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CEO urges South Africans to become entrepreneurs

Vusi Silora
Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a local skincare product Vusi Silora says in the shrinking job market, South Africans should strive to become entrepreneurs rather than job-seekers.

Silora was born in the small rural village of Mpuluzi in Mpumalanga, but set up his company in Alexandra township, north of Johannesburg.

He started by selling skincare products from the boot of his car before being listed with the Shoprite group about seven years ago.  His latest plan is to build a manufacturing plant at nearby Marlboro in order to empower disadvantaged South Africans.

“The challenges we had were accessing the market, especially major retailers.  There was resistance.  And as your business grows, the challenge is to get funding to meet the demand.  But with the help of the Trade and Industry Department, I managed to get funding from the Industrial Development Corporation.  That gave me a kick-start to roll out my products to all major retailers,” says Silora.

Silora believes people shouldn’t resist change but find ways to adapt, especially now as the Fourth Industrial Revolution has started. “The fact of the matter is that people should be teaching those who are going to lose their jobs to be entrepreneurs.”

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