Cele’s passion for people pays off

Written by Ursula Graaff

Siyabonga Cele is a young and passionate businessman who never let go of his dream.

He is the director of Harvest Human Resource and Business Consultants, a Pretoria-based human resources (HR) and consulting company, which opened for business in 2011.

While attending high school, Cele had his mind set on studying engineering but took a gap year after Grade 12 and then decided rather to study HR. “I spent the whole year at home but did not regret it because that’s when I got to know myself and think about what I wanted.”

He studied at Tshwane University of Technology and graduated with a BTech in HR in 2010. He did his internship at Dynamic Skills and Development College in Pretoria and in 2012 became HR manager of the college.

With the help of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Cele started his business as a part time venture and went into business full-time in 2014.

“Leaving my full-time job to run my own business was not an easy decision, but so far I do not regret it as I have been moving from strength to strength,” said Cele.

The NYDA helped him with funding, awarding Cele a R14 960 grant with which he bought office furniture and a R32 000 NYDA voucher for branding and design, website, marketing and promotional material and a payroll system.

The company has a range of clients, from big to small businesses and Cele is involved in small projects in and around his community. He mentors Grade 9 learners at different schools and gives them career guidance.

His advice to the youth is to have passion and to persevere and see their dreams come true.

“You need to be passionate and you need to know that running a business is not easy. Don’t get comfortable in what you are doing.”

“Through the NYDA Voucher Programme, Cele has grown his business and now employs three people. This is another shining example of how a simple support intervention can ensure that young people become job creators instead of job seekers,” said Yershen Pillay, NYDA Executive Chairperson.