At a time when some young South Africans rely on the R370 social relief grant, one bakery graduate has a different message: “use it as seed money to start something of your own.”
Speaking at the Bakery Incubation Centre of South Africa’s (BICSA) graduation ceremony in Tshwane, 35-year-old graduate Viola Letselebe encouraged her peers to think beyond survival and turn small opportunities into sustainable businesses.
BICSA is a non-profit company partnered with the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA), the Food and Beverages Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (FoodBev Seta), the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV), and the South African Chamber of Baking (SACB).
Letselebe’s journey began in 2017 after struggling to find employment. She started selling scones at taxi ranks. Today, she runs a bakery and restaurant in Bapong, North West, employing six people.
“It was difficult to find employment. I realised I had a skill in baking. I bought a small oven to make scones and sold at complexes and taxi ranks.
“The business grew; I bought a bigger stove. I started exploring recipes online and teaching myself to bake customised cakes. This is how my bakery and restaurant, Voila Legacy Services, started.”
The business now bakes bread, rolls, scones, and customised cakes, producing about 100 loaves daily.
“We supply our goods to other small businesses, especially those making kotas,” she said.
A kota is a popular South African street food which consists of a quarter loaf of bread filled with chips, polony, Russian sausage, and sauces.
Letselebe urged her peers to create their own income streams.
“Young people love to be online doing nothing. You can even start a business with the R350 grant from the government [now R370]. You buy flour and margarine, check a recipe on TikTok and start baking. You sell your goods to friends and family. This is how you start your business,” she said.
BICSA training
Letselebe said her bakery would not have grown without training from BICSA’s 12-month Bread and Flour Confectionary Baking learnership.
“Today is special. We are here to graduate from our 12-month programme. We learnt about bakery, food technology and entrepreneurship. I learnt that even as a small business it’s important to be compliant.”
She added she had never received formal training before.
“I didn’t go to higher education; I only have matric. I learnt to bake with TikTok. Meeting BICSA was the best thing. We learnt about measurements, baking skills and supplying a variety of goods.”
Another graduate, James Malatsi, owner of Not Restricted Confectionary, said his journey shows government programmes do work.
“There are misconceptions that government does not care, but I am a product of its support,” he explained.
Since receiving BICSA training, Malatsi’s bakery has grown from a small operation into a compliant business producing bread, scones, muffins and cakes.
BICSA Chairperson Tshiri Mokubetsi said the organisation aims to expand nationwide to reach peri-rural areas and unlock opportunities for unemployed youth.
“Our grandmothers have been baking bread forever; we want to empower rural entrepreneurs to commercialise this knowledge and showcase it nationally and internationally,” said Mokubetsi.
Sponsorships and international links
BICSA chief executive officer, Ansi Potgieter, said international partnerships strengthen the organisation.
The DGRV, a German cooperative development body, is a founding partner of BICSA and plays a key role in linking South Africa and Germany. Both countries are members of the G20, an international forum where nations collaborate on global economic and policy issues.
“Just having the international know-how and support systems is very valuable in the work we are doing,” Potgieter said.
For more information visit:
- BICSA - www.bicsa.co.za
- FoodBev Seta - foodbev.co.za
- DGRV - www.dgrv.coop
- SEDFA - www.sedfa.org.za
Email
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp