Sekhukhune TVET’s Rampedi crowned during entrepreneurship competition
SEKHUKHUNE
Celebrations were in accord over the weekend as Allan Gray launched their first annual Entrepreneurship Inter-College National Competitions at the Allan Gray Makers Festival 2022. Event took place on the 2nd & 3rd September 2022 at the Birchwood Hotel and Conferencing Centre.
Sekhukhune TVET College’s Centre for Entrepreneurship (Sekhukhune CfERI) had supported 5 students to compete in the competition’s Limpopo regional rounds held to select top 3 to represent the province at the national competition.
The colleges managed to take the top 2 spots thereby sending the two students, Tshepo Rampedi and Baby Makua to the national competitions.
Kwanele Mkhwanazi the Head for Sekhukhune TVET College’s Centre for Entrepreneurship highlighted that the mentorship provided to these students was just one of many support services provided by their incubator to SMMEs and Cooperatives.
“The purpose of the Entrepreneurship Inter-College Competition was to identify and support student entrepreneurs nationally across the TVET sector. This platform provided them an opportunity to pitch their innovation or existing business to a panel of judges, thus inviting investment into their businesses.”
In a Celebration Gala event attended by the Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Tshepo Rampedi from Sekhukhune TVET College took the number one sport for “I have a business idea” with his diaper recycling idea, winning R20 000 price money and trophy.
Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams stressed the importance of the entrepreneurship within the TVET sector and its role in employment creation.
The winners of each category at regional rounds were invited to the Entrepreneurship Inter-College Finals, to pitch their innovative business idea to the judge panel for a share of R100 000. R20 000 for each category winner , and R10 000 for each runner up.
Excited at this Tshepo Rampedi said: “I was very happy when given the opportunity to present my business idea which I was sitting on for a long time being naïve about the opportunity
“The Sekhukhune TVET College Center for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator showed its potential and continued to support and encourage me also not forgetting Allan Gray makers for presenting such an innovative initiative where student like myself can be exposed to such opportunities and engage with big cooperatives and policy makers.
“Lastly it is my wish to see each and every student rural or urban to be exposed to such and partake in such and the education system to impart entrepreneurship as a career choice not a back up option in order for us to curb unemployment and potentially eradicating poverty in our life time”
He closed with a quote by former president Thabo Mbeki “Gloom and despondency have never defeated adversity. Trying times need courage and resilience. Our strength as people is not tested during the best time”
