KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) has kick-started an agricultural development programme called Women and Youth in Rural Entrepreneurship (WYRE).
The programme will provide rural women and youth entrepreneurs with skills and opportunities to support themselves and their communities, while participating in the agriculture value chain.
Khodani Maano (22) realised from an early age that he had a passion for farming. He persuaded his parents to send him to a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college to study primary agriculture.
Today, Maano is a garlic farmer and is also a student at Mashamba TVET College.
Many people in rural areas lack reliable internet services, making internet cafés profitable businesses if placed in the correct location.
This is the view of Sambulo Xulu (25) from KwaMaphumulo, in KwaZulu-Natal, who runs Gayezi Internet Café in this rural community.
After seeing the gap in the market, Xulu registered his internet café business in October 2019. Shortly after that, Xulu enrolled in a business training programme run by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).
Self-taught photographer Mlungisi Busakwe (29) runs a successful photography business in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.
In 2015, Busakwe started his company, Book of Ben, and his work got a significant boost when he received R50 000 in funding from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).
“The funding came during the 2020 lockdown. I bought the latest equipment and this ensured better quality of the work and allowed me to charge premium prices for my services,” he says.
Self-taught welder Matome Maphala (30) from Seshego in Limpopo collects old geysers to make braai stands.
The Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) provided the radio station with R3.3 million for its new on-air studio and production studios.
