He was on the verge of closing his business because his car broke down and he had no idea where he was going to get the money for repairs.
That is now a problem of the past for local entrepreneur, Mkhululi Mnukwa, after he won first place, and R30 000, in The IWISA No.1 Community Champions Competition.
The award ceremony was recently held at Manas Venue in Theescombe, and the top three were selected following a round of presentations by the top 10 and questions from the judges.
Second place went to Nosipho Gqube from Ingomsolethu Community Development Services and third to Beauty Ntshona from AB&C Consultants.
Apart from the cash prize, Mnukwa, as well as the two runners-up, will receive additional expert business mentorship through the Social Enterprise Academy Africa (SEAA) as part of their prize.
Mnukwa, one of only two men who made it to the top 10, is the founder and CEO of M&M Trading, that sells vegetables and provides experiential training to youth in the community.
His biggest dream is to have a farm, in order to hire more young people to work and provide a better living for their families.
The judges, consisting of marketing executive at Premier FMCG, Sibongile Mooko, Community Development co-ordinator at the Department of Social Development, Bongani Ngqaba, and founder of Likusasa Lomama Community Organisation, Phumla Boya Dyafta, were wowed by his short but striking business presentation.
“I feel excited and I’m so grateful. My prayers have been answered. I won’t have to borrow money to fix my car, and my business can carry on. I am happy to have won,” said Mnukwa.
IWISA No.1 believes that social entrepreneurs are vital to a sustainable future for South Africa, as they solve societal and environmental problems, combat challenges in ways that government and traditional charities cannot and positively impact society and the environment. Local entrepreneurs uplift the Nelson Mandela Bay community.
The IWISA No.1 Community Champions Competition was established in partnership with Social Enterprise Connect (SEC), Social Enterprise Academy Africa (SEAA) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) as a means of identifying, upskilling, and rewarding the nation’s impact-makers.
Mooko said that finding and assisting individuals who deserve to be rewarded for the role they play in the socio-economic environment is important to IWISA No.1, as a homegrown brand focused on bringing communities together.
“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,” he said.
Programmes manager at the SEC, Jacqueline Mhlanga, added that finalists were 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,” she said.
Mooko emphasised that through this competition, they aim to build strong communities by empowering South African citizens who add value to the economy and societies in which they operate.
“We congratulate our winners and wish them huge success in the future.”
