POLOKWANE – All five these twenty-somethings are qualified professionals from Limpopo. Piet Mamabolo is a qualified mechanical engineer, Tshepo Poopedi qualified in town and regional planning, Elias Mashatola qualified in business studies, Tshepiso Nkoan has a qualification in photography, and Lesly Machete has a qualification in IT.
“Since we all have qualifications but struggle to find jobs, we thought we should find something that we can all do as well as help other youngsters in our immediate community who are going through similar struggles.”
“This is when we decided to use our talents as well as the skills and knowledge we have learned from school to start this NGO so that we can keep busy while trying to make life better for ourselves and everyone else around us,” Piet explains.
The group say they scout for talent within their community in Mankweng and surrounding areas. They are of the opinion that there are talented people everywhere but they lack the opportunity to prove themselves.
The NGO specialises in music, arts and events. Tshepo is the music producer and specialises in making beats inspired by the likes of Da Capo a house musician, while Elias oversees their finances and Piet writes songs and manages the NGO’s public relations. Tshepiso in in charge of photography and Lesly deals with software maintenance. Together, they run the NGO which raises funds through hosting gigs. They encourage the community to support their initiative.