Diversified miner Anglo American’s second Entrepreneur Internship Programme (EIP) has an enrolment of 30 entrepreneur interns, comprising 23 established business owners and seven aspiring entrepreneurs, honing their skills over 18 months to create high-impact, sustainable businesses that will offer employment opportunities to the people in their communities.

This is six times the number of the entrepreneur interns who were taken on for the first EIP, which started in March 2012, Anglo American supply chain learning and development manager Bernd Schulz tells Mining Weekly, adding that the 30 interns were selected out of 845 applicants.

The seven aspiring entrepreneurs include Mmachidi Thobejane, of LeanerGreenerFleet; Patrick Mkhonto, of Mkhonto Financial Services; Jacobus Visser, of Specialised Plant Maintenance; Pakamisa Tyali, of Dilokile Kanna Trading and Projects Structural Steel; Malesela Letsoalo, of Pure Chem Flux; and Tshepo Mongale, of DeHydraude Technik, as well as Anton van Metzinger, of SnappCabb.

The 23 established business owners include Selwalenkwe Mpati, of 115 Electrical Solutions; Tshepo Mamabolo, of Bakgatla Tshipi; Gary Marais, of Blue Chip Lubricants; Jan Vreken, of CX Pallets; Itumeleng Dhlamini, of Dhlamini Management Consulting; Deon Labuschagne, of Dynamic Propshafts; Francis Barram, of Ensight Energy Solutions; Fanyana Mofokeng, of FDM Development; Gordon Fraser, of Itec Digital Solutions; and Andre Swanepoel, of Little LogBook.

Also part of the 23 established business owners taking part in the EIP are

Jenny Tanesse, of Meter Mate Prepaid Electric Meters; Vishnu Naick, of Paardekraal Hardware; Paul Nkosi, of Phaledzi Investment Group; Quan Rees, of R&A Engineering Works; Roger Bozzoli, of RBE Stationery Manufacturers; Segran Padayachee, of SNK Consulting; Colin Govender, of SpiderWebb Altitude Systems; Thabang Kekana, of Stoffel Industrial; Gerhardus Wilken, of Super Kwik Slabs; Sehume Mogale, of Tebogo Technical Enterprise; Vuki Mahlabegoane, of Vuki Chuene Tourism; Daniel Sibisi, of Vuma Tech Engineering; and Basheer Vally, of XS Health.

The EIP, which is hosted by Anglo American’s Supply Chain division in collaboration with South Africa-based small and medium-sized enterprise development company Aurik Business Incubator, is an enhanced growth experience for early-stage entrepreneurs and business owners who have the capacity to start or develop existing businesses, thereby maximising employment intake and revenues.

The EIP combines business development support with industry exposure, mentoring and networking, and Schulz says EIP graduates could, in future, also work with Anglo American’s supply chain to supply a pipeline of high- quality special-interest products and services to the miner.

While the five entrepreneurs from the first programme in 2012 have successfully created employment opportunities for more than 60 people in their communities, Schulz says the second EIP aims to create at least 200 employment opportunities throughout the 18-month duration of the programme.

Anglo American understands it has a strategic role to play in promoting social and economic development and is committed to supporting the national priority of job creation through the EIP, which is designed to help create sustainable businesses that can lead to meaningful social and economic transformation.

The programme is supported by Anglo American’s enterprise development arm, Zimele, which has funded the EIP through its newly launched Sebenza Fund.

The Sebenza Fund is a public–private partnership between Zimele and government Jobs Fund, which is administered by the Development Bank of Southern Africa.

The Sebenza Fund will channel a combined R500-million into new businesses in poverty nodes and areas with high unemployment. The fund aims to create 8 000 jobs in more than 1 600 businesses in the next three years.

“Our EIP aims to be a catalyst for high-potential entrepreneurs who are interested in developing or growing a business by providing structured mentorship and support. This initiative previously resulted in impressive results and we are confident that the second iteration of the programme will yield even more sustainable businesses and jobs than last year,” says Anglo American South Africa executive director Khanyisile Kweyama.