Community farmer scoops 1st place in social enterprise competition:
Social entrepreneurs are vital to a sustainable future for the Free State and South Africa as a whole – they solve societal and environmental problems, combat challenges in ways that government and traditional charities cannot, and positively impact society and/or the environment.
This is why Premier FMCG, Social Enterprise Connect (SEC), Social Enterprise Academy Africa (SEAA) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) have come together to launch the IWISA No.1 Community Champions Competition, which identifies, upskills, and rewards community-based entrepreneurs for doing good while doing well in the Free State.
The winners were announced at an awards lunch held at Kopano Nokeng Lodge on Thursday, 09 March 2023. The Top 10 finalists pitched their businesses to a panel of judges consisting of Julian Singonzo, Premier FMCG’s Managing Executive under the environmental, social & governance portfolio, Sister Mapiyeye, Manager at Central University of Technology, and Euodia Naanyane-Bouwer, Owner and CEO of Gracious Nubian, a social enterprise designing, developing, and manufacturing innovative washable sanitary pads that can be reused for up to two years. Judges and the audience consisting of community opinion leaders, funders and other social entrepreneurs were wowed by Pule Monare from PUFTA Pty Ltd’s and his well delivered presentation. The company has created employment for over 30 members of the community and sustains itself by selling chicken and crops at the local supermarkets. They were awarded first place for their efforts in empowering the youth to learn about green life through planting, winning them R30 000.
Second place and third place were won by Moses Kekana from Green Kid SA and Mpho Staat from G STAAT, respectively. All winners also gain additional expert business mentorship through the SEAA as part of their prize.
“I’m overwhelmed, I didn’t expect to win because there are so many other amazing companies that took part. I thank God that we won,” says Monare. “We want to improve our fencing and open an abattoir so that we can empower more members of the community by expanding the business and employing more people. The prize money and guidance will help us achieve our goals and, and for that, I am truly grateful,” he adds.
Sibongile Mooko, Marketing Executive at Premier, says that finding and assisting individuals who deserve to be rewarded for the role they play in our socio-economic environment is important to IWISA No.1 as a homegrown brand focused on drawing people and communities together to make people’s everyday lives better.
“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. Finalists were also 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,” says Jacqueline Mhlanga, Programmes Manager at the SEC.
“We aim to build strong communities by empowering South African citizens who add value to our economy and the societies in which they operate through this competition. We congratulate our winners and wish them huge success in the future,” concludes Mooko.
For more information on IWISA No.1, contact Sibongile Mooko, Sibongile.Mooko@PremierFMCG.com | 079 499 5765.
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