{"id":47247,"date":"2023-06-01T11:28:13","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T09:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/municipality-awards-business-owners-20230530\/"},"modified":"2025-03-21T00:38:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T22:38:15","slug":"municipality-awards-business-owners-20230530","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/municipality-awards-business-owners-20230530\/","title":{"rendered":"Mhlontlo Local Municipality awards business owners combating unemployment and crime"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Portfolio Head for Mhlontlo Local Municipality, Councillor Mvoti Voko, confirmed that they had hosted an awards event with the aim of awarding business people in that area recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Voko indicated that they awarded 30 business owners, including those who are in the agricultural industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said that they awarded them because they are making a difference in terms of minimising the high rate of unemployment in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div contenteditable=\"false\" data-embed24=\"Blockquote\" data-pos=\"middle\" id=\"embed_f48fce12\">\n<div class=\"text\">\u201cWe started these awards last year; now we are hosting them for the second time. We wanted to show them that we see their input in our town, because their businesses also minimize the high rate of crime,\u201d said Voko.<\/div>\n<div class=\"citation\">Mvoti Voko, Councillor and Portfolio Head for Mhlontlo Local Municipality<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The owner for Namhla Collection, Namhla Dotwana, said that winning the Mhlontlo business awards as Outstanding Innovator 2023 was a great honour, and she thanked this municipality for the recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI said in my words of encouragement at the awards that whether your business is based in a rural area, informal settlement, township or any disadvantaged area, be bright in your corner, be bright through your daily challenges and shortcomings,\u201d said Dotwana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She added that in winning the award she felt that she was shining despite all the challenges of being an African female-owned business, operating at home and in a rural area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think that what made me try harder every day is the fact that I have created products that South Africans relate to. Almost every family or household has a unique story to tell about impepho, or many other South African indigenous plants, and so I feel like Namhla Collection is no longer my dream anymore; there are now friends, family, followers and my community who cannot wait to see this African dream blossom.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Portfolio Head for Mhlontlo Local Municipality, Councillor Mvoti Voko, confirmed that they had hosted an awards event with the aim of awarding business people in that area 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