Five entrepreneurs walked away with prizes at The Poster & Pitch annual competition held by False Bay College’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and Rapid Incubator last Saturday.
The winners were Nkgetheleng Bocheletsana from Makhaza who runs an ECD centre; clothing company owner Athenkosi Tima from Khayelitsha; Jamie Wilks from Fish Hoek who runs a photography company; beauty salon owner Usiphile Mjanyelwa from Westlake; and Travolta Lebaka, also from Westlake, who has an electrical company.
Ms Bocheletsane was adjudged to be an overall winner and she said she was humbled by her victory and vowed to make a success of her project.
“I have big ambitions. I started my early childhood centre recently and have about 30 children that I take care of. Due to Covid-19 it’s been hard to accommodate all of them,” said Ms Bochetselane who is a also a foundation phase teacher at Lehlohonolo Primary School in Gugulethu.
She said she plans to get a bigger space in the Makhaza area so that she can operate her “dream 24-hour service childcare centre”.
“I run weekend programmes and this is really appreciated by parents who are working,” she said.
“Winners of the competition were selected based on relevance and business viability, financial impact, market demand, innovation, and scalability as well as aspiring entrepreneurs’ competencies,” said programme manager Abraham Olivier.
This was the sixth annual activation since 2016 and the purpose is to unlock entrepreneurial thinking.
“It is for students to explore opportunities and ask themselves how they can use their current skill set or field of study to solve a problem and at the same time generate an income. Many students are already engaging in a side hustle. Therefore, the call was: Turn skill set into a profitable side hustle or a sustainable business,” said Olivier.
“We are excited to be part of this journey with you,” said Riad Ahmed from Zhauns, one of the competition’s sponsors.
“I think the passion and commitment seen today with the equipment we supply can only lead to job creation, poverty eradication and economic growth, all of which results in creating a country which allows its people to thrive and grow. You and your team can all be enormously proud of the contribution you are making to make the above, a reality. We look forward to working together with you.”
