Mpumalanga Premier, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, has hailed the Youth Development Fund, which she says is empowering young people to get into the business world. The fund has benefitted close to 100 youth-led businesses in the province.
Mtsweni-Tsipane was addressing the beneficiaries of the Premier’s Youth Development Fund in Secunda. It has benefited businesses of young people in various sectors, including mining, manufacturing, transport and logistics, health and fitness, among others.
The Premier’s Youth Development Fund was established as an intervention to mitigate youth unemployment in the province. A 28-year-old woman from Siyabuswa, in the Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality, is one of the beneficiaries.
Lungile Mkhize runs a poultry farm and competes with the biggest businesses in the sector. She has now graduated from being a subsistence farmer to a commercial one, producing chickens and eggs.
Her business, Lungile Poultry Farm, employs eight permanent staff members and about 10 on a part-time basis. She received a funding of R2.7 million a year ago from the Premier’s Youth Development Fund.
“What we have done is that we have increased our poultry house; we have built a house that has a capacity of 10 000 chickens; we have installed electricity, boreholes; we have also installed an electric fence to protect the farm from theft and such.”
Lindokuhle Mamba is another beneficiary, who runs an internet Cafe in Breyten, near Ermelo.
Mamba says her struggles to access these services made her start the business. So far, she has employed two people.
“When I had to do basic services like CV typing and emailing, I had to go to Ermelo before, that’s how I saw the gap in the market. I got funded by the Youth Development Fund in the first intake in 2021, I got funded for R164 000, which helped me a lot, that time I didn’t have much equipment.”
Noxolo Ncongwane has been working at Mamba’s Internet Café since 2022. She is grateful for employment.
“I got this job, I am from this small village. I didn’t have a qualification but my sister here Lindo helped to study online to get a certificate as well.”
Mtsweni-Tsipane says the Premier’s Youth Development Fund has so far supported businesses by young people to the tune of R140 million since its formation two years ago.
She says the beneficiaries are also creating job opportunities.
“We have seen them, we are monitoring them, we are not only assisting them in giving them what they need, we must put it on record, we are not giving them money. We look at the proposal, the concept … the concept must be informed by how many jobs are you going to create, its sustainability and its viability. These critical components that we look at and how lucrative that business will be in the community and if you will be able to access the market and sustain the business yourself.”
About R114 million is being spent to sponsor businesses run by young people this current financial year.
