The Director of Bellarosa WIP Productions Pty Ltd, Nobubele Nzima from Ngcwala location in Mthatha, is still shocked that she won first prize in the 2024 Iwisa No1 Community Champions Competition in the Eastern Cape, held in Gqeberha, recently.
She started her poultry farming business after working in retail for six years.
Nzima said she returned home with R30 000 in prize money from this competition.
She said she could not believe it, because there were 600 applicants, and they were filtered down to 10 finalists to go and pitch their businesses from all over Eastern Cape.
“I saw the competition on Facebook while I was just browsing through my newsfeed. It was a properly advertised challenge and I can share everything about it when it opens again next year on social media pages.
“I will use this money to initiate my feed production project which I have been working on for quite some time now,” said Nzima.
She thanked the management of Iwisa No1 for their perfectly planned event, and also to the programme co-ordinator, Sakhe Silwane, who made sure everything went smoothly.
“Iwisa No1 management made such a successful event, and I will forever be grateful,” said Nzima.
Besides this competition, Nzima was also awarded the Best Smallholder Farmer in the Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) hosted by the Department of Rural and Agrarian Reform, recently.
“I started my farming journey with zero farming experience, just a lot of research and lessons.
“I basically self-taught myself farming, and right now I will tell you that it is one of the hardest things I have ever done. You see, with farming there is a lot of learning and unlearning, and the market is very unpredictable.”
She added that she is in a project of producing poultry feed for herself and other farmers in Mthatha.
According to Nzima, she has four permanent employees and one part-time worker.
Nzima said she sells chickens and eggs at Ngcwala location in Mthatha, and in Mthatha CBD.
Premier Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Managing Executive, Julian Singonza, said each of the winners takes home prize money that will be used to further build, grow, and sustain their social enterprises.
He said they will also attend in-person expert business development training with winners from other participating regions later in the year.
Now in its second year, this competition recognises the contribution of local social entrepreneurs who have developed viable township Small or Mid-size Enterprises (SMEs) that solve a social need, such as crime, poverty, or unemployment.
He added that the competition journey is designed to prepare regional finalists from Gauteng, Free State, and the Eastern and Western Cape to “pitch” their SMEs to a panel of experts, to win their share of the collective R60 000 allocated per region.
He added that in the weeks leading up to the regional final, the 10 shortlisted SMEs received expert training focused on their marketing and sales abilities.
In this way, they strengthened the skills needed to continue taking their SMEs to market, building sustainability as a direct outcome of participating in the competition.
“The build-up to this year’s regional finals has been very exciting. Not only did we receive almost 600 entries in total across the four participating regions, but the quality of applications was also significant.
“As a brand committed to building strong communities and empowering individuals, we were touched and humbled by the exceptional contributions social enterprises are making across our nation. We thank everyone who participated and wish them well,” said Singonza.
The purpose driving each of the finalists made for very difficult decision-making by the judges.
“From stories about advancing digital competence through gaming to improve STEM outcomes, through to last-mile delivery services, as well as pro-active healthcare provision and waste collection, each of these SMEs is making a positive social impact in their immediate communities, driving sustainable solutions to access to education, food security, and unemployment, among others,” he said.
