Phatsima Brightening up Young Entrepreneur’s Lives

From Left: Phomolo Matabane ( Atok Aluminium Solutions), Malehope Mogale (Farmhouse Fresh Produce), Patricia Makwela (Galeadi Events and Soft-Play)

Miranda Chauke (Bonus Newspaper)

Polokwane Chemical Suppliers (PCS) held its first Bucket of Hope Enterprise development program on the 10 July 2019 at their head office. The initiative is aligned with their plan to develop and give back to the communities they operate in. Young and upcoming entrepreneurs entered the competition but only six(6) made it to the main stage to present their businesses.

The 6 entrepreneurs had 10 minutes to present their business to the panel which included PCS Management. The panel asked questions for clarity and to decide who goes to the next round of the competition.  Out of 6 entrepreneurs, only 3 made it to the last round for final assessment.  During the final assessment, the 3 businesspersons had to clearly outline what it is that they would do with the prize money and only 1 entrepreneur had a thorough explanation of her business needs and expansion plans.

Maggie Mampane, PCS Marketing Manager, said that the company believes in empowering the community they operate in. “This year, it was decided that instead of just giving back, we would invest in something more sustainable, which resulted in the birth of Bucket of Hope Enterprise Development initiative. The initiative will not only fund small businesses but empower them through mentorship and thereby equipping them with the necessary skills to grow their businesses.”

Patricia Makwela of Galeadi Events and Soft Play walked away with main prize, which consists of R15 400 worth of equipment, advertising in the Bonus newspaper, website listing and social media post for a month and 8-hour one-on-one mentorship programme with respective managers . Phomolo Matabane of Atok Aluminium Solutions and Malehope Mogale from Farmhouse Fresh Produce where runners up and they were each awarded with 8-hour one-on-one mentorship programme, website listing and social media posts for a month.