South African Breweries (SAB) announced the top 5 winners in its youth entrepreneurship programme, SAB KickStart, last month, awarding each a share of R1.5-million in business grant funding.

The announcement was made at an awards ceremony during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in Sandton.

Winners The overall winner of the SAB KickStart competition this year was Nyembe Waste Management director Millicent Nyembe, who walked away with R500 000 grant funding and six months business development support and mentorship.

The runners up were Artisan Research Unit owner Chad Petersen, who received R400 000; Malktronic owner Tsholofelo Majeng, who received R300 000; Pfuxaka Enzokuhle owner Reamogetswe Tshabalala, who received R200 000 and Falo’s Wire & Steel owner Jeffrey Mafalo, who received R100 000.

They will also receive additional six months of business development support and mentorship to assist in efficiently employing the grant investment provided.
Nyembe Waste Management, based in Pretoria, specialises in crime scene cleaning and transportation of healthcare risk waste. The business has been operational since 2012 and provides a service to emergency services and healthcare facilities across Gauteng.

Nyembe says this year she has gained more confidence in herself as an entrepreneur as a result of the mentorship programme, which she says provided encouragement. Petersen is from Cape Town and established Artisan Research Unit in 2012, specialising in the design and manufacturing of luxury leather goods for the high-end market.

He says, since participating in SAB KickStart, the business has grown from operating in a one bedroom flat and offering his product range out of local Cape Town craft and design markets, to opening a store at the V&A Waterfront.

Artisan Research Unit is now also available in Johannesburg and an international investor will take the brand into Germany in early 2015. The product range includes backpacks, cardholders, wallets and leather wine bottle holders for the luxury hospitality industry.

Majeng’s Maiktronic is based in Kuruman in the Northern Cape and was established in 2011. It specialises in the fabrication of structural metal products and the supply and installation of electronic and security systems.

Majeng says SAB KickStart has helped her develop clear goals to work towards her business and to identify problem areas, which were neglected in the past. This year, the business has moved from a home-based production to a spacious industrial work area and DIY tools have been exchanged for industrial machinery.

Tshabalala, a former mechanical engineering student, started his tombstone manufacturing and composite material business, Pfuxaka Enzokuhle, in 2012, after identifying a gap in the market for offering a cost effective product.