Sibongile Raphagadi (41, not her real name*) has always struggled with her sexuality.
Raphagadi says she knew as early as primary school that she was different.
“When my classmates would be excited about speaking to boys or being asked to go on dates, I had no such feelings. Instead, I started realising that I had a lot more in common with the boys in my class and neighbourhood than the girls.”
The Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, has encouraged small businesses in townships and rural areas to apply for support through the Township and Rural Entrepreneurship Programme (TREP).
“We are deliberate in addressing unemployment and poverty, but we also have a responsibility to grow the economy,” Minister Ndabeni Abrahams said.
A food lab incubator programme that mentors small businesses is opening doors to more women in the restaurant industry and helps to create jobs.
The National Treasury Job Fund initiative is run in collaboration with the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
Young women who are not yet sure which career path they want to follow should consider the chemicals sector, which offers various career fields.
This is according to the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA), which facilitates skills development through various training initiatives in the chemical and manufacturing industries.
Lilitha Sobuza (23) from Khayelitsha in Cape Town, who is studying towards a National Diploma in Chemical Engineering, is one of the young women who have received funding and assistance from CHIETA.
Dr Ethel Zulu is a remarkable small farmer on the rise.
She uses her in-depth understanding of nutrition and years of experience to produce organic chickens and vegetables on her farm with the aim of empowering other women to become commercial farmers.
Dr Zulu (48), who holds a doctorate in nutrition, owns a 23-hectare farm in Cullinan outside Pretoria, where she produces and agro-processes organic veggies and chickens that she supplies to several supermarkets.
When Lesedi Ledwaba (33) took over her family’s brick and stepping stone manufacturing business from her father in 2011, she didn’t anticipate that she would love the construction industry.
Ledwaba, who holds a public relations diploma from Varsity College in Pretoria, is the owner and chief executive officer of 16eTona Sand and Bricks in Garankuwa, Gauteng.
She says her journey started in her early 20s, when her father taught her entrepreneurship.
The future looks bright for Pretty Khumalo (29) from Mpumalanga, who recently qualified as a bricklayer.
Khumalo saw an advert on social media and grabbed the opportunity to make her dream of becoming a qualified bricklayer come true.
She started a learnership as part of the Artisan Development Programme, which covers trades including electrical, bricklaying and plumbing.
The programme is part of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
Sapper Nomonde Nomtsheke (28) has become the first woman to qualify as a paratrooper in the South African Engineer Corps, a division of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
A paratrooper is a military parachutist who is trained to parachute during military operations and functions as part of an airborne force.
After a two-year mechanic contract ended, Tiyani Maluleke from Soweto dusted himself off and is now on the road to building a food-on-wheels empire.
The food enthusiast says he started the business after losing a car-servicing contract along with another failed business venture in manufacturing.
After four months with no income, he was dejected and ready to pack his bags and relocate to the North West when his friends convinced him otherwise.
Lisbeth Makgoro and Sonia Mashego, both 28, are well on their way to making a mark in the entertainment and events industry in their hometown of Groblersdal, Limpopo.
In 2018, the two entrepreneurs founded LSD Flexi, an events company that offers services such as party décor and jumping castles, and caters to community members, schools and church events.
Makgoro and Mashego started the business after being unemployed for more than a year.