Innovators scoop awards at social enterprise competition
Judges and the attendees, consisting of community opinion leaders and other social impact stakeholders, were wowed by Fortune Hadebe and Mzokhona Maxase from Cubic38 and their innovative business idea, a company that converts waste tyres into shoe polish.
Social entrepreneurs are vital to a sustainable future for Gauteng and South Africa as a whole as they solve societal and environmental problems, combat challenges in ways that government and traditional charities cannot, and positively impact society and/or the environment.
This is why Premier Food Manufacturing Company Group, Social Enterprise Connect, Social Enterprise Academy Africa and the Industrial Development Corporation came together to launch the IWISA No.1 Community Champions Competition.
The competition identifies, upskill, and rewards community-based entrepreneurs for doing good in Gauteng.
The winners were announced at an awards lunch held at Gold Reef City on March 31.
The Top 10 finalists pitched their businesses to a panel of judges consisting of Julian Singonzo (Premier FMCG’s managing executive under the environmental, social and governance portfolio), Duduzile Ndwandwe (an urban and regional planner from Acudee Projects) and Charlie Monson (‘The Global Connector’ who has a network of top industry leaders worldwide).
Worthy winners
Judges and the attendees, consisting of community opinion leaders and other social impact stakeholders, were wowed by Fortune Hadebe and Mzokhona Maxase from Cubic38 and their innovative business idea, a company that converts waste tyres into shoe polish. They were awarded first place for their efforts, winning them R30 000.
Second place and third place were won by Gontse Selacoe from All Day Jam and Simon Tsotetsi from Bajha Etsoseng Agricultural Farming and Project, respectively. All winners also gain additional expert business mentorship through the SEAA as part of their prize.
Maxase said winning the award feels amazing and reaffirms their commitment to the community and that they’re on the right path to making a broader impact in South Africa.
“So many people support the project, and I am so grateful. The prize money and guidance will help us grow our distribution network and ensure we have the right production equipment to increase our capacity and supply our products to the broader community. For that, I am truly grateful,” said Maxase.
Sibongile Mooko, marketing executive at Premier, said finding and assisting individuals who deserve to be rewarded for the role they play in our socio-economic environment is important to IWISA No.1 as a homegrown brand focused on drawing people and communities together to make people’s everyday lives better.
Jacqueline Mhlanga, programmes manager at the SEC, said the mentorship their finalists received included three online sessions that helped them to understand how best to use their financial injection to ensure sustainable and long-term success.
“Finalists were also assisted in creating business models to plan their social impact and maintain profits. In addition, guidance from the SEC’s expert mentors allowed our entrepreneurs to undertake mapping exercises within their communities to identify other income-generating ideas that could potentially increase their viability and impact and uplift the communities in which they operate,” said Mhlanga.
Mooko concluded by saying they aim to build strong communities by empowering South African citizens who add value to the economy and the societies in which they operate through this competition.
“We congratulate our winners and wish them huge success in the future,” said Mooko.
