Siyamthanda Johns, 30, of George in Western Cape leads a thriving broadcast media company dedicated to delivering captivating and informative content that educates and entertains audiences.
Johns owns Muzi Capital Media (Muzi FM), a business he started in 2019 as a skills development institution. Initially, it offered skills development and training on radio production for unemployed youth.
It has since expanded its services to include advertising and graphic design as part of its package in advertising, outdoor broadcasting, live streaming and events management. Johns holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in media operations management degree from Boston Media House in Sandton.
“While training unemployed youth on radio production, my team and I discovered that the same people we had trained kept coming back to the institution. We saw a gap in the market and decided to start a radio station so we could incubate those who have completed training,” he said.
In the same year, criminals vandalised the business’ facilities. “We lost equipment worth about R100,000. We didn’t give up, but rebuilt the business.”
In 2020, Muzi FM closed down due to the Covid-19 pandemic and relocated to Johannesburg to start an internet radio station called Fame Life Radio. “In 2022, I decided to come back to George. I restructured and remodelled the business to relaunch it,” Johns said.
A year later, he received R50,000 in funding from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). He is applying for an additional R200,000, which he intends to spend on more equipment and expanding the studio.
In 2023, the company also won R40,000 in support from the Small Enterprise Development Agency. He also received an inverter for his offices to cope with load shedding. “I also won a pitching competition in 2024 from Seda and I am expecting R100,000 in cash prize together with R60,000 of technology transfer assistance,” he explained.
In 2024, the business also received R60,000 for camera equipment from the Hollywood Foundation. – Vuk'Uzenzele
Businessman empowers unemployed youth via thriving broadcast media company
Image: 123RF/olegdudko
Siyamthanda Johns, 30, of George in Western Cape leads a thriving broadcast media company dedicated to delivering captivating and informative content that educates and entertains audiences.
Johns owns Muzi Capital Media (Muzi FM), a business he started in 2019 as a skills development institution. Initially, it offered skills development and training on radio production for unemployed youth.
It has since expanded its services to include advertising and graphic design as part of its package in advertising, outdoor broadcasting, live streaming and events management. Johns holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in media operations management degree from Boston Media House in Sandton.
“While training unemployed youth on radio production, my team and I discovered that the same people we had trained kept coming back to the institution. We saw a gap in the market and decided to start a radio station so we could incubate those who have completed training,” he said.
In the same year, criminals vandalised the business’ facilities. “We lost equipment worth about R100,000. We didn’t give up, but rebuilt the business.”
In 2020, Muzi FM closed down due to the Covid-19 pandemic and relocated to Johannesburg to start an internet radio station called Fame Life Radio. “In 2022, I decided to come back to George. I restructured and remodelled the business to relaunch it,” Johns said.
A year later, he received R50,000 in funding from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). He is applying for an additional R200,000, which he intends to spend on more equipment and expanding the studio.
In 2023, the company also won R40,000 in support from the Small Enterprise Development Agency. He also received an inverter for his offices to cope with load shedding. “I also won a pitching competition in 2024 from Seda and I am expecting R100,000 in cash prize together with R60,000 of technology transfer assistance,” he explained.
In 2024, the business also received R60,000 for camera equipment from the Hollywood Foundation. – Vuk'Uzenzele
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