Pimville entrepreneur takes 2nd Place at IWISA No.1

Makatu Tshivhula, owner of The Light Candles in Pimville won second place at the IWISA No 1 Community Champions Competition.

The competition awards ceremony took place at the Lakewood Conference Centre on July 26 where local entrepreneurs pitched their business ideas to try and persuade the judges for the prize.

In its second year, the IWISA No 1 Community Champions’ purpose is to recognise the contribution of local social entrepreneurs who have developed viable township SMMEs that solve social issues such as crime, poverty and unemployment.

ALSO READ: Local Hospice hosts annual the Candles Celebration

The competition journey is designed to prepare regional finalists from Gauteng, Free State, and the Eastern and Western Cape provinces to pitch their SMMEs to a panel of experts to win their share of the collective R60 000 allocated per region.

Mahlatse Mamaila from INO-Biodiesel took first position and won R30 000 while Tshivhula from The Light Candles won R20 000 in second place.

Vutomi Lubisi from Eully’s Cakery won 10 000 in third place.

“As I was going through my presentation I realised that there were a couple of things that I missed and at the end of the presentation I thought of how I messed it up.

“I was at least hoping for the third place, so getting second place was beyond my expectation. I’m really happy and excited because this is going to do a lot for me and my business,” said Tshivhula.

In the weeks leading up to the regional final, the 10 shortlisted small businesses received expert training focused on their marketing and sales abilities.

ALSO READ: Doornkop gogo pleads for help after her home was ravaged by fire

This helped strengthen the skills needed to continue taking their businesses to the market and building sustainability as a direct outcome of participating in the competition.

Cindy Mkwanazi, one of the finalists from Protea South and the owner of ChemKhowa Crystal Nature, a business that produces household detergents said, “This has been so inspiring, meeting other entrepreneurs and also the motivation that we got uplifted my spirit.

“I know when I go back to my business I’m more inspired and my entrepreneurial skills have grown.”

Sibongile Mooko the Marketing Executive for Premier Milling said, “As Premier we are committed to earning our right to operate.

“We feel as a business we need to do more than just earn profit, so we need to contribute to the community by empowering individuals and building strong communities.”