The Biggest Deal Plus Awards Ceremony for young entrepreneurs was held in the Caledon Town Hall on Wednesday 14 June.
This programme, organised by the Theewaterskoof Municipality in partnership with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) and Standard Bank, is aimed at developing and promoting entrepreneurial skills of young people between the ages of 16 and 35.
Started in 2014, the programme has gone from strength to strength, with 16 young entrepreneurs being awarded certificates and prizes this year.
Elana Lotriet, local economic development officer of TWK, said: “It’s been a gruelling three months for the participants, but everybody here today is a winner.” Lotriet urged the entrepreneurs to compete, be compliant and innovative.
TWK Executive Mayor Kallie Papier said he was very excited about the programme and told the participants that this was a stepping stone for them to do business.
He urged them to open business banking accounts as opposed to using their personal accounts for their business. This sentiment was shared by Clyde Daniels, the Standard Bank representative.
“Unemployment has an affect on our young people,” said Papier. “The unemployment rate in TWK is 16% as opposed to 45% nationwide. We are here to guide and assist you, and you are welcome to tap into our resources, but the municipality cannot be the only source to give you employment. We can, however, create an environment for investors to create jobs for you. This is the beginning of your future.”
The programme is divided into two categories, namely: New Business not older than six months and Existing Business for businesses six months and older.
In addition to the first and second prizes awarded, this year saw an additional prize for a “star participant” in both categories. The prizes to the value of R30 000 for winners, R20 000 for runner-ups and R10 000 for star participants are in the form of equipment and services. All participants received certificates.
The winners in the different categories were:. New Business: Donovan Hanekom (Car wash and Fast Food, first), Chadwin Gertze (Personalised Gifts, second), Kyle Hendricks (Marketing Services for small businesses, star participant).. Existing Business: Siyabonga Thembani (Shoe repair & cleaning, first), Jaeun-Pierre Mentoor (Meat products, second), Athini Makeleni (Alien clearing, star participant).
