Community entrepreneur scoops 1st place in social enterprise competition

Social entrepreneurs are vital to a sustainable future for the Eastern Cape and South Africa as a whole – 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 FMCG, Social Enterprise Connect (SEC), Social Enterprise Academy Africa (SEAA) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) have come together to launch the IWISA No.1 Community Champions Competition, which identifies, upskills, and rewards community-based entrepreneurs for doing good while doing well in the Eastern Cape.

The winners were announced at an awards lunch held at Manas venue on Thursday, 16 March 2023. The Top 10 finalists pitched their businesses to a panel of judges consisting of Sibongile Mooko, Marketing Executive at Premier FMCG, Bongani Ngqaba, Community Development Coordinator at the Department of Social Development, and Phumla Boya Dyafta, founder of Likusasa Lomama Community Organisation, a non-profit organisation that runs a daily nutrition centre.

Judges and the audience consisting of community opinion leaders, funders and other social entrepreneurs were wowed by Mkhululi Mnukwa from M&M Trading and his well-delivered presentation. Mnukwa took first place and won R30 000 for his company which sells vegetables and provides experiential training to other youth in the community.

Second place and third place were won by Nosipho Gqube from Ingomsolethu Community Development Services and Beauty Ntshona from AB&C Consultants, respectively. All winners also gain additional expert business mentorship through the SEAA as part of their prize.

“I feel excited, and I’m so grateful. My car recently broke down, and it’s an important part of my business. I didn’t have the money to fix the car and planned to close the business. My prayers have been answered – I won’t have to borrow any money to fix the car, and my business can carry on. I am so happy to have won this award”, says Mnukwa. He also hopes to one day have a farm so that he can hire more young people to work and provide them with a better living.

Sibongile Mooko, Marketing Executive at Premier, says that 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.

“The mentorship our 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,” says Jacqueline Mhlanga, Programmes Manager at the SEC.

“We aim to build strong communities by empowering South African citizens who add value to our economy and the societies in which they operate through this competition. We congratulate our winners and wish them huge success in the future,” concludes Mooko.

For more information on IWISA No.1, contact Sibongile Mooko, Sibongile.Mooko@PremierFMCG.com | 079 499 5765.

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