Entrepreneurs seize “Play Your Part” Opportunity
Brand South Africa 2022/23’s Play Your Part business development program, Ignite, is off to a rollicking start.
The campaign launched on Thursday, 30 June 2022, in Johannesburg. There are plans to expand Ignite to other provinces during the second half of the year.
Joined by a keen audience of budding entrepreneurs, participants were gifted with an incredible address by multi-award-winning businesswoman and Play Your Part Ambassador, Farah Fortune, who facilitated a masterclass on pitching, assisting aspiring entrepreneurs with social resources and confidence needed to consider starting a business, as well as tips on sourcing investment for existing businesses or business ideas.
When it came to pitching to the panel of esteemed judges – quite reminiscent of the reality television show, Dragon’s Den – the entrepreneurs set a particularly high standard.
“The quality of the pitches was incredible and the enthusiasm with which they were received was encouraging. ” said Masego Mosiane, Assistant Brand Manager at Brand South Africa.
The judges, comprised of Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) SME Development Head, Cleola Kunene; Head of Small to Medium Enterprises Development at the JSE, Elaine Brass; CEO of Health and Wellfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA); and businesswoman and apiarist, Nomfundo Peter, were equally impressed.
The R25,000 prize pot was split between the top 7 pitches with Shurldrae Rosen taking home R8,000 for first prize. Rosen, who left a toxic job environment before COVID, was left unemployed for nearly 18 months during the pandemic. Despite this, he launched Bubele Africa, with business partner Wendy Malapage – an initiative which created jobs by employing citizens to assist in river cleanups.
“Not only was Shurldrae confident in his business pitch, but there is a lot of potential in Bubele Africa. It is both ecologically beneficial and as a means of job creation,” said Elaine Brass.
The judges, impressed with Shurldrae’s initiative, saw business potential in it, and urged him to see Bubele Africa as more than just an NPO – rather as a profitable solution for both company and community.
Shurldrae, ecstatic about his win, said that he hadn’t planned on pitching – and had initially come for the workshop and masterclass.
“I was speaking to the journalists at the event about my current business and new businesses [and they] convinced me to pitch [to the judges],” said Shurldrae, still quite shocked on his win. Shurldrae also said that the prize money would go towards better branding for Bubele Africa.
Other participants also walked away with cash sums, but more importantly, mentorship commitments from the judges. Cleola Kunene committed to assisting Shurldrae in making Bubele commercially viable, while also pledging to work with runner-up Xabiso Lombo, CEO of Guardian Gabriel, a personal safety company, in developing her SMME.
The inaugural PYP Ignite Masterclass brought together business potential and business opportunity to create a mutually beneficial network of entrepreneurs contributing to South Africa’s economic growth.
The initiative plans to travel to other provinces over the next year, with the intention of igniting entrepreneurship across the country.
Inspired by the success of the launch, Maesego Mosiane remarked, “It’s been a great start for Play Your Part Ignite. It promises to be a life-changing opportunity for young people to make a positive contribution to the country. I’m looking forward to the next masterclass.”
By Hellen Moropa
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