Emerging entrepreneurs get business incubation prizes
The Festival of Ideas is a programme where emerging entrepreneurs pitch their innovative ideas to a panel of judges in the following sectors: agriculture, logistics, business services manufacturing and ICT. The session to pitch to the panel was held in June 2019.
The Ekurhuleni metro’s Festival of Ideas programme, which boasted R2-million worth of prizes, has paid off for 15 local entrepreneurs.
The metro worked together with the Gauteng Economic Propeller (GEP) to put together the total prize money. They also partnered with other private sector companies and government institutions to provide full assistance to the emerging entrepreneurs.
The first batch of winner entrepreneurs got their prizes on October 16, in ceremonies that were hosted in Kempton Park and Germiston.
The prizes, comprising business office equipment, were handed over by MMC for Finance and Economic Development, Clr Nkosindiphile Xhakaza.
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There were 15 winners, comprising three winners per sector.
The first batch of winners who got their prizes on October 16, were in logistics and business services.
The remainder of the winners will get their prizes in the coming weeks.
Speaking during the ceremony to hand over prizes, Xhakaza said, “We must support the SMMEs to ensure they have a conducive environment for their businesses to prosper and equipment, as well as necessary capital.”
“We have also noted that there were elements that wanted to derail this groundbreaking programme by falsifying their entries to benefit, even though they did not qualify.
“We have disqualified them and we noted that they have resorted to speaking against this programme on social media,” he said.
The first prize winner, Mduduzi Makhoba from Hamashe Trading in the logistic sector, took R100 000 worth of equipment.
The second prize winner was Thandi Nkosi from Teenten Enterprise. She won R60 000 worth of equipment, while Labani Mgimeti, from Hiteka Kitchen, scooped the third prize and R40 000 worth of equipment.
Mgimeti, a 36-year-old mother of three, said she is promoting healthy eating among school learners through her business.
“Our children are prone to eating unhealthy food such as fat cakes and other junk food on a daily basis. We must know that they were not born craving this stuff, but they were conditioned over time. This needs to change. The future is very healthy. There is no better time than now for us to start businesses that provide healthy food and living,” she said.
