Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA), in collaboration with the Free State Department of Economic, Small Business, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) and the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED), has launched an entrepreneurship competition targeted at young people during the month of June.
CCBSA says this youth month, young people with a South African identity document stand a chance to win with CCBSA in partnership with DESTEA and GDED.
The competition, which was launched this week on Lesedi FM, allows listeners who qualify to do a 90-second business elevator pitch live on the Thakgoha Show.
The best presentation chosen by the panel stands a chance to win one of the 10 mobile kitchens valued at R82 000 each.
This competition will run until June 30 on the show.
To be considered for the Bizniz in a Box programme, candidates must be South African and aged 18-35 years old with at least one year of entrepreneurial experience.
Ideally, each applicant’s business should address the needs of the local community like convenience stores, fast-food stores, car washes and shisanyamas.
CCBSA says the collaboration is aimed at tackling the country’s worsening unemployment rate which stands at 34.5 percent for the first quarter of 2022, an all-time high.
The jobless rate for the youth is a staggering 63.9 percent.
It says while the country is slowly emerging and recovering from the devastating effects of the COVID-19, the number of employed people across both formal and informal sectors remains around 1.8 million below the level reached before the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.
“This is an untenable situation and, as CCBSA, we believe in using our industry leadership to be part of the solution to achieve positive change in the country and build a legacy that we can be proud of,” CCBSA managing director Velaphi Ratshefola said in a statement.
He said this has inspired the company to put strong emphasis on economic inclusion, particularly of young people through its Bizniz in a Box (BiB) initiative.
“There is no single entity that can manage this challenge on its own and we are proud to collaborate with the provincial governments to co-create sustainable solutions that will empower young people,” he said.
Ratshefola said the decision to partner with the Free State and Gauteng governments since 2016 was a natural progression towards working jointly to alleviate youth unemployment.
“Through our collaboration to empower small, micro, and medium enterprises (SMMEs) by setting them up in business, we can go further and also provide incubation and support through training and resources to ensure they grow their businesses, to create livelihoods for themselves and other young people. This can change the quality of their lives,” he explained.
During the tabling of his 2022/2023 budget speech, DESTEA MEC Makalo Mohale said: “Key challenges facing the Free State economy remains lack of regulations, barriers to entry, ownership patterns and insufficient access to financial and non-financial support to SMMEs.”
Makalo said DESTEA entered into this partnership with CCBSA because it believes this is a giant step towards youth development, growth, and investment in the province.
Previously, the department supported Free State SMMEs financially and non-financially through its different programmes designed to resuscitate and revitalise the provincial economy.
The MEC said the department is committed to continuing its support and partnering with the private sector to support SMMEs for sustainability, job retention and job creation.
The Bizniz in a Box initiative could not have come at a more opportune time as the Gauteng provincial government uses the month of June to put the spotlight on the province’s youth.
Gauteng Economic Development MEC Parks Tau said: “The department is excited about this initiative and encourages young people in Gauteng to take advantage of it and other programmes aimed at youth empowerment offered by the province, such as Tshepo 1 Million.”
Tau stressed that this was but one among many programmes that would be rolled-out throughout the youth month aimed at connecting young people to opportunities provided by government and the private sector.
In 2021, the initiative supported 118 entrepreneurs across Gauteng and the Free State and the plan is to integrate 135 businesses in 2022 in Maluti-A-Phofung, Dihlabeng, Ngwathe and Setsoto local municipalities as well as the cities of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
“With the staggering statistics, we need to be deliberate about listening and responding to what our communities need. BiB is by no means a handout but rather, a holistic support that will enable them to build their businesses and move to the next level or entrepreneurship,” CCBSA public affairs, communication and sustainability director Nozicelo Ngcobo said.
Bizniz in a Box is dedicated to creating opportunities for young people and integrating them in the economy.
The ultimate aim is to contribute towards revitalising township economies and supporting the country’s development agenda.
It is created to transform aspirant entrepreneurs into fully fledged business owners who can build businesses, create jobs, and provide a livelihood for themselves and others.
For the last six years, CCBSA’s Bizniz in a Box has contributed meaningfully to reducing youth unemployment by partnering with national and provincial governments, local municipalities and development finance institutions.
These partnerships have enabled entrepreneurs to develop businesses, improve their skills, access capital, improve supply chain development and inspire hope. To date, the initiative has trained over 700 entrepreneurs. – Staff Reporter