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The commitments made at the first and second South Africa Investment Conference have placed South Africa firmly on the path to achieving its ambitious target of securing R1.2 trillion in investments over five years.

President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed this during his closing remarks at the Second South Africa Investment Conference, which took place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from 5 to 7 November 2019.

Twins tackle HIV and Aids stigma

 Twins Thula and Ntokozo Mkhize (34) co-founded the Good Stories Campaign in 2010. It's a campaign that  documents HIV and AIDS good news stories.

 They started the campaign after Thula tested positive for HIV.

Oratilwe Moerane (19) learnt at the age of 17, when she gave birth to her son Keitumetse, how difficult being a young mother is.

She said the pregnancy shattered her dreams.

Motherhood meant she had to leave school in Grade 10 so that she could look after her son. Moerane said: “Having to drop out of school, I had to hustle hard to provide for my son.”

SA Investment Conference

Southern Africa has abundant sunshine that can be used to provide electricity. Solar power is especially suitable for communities in rural areas. A local company is proving how it can help disadvantaged communities.

Power outages in South Africa have had a wide-ranging impact on the country’s fragile economic growth prospects.

In times of unreliable power supply, consumers are often left to scour for alternatives. These are generally unaffordable.

SA Investment Conference

The African Development Bank (AFDB) has revealed that the Africa Investment Forum (AIF) has netted 52 projects worth $41 billion in investment.

The AIF took place recently in Sandton, Johannesburg.

A beaming Akinwumi Adesina, the AFDB President, said the investments were a clear indication that Africa is fertile ground for investment.

The much-loved Santa Shoebox Project will spread more than just joy to thousands of children this festive season.

Almost one million children have benefitted from the project since 2006.

The Santa Shoebox Project reaches over 1 000 facilities in South Africa and Namibia yearly.

A township-based NPO is spreading peace and hope through its empowerment programmes, food garden and soup kitchen, which plays a critical role in addressing hunger in its community.

Buying locally manufactured goods and services is a recognised contributor to job retention and job creation.

Mzolisi Dubula (42) from Ezibeleni township in Queenstown in the Eastern Cape works for Twizza, a local brand.

It produces a wide range of carbonated soft drinks, sparkling water and still water. Its main plant is in Komani Industrial Park in Queenstown and it has  branches in Middelburg, in Mpumalanga, and Cape Town in the Western Cape.

Lerato Ramatsa of Bloemfontein is teaching children water safety and how to swim to reduce their risk of drowning.

Concerned about the number of child drownings in Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo, Ramatsa established Deep Water Aquatics Swimming Lessons in 2010. She started giving free lessons to children from previously disadvantaged backgrounds in 2017.

She teaches 20 children from the age of eight at a swimming pool in Bloemfontein.