SAB KickStart East Coast winners announced

Balungile Sokhulu

Asheka Sivnath, the KickStart's trainer said, "Small businesses face many challenges, the most prevalent of which is the lack of effective business skills training and funding. The ... competition challenges youth entrepreneurship to flourish. The finalists are supported with an intensive two-week skills development program and prize money for the winners. This initiative elevates the businesses to a level where they have a distinct competitive advantage in their sectors."

The winners

• Balungile Sokhulu who owns African Newspaper Designs is awarded a grant of R100,000 for her business Back2Life - an innovative concept that creates fashion accessories from recycled newspaper, which are then purchased in curio shops. Seven people from rural Gamalakhe, near Port Shepstone have been trained to roll rectangular sheets of newspaper and form a chord that is woven, dyed and then cut and machined into handbags and other accessories. Sokhulu will use the funds to set up proper training facilities.
  
• Placed second, Sooveir Rajkumar's company Meatilicious, which manufactures burger patties using a variety of meats, will use the R80,000 grant towards purchasing a patty-forming machine to increase output.
  
• Sindi Sibongile Mbambo of Qwethu Products and Projects receives third place. She will invest her R60,000 in her fresh vegetable operation.
  
• Receiving fourth place is Mpume Dhlomo who has the catering company Africa meets Europe Cuisine. The grant of R50,000 will be used to build a deck at her premises to accommodate diners.
  
• In fifth place, the Cato Manor operation of Pemra Business Enterprise run by Matshediso Ntsala receives R30,000 towards her company, which manufactures disposable toilet seat covers under the trade name, Topad.

"I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to Balungile Sokhulu, Sooveir Rajkumar, Sindi Sibongile Mbambo, Mpume Dhlomo and Matshediso Ntsala, and I wish them all of the best in their business ventures," says SAB East Coast Region general manager Yokesh Maharaj. "They will each benefit from a further six months of business mentorship - and the opportunity to share in another R700 000 in grants and three more months of mentorship in the national KickStart Awards next year. I have no doubt they will do the East Coast region proud."

Successful history

More than 22,700 existing and budding entrepreneurs have already benefited from KickStart and more than 3200 businesses have been launched by KickStart alumni.

The results speak for themselves. 64% of grant winners from 2001 to 2005 are still in business, with 90% of those who received grants in 2006 and 2007 still operating. No fewer than 83.3% of SAB KickStarters have reported that their businesses are growing, and the turnover of the businesses has increased by an average of 375%.

An example of a former KickStarter who is taking the world by storm is Bev Gumbi who was placed third in the 2007 KwaZulu-Natal regional event and went on to take third place in the National event held in September 2008. As a National winner, Bev won an additional R100,000 for her company Isivuno Containers in the Business of the Year category.