SAB names top three KZN KickStart entrepreneurs

Congratulations to Rishane Rajkoomar, Nomonde Ntinga, and Ranjan Sewgambar from KwaZulu-Natal who have been selected as SA Breweries East Coast Region KickStart finalists.

Ranjan Sewgambar, Rishane Rajkoomar and Nomonde Ntinga were drawn from a pool of nine local finalists who have undergone a provisional programme of business development support during 2014. The three will represent the region in showcasing their entrepreneurial enterprises alongside other regional finalists in 2015. They will also undergo a further intensive programme of financing, mentorship and business development over a period of 12 months.

Ranjan Sewgambar of Westville is the owner of Ranjan Sewgambar Audiologist and provides comprehensive diagnostic audiology and hearing aid services to patients of all ages and introduced convenient, fast, bedside assessments. This concept provides value with reduced costs as well as reduced waiting times for patients.

Rishane Rajkoomar of Amanzimtoti is the owner of Media Sea, which provides a "mediacy" service. The company finds creative ways to connect people, products and ideas by combining marketing, entertainment and advertising in a sea of interconnected media, including film, television and internet.

Nomonde Ntinga of Pinetown is the owner of Mjambe Consultants, an occupational health and safety consultancy, providing Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality Management Systems services through impact assessments and quality management systems.

SAB KickStart, introduced in 1995, is a model of outcomes-based business training, grant funding and comprehensive business development support. It is designed to establish strong small business by creating sustainable jobs and supporting the development of high impact young entrepreneurs.

Backing afforded to the regional finalists each year includes a business growth strategy designed for their business, grant funding of between R100,000 and R200,000, as well as individualised business mentorship. This support model is designed to build and strengthen the capabilities of the SMEs so that they become sustainable entities with the ability to create jobs, wealth and make a worthwhile contribution the country's economy.

They will go forward to the national awards and compete against finalists from all over South Africa for the national award.

The overall winning media team will be sent on the three day SAB Heritage Tour which is designed to showcase how beer is made, from the hop farms in George, to the malting plant in Caledon, finishing in the shadow of Table Mountain at the historic Newlands Brewery.