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WITH TEN percent of reported rape cases coming from young women in the higher education sector, the Department of Higher Education and Training is seeking new ways to fight the scourge.

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has launched a zero-rated mobile app and a free Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) platform to enable clients to access UIF services at any time.

Timothy Mtsweni, an innovative manufacturer from Bethal, in Mpumalanga, is a firm believer in young people harnessing their passion and skills and turning these into business opportunities that will create much-needed jobs. Today, he manufactures quadri-cycles after the idea was sparked in him by a school project in 2008.

One man’s trash is truly another man’s treasure. This saying rings especially true for 34-year-old Thembani Xulu, the owner of Jiba’s Recycling, in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natala. Xulu started as a waste picker in 2014 and now has 16 employees in his business which services clients such as Mpact Recycling and Consol Glass. “When I started I was struggling. I had no funding… We started this business without capital.

Sihle Cele from Gamalakhe, in KwaZulu-Natal, was on the cusp of abandoning any hope of becoming a productive member of society when he was given a new lease on life. The opportunity came in the form of Serenity Hills, a sprawling residential eco-estate in Margate on the south coast of the province. The development overlooks  the Indian Ocean and is set amidst lush nature, rocky outcrops and rolling hills.

If you are a small business or a household looking for ways of not experiencing load shedding perhaps the National Treasury’s Energy Bounce-Back (EBB) Loan Guarantee Scheme is an initiative that you have been looking for. The EBB aims to encourage the generation of power through rooftop solar. Those interested in the scheme have until 30 August 2024 to apply. The EBB will help small business and households ease the effects of load shedding. It will work through three mechanisms.
 

The ongoing load shedding in South Africa has become a serious constraint on growth and profitability for various sectors such as agriculture. To address the negative impact on farming operations brought about by the load shedding crisis, the Land Bank and Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), recently launched a blended finance fund.

In Worcester, a small NPO is leading a food security revolution in aid of the vulnerable. Driven by passion and a spirit of volunteerism, the NPO ensures that the most vulnerable have access to nutritious food.

“Food gardens seemed like a tangible solution as not only do they ensure that people have meals before taking treatment, but also ensure access to nutritious food.”

Driven by her passion for the beauty industry, a 33 year-old make-up artist has been inspired to diversify her product offering and establish her own skincare line. Amanda Nyoka, a self-taught make-up artist started her career in 2013 as an intern for a community broadcaster in the Eastern Cape.