Emerging Entrepreneurs Get Business Incubation Prizes
The City’s Festival of Ideas programme, which boasted R2million worth of prizes, has paid off for 15 local entrepreneurs. The City worked together with the Gauteng Economic Propeller to put together the prize money and also saw a partnership with the private sector and government institutions to provide assistance to the emerging entrepreneurs.
On Wednesady, 16 October, the first batch winning entrepreneurs received their prizes, comprising business office equipment, from MMC for Finance, Economic Development and ICT, Cllr Nkosindiphile Xhakaza.
The Festival of Idea 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 pitching session was held in June and 15 winners, three from each sector were chosen.
Logistics and business services sector winners are the first lot to receive their awards and the remainder will follow soon.
“We must support 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,” said MMC at the awards ceremony.
First prize went to Mduduzi Makhoba from Hamashe Trading in the logistic sector, who received equipment to the value of R100 000 while Thandi Nkosi from Teenten Enter price received equipment valued at R60 000. abani 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 pupil through her business.
“Our children are prone to eating unhealthy food such as fat cakes and other junk food on 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.
