Employing yourself

There is an encouragingly growing number of unemployed youth who take the initiative to create their own jobs, in terms of small business, or otherwise.

The most heart-warming story, perhaps, is that of Bela-Bela small-time poultry farmer, Mpho Chuene.

The 23-year-old has been raising chicks into fully-grown broilers for just over two months, selling live broilers for a healthy profit.

Then 27 kilometres away in Modimolle, innovative sidewalk shoemaker, the Ghanaian Frank Kwesi, inspired many among the generation of unemployed youth, when he came up with the swell idea of
refurbishing discarded takkies to look splendidly new.

Kwesi has thrown open his cobbler’s doors for local youths to come and learn his trade, which he believes has the potential to create self-employment.

Back in Bela-Bela, Chuene said the first order of the chicks, which he purchased from a local commercial livestock farmer, had a survival rate of 97 full-grown chickens, from an intake of 100
chicks.

“This gave me courage to order an additional 10 chicks (totalling overall 110) which I again looked after for another four weeks,” he said.

Chuene said from the overall 110, only three chicks perished, leaving him with a total of 107 grown-up broilers which he put up for sale.

He said he read about the raising of chickens online, and went into action.

The young emergent poultry farmer works with two assistants, Daniel Masilela and Koketso Molefe, on the project.

“I am convinced with support from organised agriculture and government, we can take in more of the unemployed,” Chuene said.

Just last Monday 25 November, a couple of youths from the township in Bela-Bela visited The BEAT offices, to talk about a self-employment project in the form of a co-operative.

Six of the youngsters have over a few months had their hands dirty, planting and harvesting the medicinal “moringa” plant species.

They make most of their money by selling the “moringa” seedlings to local households.

The six are namely Martha Ngobeni, Mahlatse Thema, Jan Koketso Motlhoki, Isaac Dlomo, Jim Modimola and Thomas Modimola.

Also in Modimolle, in recent weeks The BEAT ran the story of self-taught portrait artist, Brendon Zambuko, who earns a living transforming photographs into artwork.

— The BEAT