township), challenges they faced, where it’s currently at and where it’s going, more importantly how they have professionalized their brand. Apart from Bathu other brands that are my favourite are: Portia M, MoFire and Drip”.
Speaking about the township economy which is what most South Africans feel we as the country have lost we tried to hear what Banele thinks about the subject and this is what He said, “The township economy belongs to us; we need to get more involved by owning businesses in the township that offers great quality services and products to the township dwellers (customers), If we treat our customers with respect and give them the service they deserve, a lot can change”.
Back to you, when did you commence with Igalofu Apparel and what motivated you to start? “I started with the brand design; concept in 2018, the launch of the apparel was in June 2020,
- just after the easing of lock-down restrictions, started with just 10 caps to sell to my golf buddies. I saw a need to consume local brand in the golf industry as oppose to international popular brand, and I saw a gap in the market to give something different to the lovers of the sport”.
People look at golf as one of the expensive sports amongst others, would you say being expensive is the main boundary there is not much black youth playing golf? And those who would like to try the sport what basic needs are required to do start? “Growing up I was one a few black young men that played golf in my hood, going into tournaments around Gauteng I met a lot more of black youth playing golf, today there are many black grown-ups playing golf, the sport being expensive it’s not the main boundary, I think the sport it’s not marketed enough in the black community, lack of exposure to the sport, if we can have more golf development in the township as we have with soccer I think we can get more young men and women playing golf. Have more golf covered in more of our TV sport channels, introduce it at school level too”.
“For those you would like to try the sport, they will need to have passion for the sport first, because if you do not love anything you are doing you won’t see it through. On the technical side I would advise one to start with getting second hand golf gear, nothing too fancy - go to a golf driving range or open field ekasi and start hitting some golf balls, from there if the passion is present it can only get better”.
From where you standing, what are available opportunities for young people in the golf industry as a whole? “The golf industry is huge, not only limited to playing the sport, one can be any of the following in the sport: Golf Couch, Golf Days organiser (like an events planner), Green Keeper (looking after the golf course), Golf Club Director, Golf Club Fitter & Club Repair Specialist, Golf Rules Official (more like a referee in soccer)”.
What are your business highlights so far? “I started with just 10 caps to sell, currently my highlight I have to say it’s the gradual growth that the business has experienced over the years, from the midst of the pandemic with an uncertain future, Igalofu was able to strive and grow. We now have apparel ranging from caps, golf shirts, arm sleeves, umbrellas, hats and providing apparel for corporate golf days, recently we have worked with Ayepyep Lifestyle on their charity golf day”.
When not busy playing golf, what do you do to keep sane? “When not playing golf, I take long casual walks, I listen to music, I read a book every now and then, spend quality time with my family, to unwind I watch a movie alone when I find time”. Click buttons below to follow us
BUSI was founded by 3 childhood friends from a small town in the Boland. With 3 sets of very different skill types they complement each other really well. While it is easy to focus on the founders, we believe BUSI is a team and community effort. From having a masters degree in food science, awesome web development to building fruit processing machines BUSI really has exceptional team members building the brand and products.
When did you commence with Busi and what made you choose to go for this product? Also, what makes your honey different from other honey brands? “We introduced BUSI to the outside world on the 25th of October 2021 by announcing our CBD infused honey on Instagram. The idea was born purely from us really enjoying honey products and seeing the effect it had on our lives”.
As the team, any other Mzansi brands that are your favorite? “We are really big fans of JOBJACK (app.jobjack.co.za), an online platform helping people find jobs. We have read so many success stories about people finding work it is really heart-warming. They are really making a difference in South Africa”.
“One of our founders has a rare muscle disease that causes him to sleep uneasy. We investigated and tried all possible solutions and made the breakthrough with CBD. It was then when it hit us, why not combine these two life changing products and make one great product”.
“What makes our products stand out is that all of it is hand-made and we only use the best quality products available. It took months of research to ensure we get the perfect concentration of CBD in the honey and our other products”.
“We talk so much about CBD, but what is CBD? CBD, or cannabidiol, is the second most prevalent active ingredient in cannabis (marijuana). While CBD is an essential component of medical marijuana, it is derived directly from the hemp plant, a cousin of marijuana, or manufactured in a laboratory. One of hundreds of components in marijuana, CBD does not cause a "high" by itself. According to a report from the World Health Organization, there is no evidence of public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD”
In starting, what were your challenges and how did you overcome them? “As a CBD company, our biggest challenge was and still is to overcome the negative connotation around CBD products. With the misconception that you will get "high" using the products, people are hesitant to use the product. How we try to address this problem is to educate people about CBD and the health benefits it has”, such as offsets anxiety and depression, treats select epilepsy syndromes, reduces PTSD symptoms, treats opioid addiction, alleviates ALS symptoms, relieves unmanageable pain, eases diabetic complications and protects against neurological disease.
Goniwe is growing to be one of South Africa’s favorite lifestyle brands. We chat to the man behind the brand about the state of his business currently and possible future collaborations.
Ncedisa Goniwe is a Gqeberha born entrepreneur from a township called Veeplaas. He grew up in a home where entrepreneurship was a day-to-day experience until he was involved in a car accident that led him to be in the hospital for about 7 months. After the incident his parents decided that they go back home which is Peddie, trying to move away from busy urban life and the school riots that were popular back then.
“I spent better time of my life at Peddie, finishing my lower and high school grades there. My life was better there because of all the activities of the rural setup, stick fighting, looking after livestock, riding horses, playing soccer and rugby".
Before we get to business let’s talk about which brand in Mzansi does it for you?
“Without a doubt it has to be Maxhosa. I really admire the journey of this brand and how it has managed to create its niche market".
“Converting your walk from ordinary to extra-ordinary”
And from where you standing do you think we can own back the township economy as locals? “Firstly, I think the word township economy need to be unpacked and the society need to be schooled about this term. Secondly, the society should be educated about its benefits and that vision once understood by the society it will create an opportunity for the community to own the term and develop themselves to create services or products that can be consumed by the society. It should be noted that township economy is already existing but it needs to be modernized and not only focus on the traditional business”.
So when did you commence with your shoe business and what inspired you to start? “I started this business last year around June. The idea was started by one shoe, the first step was the design and the business started with only that one shoe. I have always wanted to create a product that talks to lifestyle. The shoes were an ideal commodity because almost every outfit need a shoe”.
What does it take to build a brand from scratch? And what makes NG Goniwe shoes unique? “Starting a business from only the idea is always challenging, because you don’t know how the market is going to respond from your product, and because of the history of SMMEs in South Africa people are skeptical about new brands, especially the brands that are local manufactured and owned by an ordinary black person. What makes it challenging as well it’s the issue of starting a business without the resources and at the same time you want to make or produce a quality product. Starting a business requires a lot of patience, hardworking, positive mindset and energy that has no internal and external limitation. You also need to believe in your product and one of the most important lessons is to be able to communicate with the clients to kill doubts from your customers. NG most competitive advantage is the quality of the product, and the product is made of the local raw material because most of the leather is coming from the cow skin”.
What are your business highlights so far? “NG Footwear highlights so far is that in the space of less than a year we have managed to grow the brand into a national brand. As we speak now, we can safely say in every province in South Africa there is an NG shoe. Another highlight is that the brand is offering variety of products, men ’ s leather shoes, ladies leather shoes, sneakers, and smart shoes”.
Who or which company you would be interested to collaborate with in future and why that person/company? “The company will love to partner with corporate companies especially in the automotive sector.
Also it will be great to work with the local established company like MaXhosa, because it is a company that has work a similar journey starting from the humble beginnings.
Meeting the owner of this great Maxhosa Laduma Ngxokolo will add value to our brand. I think it’s worth mentioning that currently the most important collaboration comes from people that have bought the shoes, and people that are continually sharing the products in their WhatsApp status and other social media platforms”.
When not working on your brand, what do you do to keep sane? “All I do when I am not directly involved in production is providing excellent customer service, whether in person or via social media”.
Click on social icons on your left for more:
For more info follow:
M A S I T H E M B E D U M I S O
Founder of Dlaki Clothing
Currently residing in BloemfonteinMasithembe Dumiso is a King Williams Town born entrepreneur from eZihlahleni location, where he went for his lower grades before moving to Gqeberha eZinyoka for his high school studies. This young and goal driven businessman is the mind, the founder and director of the phenomenal and stunning street wear named DLAKI CLOTHING. His brand name came from the word ‘Mdlakazi’ –directly translated as ‘the best’ in Xhosa street language. This nickname that was given to him by friends as he was excelling on most of the things that he was doing with friends and in short they will call him Dlaki.
“So I was among those people that are excelling on things that I am doing and even now people who know me from my childhood will be surprised of what I have achieved considering that I am coming from a very disadvantage background but thanks to the mighty God and my ancestors for making me a person of so many talents”, he added.
About bringing back the township economy Dlaki commented: “To own back the township economy I think we need to invest more on our local businesses and upcoming brands from the townships, to grow our economy and support each other as South Africans because at this stage there are still so many who are currently wearing foreign brands".
"We need to have a marketing strategy for our local businesses especially on the platforms like THE KONVENIENT MAGAZINE and thank to the Magazine team for bringing this opportunity to us local brands”.
Other than your own, what’s your other Mzansi favorite brand? “My favorite is one of my home boys brand called ‘Ndimnyama Brand’, and I like the way they are pushing with an attitude of ‘not giving up ’ and working hard to show case their apparel”.
When did you commence with your clothing apparel business and what motivated you to start? “I started Dlaki clothing in 2019, motivated by the fact that I always wanted to have my own unique clothes – so I can be different to everybody else wearing the well-known brands. The aim was to trigger questions like ‘What is this? What does it mean? And etc’. Another thing that motivated me it’s the people around me who never approved it at the beginning and I told myself let me take this challenge and prove them wrong. Now everyone is talking about it and I’m very proud with the work that I have done thus far”.
Have you ever been funded by any funding institution in SA? (not compulsory to share their name). If yes, tell us about it and how easy or challenging was the process. If no, what would you use the funding for if you could get one? “I have not yet been funded by any funding institution thus far as I haven’t approached them because I want to know about financial challenges especially when it comes from my pocket and how to manage those financial challenges including budgeting for the brand. But, If I can get funding - I have been thinking/dreaming about having my own brand store in all different provinces, and that’s my long term goal, my short term is to buy more stock and invest on digital advertising platforms”.
What are your business highlights so far? “The first one is being nominated for the MAMA 2022 awards under ‘Best Clothing Brand Category’ and my supporters are voting by SMS’ing ‘MAMAP 2677 to 47439’ and I am currently getting positive response from the supporters of Dlaki clothing brand. My second highlight was being approached by an upcoming artist called Pulle Mollo under AFROMEL production from Pretoria, who like the brand and wanted to wear it on all his performing platforms, and that made me realize that people are taking note of Dlaki clothing brand”.
Who or which company you would be interested to collaborate with in future and why that person/company? “Any company is welcomed to work with me, as long as we share the same views, thinking and goals my doors are open ” .
When not working on your brand, what do you do to keep sane? “I’m always reading books that will motivate me as a person to have a mindset that has POWER to stay positive”.
Click the social media icons on left for more information:
winning journalist, author, music producer and songwriter, Mzilikazi wa Africa also known as Mzee is the founder of Bomba Africa, an independent record label based in Johannesburg, South Africa, an anthropology of authentic African music with sounds from all over Africa.
