TCM encourages entrepreneurs
"We hereby appeal to the youth to stay focused and vigilant and not to be swayed to commit acts that will undermine their future by people who purport to have their best interests at heart.
LYDENBURG – Go big or go home – That was the challenge for three aspiring entrepreneurs when they decided to change their future.
Vincent Mokwena, Vusi Mashele and Wallis Mlotshwa started a car wash in Mashishing two years ago. “The development cost us about R8 000. The owner of the stand where it was erected, however, chased us away. We then decided to take our plight to Thaba Chweu Municipality (TCM) for assistance to secure a possible space to build the project from scratch. That was last year March. We waited for a long time for council to approve the establishment,” they said.
The long-awaited resolution for the said car wash was approved on September 19, 2013 at a council meeting. TCM identified the area behind the municipality and Amazing 3 (as they call themselves) could finally sign a lease agreement for four years on March 26.
The mayor of TCM, Mr Michael Ncongwane told Steelburger/Lydenburg News that as a municipality, they took the youth very serious and vigorously encouraged them to study, register companies and start projects or businesses.
“Many youths have taken heed of the initiatives and have registered and started companies. Amazing 3, on their own initiative, registered a company and applied to council for a specific area at the municipality where they could operate a car wash. TCM approved their application and the council resolution is 94/2013. It is supportive of this initiative and any other which addresses the three ills in our society, being poverty, unemployment and inequality,” said Ncongwane.
He added that the youth were very important to them because they were the future generation. “Such initiatives expose and develop them as entrepreneurs and they will be able to provide employment opportunities to others. Such activities are commendable as they keep them busy, off the streets away from substance abuse and engaging in activities which may endanger their health.”
He said they continuously engaged the mines to give preference to them. “Therefore the municipality through the Office of the Executive Mayor and the acting municipal manager succeeded in securing the following specifically for the youth; we created 33 jobs recently from the mines, a number of jobs from the private sector with projects, an engineering-assistant skills programme from the mines whereby 30 learners who have passed matric and have N-courses will be trained as artisans or artisan aids, those who were initially taken for learnerships are now permanently employed in one of the mines and internships from the mines were established.
“We hereby appeal to the youth to stay focused and vigilant and not to be swayed to commit acts that will undermine their future by people who purport to have their best interests at heart. We would like to thank them for not participating in activities that always render our municipality unstable and drive away development and opportunities that fight the ills of poverty, unemployment and inequality.”
Amazing 3 would like to thank all their sponsors for finally making their dream a reality: VW Highlands, Kornsteel, Dr Goodman Moruamahube, Nkepeng Mining Supplies, Thukani Engineering, Limpopo Readymix, KIA motors Lydenburg, Steelburger/Lydenburg News and Nomcebo Printers.
