A former beauty queen and a drama artist who became entrepreneurs were some of the seven business people who won R85,000 each in the inaugural Limpopo Business Awards on Wednesday.
The awards, which are sponsored by Standard Bank and the Limpopo government, were to honour dynamic small, micro and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs) that are driving innovation, creating jobs and uplifting communities across the province.
The winners selected from seven categories are: Tshegofatso Tjale of Morajana Animal Production; Ntanganedzeni Muambadzi of Molecular Imagine and Therapy; Molatelo Bossman of Boloba Thaba Media Group; Lebogang Moloto of The Real Makoya Cleaning Chemicals; Rotondwa Musitha of Trash Converters; Moshapa Malema of Xclusive Spot Resturant; and Dorothy Moyo of Twothy Business Solutions.
Musitha, 30, owner of waste management company Trash Converters, started her business from her home in Makhado when she used to collect waste and recycle it to sell it to packaging companies. Since launching her company in 2018, it has grown to an entity with 14 employees and sells compressed plastic, paper and glass to reputable companies in SA and China.
The former model, who participated in the Miss Commonwealth and Miss Sundowns contests among others, said winning the R85,000 would allow her to expand her business by buying more scales, tyres for her forklift, and to register her three trucks.
Musitha said she “saved a lot of money from the [beauty] competitions I entered and accumulated more from my home business, which then allowed me to kick off the business. I picked on it because I saw a huge gap. The only company that was doing it in my area was rigging the prices and shortchanging sellers.”
She felt that entering the awards would allow her to network and get exposure and support from other role players in the waste recycling business.
Malema said the prize would take him closer to his dream of expanding his restaurant, car wash and butchery businesses into a franchise in other townships.
His entrepreneurial journey began in 2019 when he bought a piece of land in Seshego, and converted it into a theatre with a restaurant alongside it. He has since expanded it to include a car wash and butchery .
“I started off as a drama artist and a screenplay writer,” he said, “and then I worked for different restaurants in Joburg and Limpopo as a waiter and manager. With the skills I attained, I wanted to create a restaurant for fine dining in ekasi, because most people would travel to town to have their oxtail and salmon.”
SowetanLIVE
Former model, drama artist among winners of Limpopo Business Awards
Image: SUPPLIED
A former beauty queen and a drama artist who became entrepreneurs were some of the seven business people who won R85,000 each in the inaugural Limpopo Business Awards on Wednesday.
The awards, which are sponsored by Standard Bank and the Limpopo government, were to honour dynamic small, micro and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs) that are driving innovation, creating jobs and uplifting communities across the province.
The winners selected from seven categories are: Tshegofatso Tjale of Morajana Animal Production; Ntanganedzeni Muambadzi of Molecular Imagine and Therapy; Molatelo Bossman of Boloba Thaba Media Group; Lebogang Moloto of The Real Makoya Cleaning Chemicals; Rotondwa Musitha of Trash Converters; Moshapa Malema of Xclusive Spot Resturant; and Dorothy Moyo of Twothy Business Solutions.
Musitha, 30, owner of waste management company Trash Converters, started her business from her home in Makhado when she used to collect waste and recycle it to sell it to packaging companies. Since launching her company in 2018, it has grown to an entity with 14 employees and sells compressed plastic, paper and glass to reputable companies in SA and China.
The former model, who participated in the Miss Commonwealth and Miss Sundowns contests among others, said winning the R85,000 would allow her to expand her business by buying more scales, tyres for her forklift, and to register her three trucks.
Musitha said she “saved a lot of money from the [beauty] competitions I entered and accumulated more from my home business, which then allowed me to kick off the business. I picked on it because I saw a huge gap. The only company that was doing it in my area was rigging the prices and shortchanging sellers.”
She felt that entering the awards would allow her to network and get exposure and support from other role players in the waste recycling business.
Malema said the prize would take him closer to his dream of expanding his restaurant, car wash and butchery businesses into a franchise in other townships.
His entrepreneurial journey began in 2019 when he bought a piece of land in Seshego, and converted it into a theatre with a restaurant alongside it. He has since expanded it to include a car wash and butchery .
“I started off as a drama artist and a screenplay writer,” he said, “and then I worked for different restaurants in Joburg and Limpopo as a waiter and manager. With the skills I attained, I wanted to create a restaurant for fine dining in ekasi, because most people would travel to town to have their oxtail and salmon.”
SowetanLIVE
Mechanic shows there are no limits to what women can do
Tissue firm bounces back after floods
Limpopo Business Awards to honour SMMEs powering the province’s economic transformation
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos