Three people, with Sokude Ngeyane at the helm, are about to shake things up in Kagiso, to employment and beyond.
Aptly named Unxedo lo msebenzi (employment assistance), this initiative plans to create employment and business opportunities for the youth of the West Rand. The initiative was established in 2002 by Sokude with the aim of providing skills-based training to young people on the West Rand. “I enjoyed a long career in the mining industry but had to resign due to illness and when I came back to Kagiso I realised that people are unemployed because they are not skilled, and not because there are no job opportunities – and that is where my dream began,” Sokude told the News.
Sokude took it upon himself to liaise with different stakeholders to pursue his goals and ended up approved by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) on condition that he found a workshop and training centre. He knocked on the doors of official organisations such as Merseta, Luthuli House and our very own Mogale City, all in the hopes of growing his dream from just an initiative to create jobs into a fully capable training centre that trains the youth and places them in jobs.
This multi-skilled man has managed to learn skills such as sewing, building, roofing and mine work through on-the-job training and he wants to impart those skills to the youth in his community. “You cannot go hungry if you have hands and skills,” he said
He is currently working with a committee of three people, and employing seven others. “When Sokude explained the aims of his project, I wanted to come on board because it is a good idea. It encourages us to come up with ideas to make a living,” said former Ward 19 councillor, Tilly Ntlantlana.
Thando Mdia, who is one of the other members of the committee, is excited about the change this project brings. “I was impressed with the idea of creating employment for the youth because they tend to deviate and indulge in drugs or crime. With this project, we will be able to curb such social ills,” he said.
With a committee that is equipped with different skills and a passion to serve the community, it is clear that change is coming to the West Rand.
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