YOUTH MONTH NEWS

#YouthMonth: Building a Youth Village with Bruce Dube

10 JUN 2016 | SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |  PDF    BY: CARI VAN WYK

28-year-old Bruce Dube owns and co-owns many digital media platforms through which he shares his passion for youth development and plays a significant role in promoting the role youth plays in our country and across the continent. Dube is one of the most active and successful leaders in youth development and entrepreneurship, his roles and achievements too many for this short intro. Let's hear what he has to say about South Africa and Africa's youth.

Bruce Dube

Tell us a bit more about yourself and how you’re involved in the youth of South Africa

I am the MD of a digital publishing company called Nine80 Digital Media which is a publishing company that targets the South African and African youth demographic. The business currently has a footprint in South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. We have dedicated youth portals running under the Youth Village brand in each of these countries that aim at facilitating better access to developmental information on areas like education, employment, entrepreneurship, health, opportunities, etc. In South Africa alone we generate over a million unique youth visitors every month from our digital platforms. 

On a personal level, I am an advocate for youth development and I have spoken on local and international platforms like Brussels Forum, Friends of Europe Summit, World Bank Young Professionals, British Council Global Change Makers and the German Marshall Fund of the United States on the importance of capitalising on Africa’s demographic dividend. 

What are the biggest challenges our youth is facing in your opinion?

I believe unemployment and access to opportunities are some of the biggest challenges faced by South African youth and I believe we need to urgently address these issues so we can capitalise on our youthful human capital which, if not addressed, will create problems for South Africa and the continent as we have seen with other fragile states on the continent where strikes and uprisings are the order of the day and young people are usually at the forefront of these movements.

You could be classified as a young mover and shaker. What were some of the obstacles you faced?

My biggest challenges were access to funding, networks and mentorship which I believe are core to a startup looking at scaling. A lot of challenges I went through could have been averted if I had access to these.

Your greatest achievements so far?

My greatest achievement has to be building a digital media company with a continental footprint which is self-sustainable and gaining massive momentum in all regions we are operating in. The business has 15-20 employees and is still growing. What is also exciting about this business is that we are part of a generation that is shaping the content and the format in which it’s being consumed by African youth. It’s also comforting to know that we are stimulating young people to stand up and be proactive in issues affecting them.

What can be done to accelerate youth development in the country?

I think in a lot of instances young people are constantly seen as drivers of change and not vehicles of change. I think we need to create more spaces where youth can contribute actively to issues affecting them and be part of those solutions. I also think that we need to expose our youth to more opportunities and resources, build more infrastructure in communities and create spaces for youth to learn, think, grow and create.

Entrepreneurship is often being hailed as the panacea for unemployment and youth becoming active in the economy. Do you think this is true? Why?

Definitely. Drawing from the high levels of youth unemployment in SA which is listed as one of the highest globally, it’s clear that whilst it’s important to expose the youth to more employment opportunities that could see them entering the job market, it’s equally important to seek to nurture a generation of job creators and not job seekers. 

SMEs are the largest recruiters of jobs in South Africa, attributed to at least 60% of all jobs and contributing 40% to the country’s GDP. These analytics indicate that SMMEs in South Africa employ more people than the private sector and government combined and because of that we need to see a lot more youth active in these space so they can create employment for more youth and be part of solutions to service and infrastructure development in their communities. With every challenge faced by communities, these challenges present business opportunities youth can tap into.

In your experience, how do the youth of our country and the African continent approach and view the challenges they are presented with?

I think most South African and African youth see constraints faced by the continent as just challenges and not opportunities and I think we need to stimulate a generation of solution seekers and innovators. Africa is a continent filled with many challenges but has natural resources and human capital potential that, if tapped into, can see the advancement of the continent from an infrastructure and employment point of view.

Which industries offer the most challenges for youth to access opportunities?

Assuming we're talking entrepreneurial opportunities, I think capital extensive industries like manufacturing, mining and construction are the most challenging for youth to tap into as they require a lot of capital and the capital usually requires collateral which most of our youth don’t have. I also think most of these industries have already been monopolised by major corporates which make it even harder for small players and startups.

Any words of wisdom or inspiration that you would like to share with SA’s youth?

Starting up I had a series of failures and from those failures I learned to persevere and keep pushing for my dream until it became a reality so I would like to encourage SA's youth to not allow anyone to belittle their dreams, to persevere, to work hard, to look around their communities for opportunities because remember with any challenge you see, an opportunity to address the challenge is presented. Furthermore, I would like to encourage young people to start with the little they have, where there are. Some of my greatest accomplishments did not necessarily have great beginnings, a lot of my projects got better with time but had I not tried and started something I would never have been where I am now.

INCLUSION & EQUALITY NEWS

Universities must do far more for students with disabilities

14 JUN 2016 | SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |  PDF    BY: DESIRE CHIWANDIRE AND LOUISE VINCENT

On paper, people with disabilities in South Africa enjoy the same rights as anyone else to an education, whether at school or university. The country's constitution prohibits the state from unfairly discriminating "directly or indirectly against anyone on the grounds of disability". South Africa is also a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This obliges the state "to take proactive measures to ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities are promoted and protected".

Students with disabilities face massive physical and attitudinal hurdles. UNAMID/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Universities, too, are obliged to reasonably accommodate those with disabilities. They must provide appropriate support services that are tailored to individuals’ educational needs.

The Higher Education Institutional Culture, Equity and Transformation Group at Rhodes University has been exploring disabled students’ experiences of universities. Our work, which will be presented at three different conferences in the latter half of 2016, suggests that many universities are not meeting their obligations to these students.

Universities are excluding, disabling

Most universities have, to date, responded to disabled students’ presence by drawing from what’s been called the “medical model” of disability. This model frames disability as an individual physical problem that’s inherent in a person’s own body. It emphasises the ways in which a disabled person lacks the capacity to fit into the existing institutional framework or environment – and so needs to be accommodated, if possible.

The alternative is to see the ways in which environments that are geared towards those who are regarded as “normal” are themselves excluding and disabling. It’s not disabled people who lack capacity: the lack lies in how these environments operate and what assumptions those who occupy them have about what is “normal”.

For example, institutions might see the person who needs a ramp to access a building as someone who needs to be “accommodated”. Instead environments should be seen as disabled when they don’t, as a matter of course, provide access to all humans regardless of their physical makeup.

Students with disabilities find that they must accommodate themselves to institutional contexts that are, from their point of view, profoundly disabling. The onus is placed on the student to “fit in”. These students often find themselves unable to access higher education. They make up less than 1% of South Africa’s total student population in post-secondary education and training. In total, 2.9 million South Africans – 7.5% of the population – are disabled.

When people with disabilities make it past the initial hurdles and into higher education, they’re often on the margins of university life – not just academically, but also socially.

More than financial barriers

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme provides bursaries specifically for students with disabilities. This money is meant to cover tuition, accommodation, meals and transport costs. It also pays for materials prescribed by the institution and one or more assistive devices, like wheelchairs.

But simply removing financial barriers and providing access to a disabling environment is not enough.

Many universities still don’t even have disability units. There have been several instances of students being turned away because universities don’t have the facilities to accommodate them. Even when access isn’t denied outright, though, students with disabilities face attitudinal and physical barriers. It’s not unreasonable to expect universities to provide sign language interpreters, ramps, assistive devices, carers and the like. Society must take its obligations to all its members seriously, regardless of their physical traits.

International examples prove that this can be done. In Sweden, 0.3% of the annual university budget is earmarked for meeting the different needs of students with disabilities. Canadian universities do well in supporting students with disabilities, too. Cornell University in the US has done excellent, practical work around this issue.

Canaries in the coal mine

Students with disabilities can be seen, in many ways, as the canaries of South Africa’s higher education system. They alert society to the ways in which universities continue to preach “inclusion” without asking the important question: included into what and by whom?

Universities must think carefully and engage fully with what it might mean to create cultures that are friendly to disability. This might provide new insights into the multiple ways in which dominant norms and practices do violence to those whose lives and experiences they exclude, ignore, denigrate and fail to recognise as fully human, deserving of equal respect and consideration. Inclusion into unchanged cultures, physical environments and day-to-day practices does not make institutions more just. It is institutions, not students, that are disabled and disabling.

Authors’ note: Are you an academic, Master’s or Doctoral student conducting research related to the experiences of students with disabilities in South African universities? If so, we would like to invite you to contribute a chapter to a new book. For more information or to send a concept note, contact Des Chiwandire on chiwandiredesire@gmail.com.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP NEWS

Nationwide youth business start-up truck marks call-to-entry for SAB KickStart 2016 competitions

7 JUN 2016 | SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |  PDF    ISSUED BY: MERCATIQUE CONSULTING

SAB KickStart Boost and Ignite open for entry on 1 June 2016

SAB’s flagship enterprise development programme, SAB KickStart will embark on a month-long recruitment campaign this Youth Month, using a new innovative #StartupTruck that will travel across the country on a youth entrepreneurship drive to find South Africa’s promising young entrepreneurs. 

The campaign, targeted at entrepreneurs and innovators between the ages of 18 and 35, will call on those with business ideas and existing start-ups to apply for the SAB KickStart Ignite and Boost programmes, respectively. 

Entries into the two programmes open on 1 June and close on 15 July 2016. Successful applicants stand the chance of winning a share of R9m in business development support and incubation.

The #StartupTruck will make its way across 10 identified locations in each province beginning in Tshwane, Gauteng on Friday,6 June 2016 and ending in Phillipi in the Western Cape on Tuesday, 24 June 2016.

SAB KickStart Ignite applicants with innovative business ideas are encouraged to visit the #StartupTruck locations and pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. Those with existing qualifying businesses and entering SAB KickStart Boost are invited to submit their entry forms at the #StartupTruck and attend a free workshop on how to improve their businesses. 

At each stop-over, the #StartupTruck will partner with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) and start-up development organisations, including The Hookup Dinner and Durban Innovation Hub. Together, all partners will offer business support interventions aimed at assisting with accelerating the growth of start-ups. These interventions include pitching and product ideation; coaching aspiring entrepreneur launch their ideas; master class sessions focusing on business development topics such as start-up compliance and strategic growth planning.

“#StartupTruck is entrepreneurship support on wheels. It is designed to offer and deliver an accessible platform that assists young entrepreneurs to develop their business ideas and grow their small businesses. We are excited about the opportunity, together with our partners, to offer comprehensive support, resources and more importantly, increase access to the unlimited possibilities that entrepreneurship offers,” says Mpho Sadiki, SAB Head of Sustainability.

Over the past 21 years, SAB KickStart has remained focused on investing and supporting young entrepreneurs in building sustainable and economically viable enterprises which are able to make a high impact contribution towards reducing poverty through job creation. 

Entrepreneurs interested in entering either SAB KickStart Boost and SAB KickStart Ignite can direct queries to one of the following channels:

• Website: www.sabkickstart.net 
• Tel: +27 11 881 8493
• Email: kickstart@za.sabmiller.com
• Twitter: @SABKickStart
• Facebook: SAB KickStart

To enter SAB KickStart Ignite:

What we are looking for:

Entries must be an idea of a commercially viable product aligned to the Manufacturing or ICT Industry and makes use of one or more of the following materials – 3D printing, leather, wood, metal, laser and vinyl cutting, software design programs including CAD/CAM, and electronics including development of Internet of Things technology with Arduino and Raspberri Pi. 

How to enter:

Aspiring entrepreneurs with ideas must come and pitch their idea live at each of the following locations during the #StartupTruck tour:

6 June - Tswane University of Technology Soshanguwe, Aubrey Matlala & College Road
7 June - University of Limpopo Turfloop Campus, Science Education Centre Building
15 June – University of Johannesburg Soweto Campus, Chris Hani Road Soweto
20 June - Central University of Technology, 1 Park Road, Bloemfontein

The competition format will see eligible participants given just two minutes each to pitch their concept or idea to a panel of industry experts. The pitch must convince the panel that their idea or concept is good enough to develop into a viable start-up business. 

What is on offer:

Successful pitches will be invited to return for a one-day Bootcamp the following day to assist with the refinement of the business concept/ idea. Following this, a select few will be invited to participate in a six-month incubation, where they will receive business mentorship, business training, monthly stipend and R1.2m seed grant capital to launch their start-ups. 

Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to the process of incubation and a willingness to invest effort into developing their product and starting a business entity with the appropriate infrastructure provided by SAB KickStart Ignite. 

During incubation, the selected candidates will have the opportunity of turning their envisioned ideas into commercially viable products through the support of resident engineers and business trainers. They will evolve through technical and business mentorship, peer learning, networking and the use of advanced technology infrastructure. 

To enter SAB KickStart Boost:

What we are looking for:

The focus of SAB KickStart Boost is on core industries identified at national level by government as having high economic multiplier. The core industries and sectors are Agriculture and Food Processing, Renewable Energy, Mining and Minerals, Construction, Health, ICT, Science and Electronics, Automotive, Transport, Chemicals, Plastics, Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics, Tourism, Arts and Crafts, Metal Fabrication, Textiles, Clothing and Footwear.

Eligible businesses should also align to the following criteria:

• Operational for a minimum of 12 months and not more than five years
• Post revenue stage (sales made and concept proven) 
• Generating less than R5m in turnover per annum
• Employ a maximum of 15 employees (temporary or fulltime or a combination) 
• At least 51% black owned and managed 
• High growth potential that is scalable, with a sustainable competitive advantage

How to enter:

Entries into the competition close midnight on the 15 July 2015, and SAB will invite successful candidates to a selection interview in their province.

Apply online or download the application form on www.sabkickstart.net
Collect a form at any SAB site (located on the website)
Come and collect a form at any of the #StartupTruck locations during June.

What is on offer:

The programme offers successful participants a combination of support including intensive business skills training, tailored business development support, mentorship and R5m shared low interest seed capital loan.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP NEWS

Roche Mamabolo to host 'School of Startups' workshop

10 JUN 2016 | SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |  PDF    

On Thursday 16 June, Roche Mamabolo, the author of 'The Startup Revolution: Fit in or Stand Out', will host an entrepreneurship workshop entitled 'School of Startups' from 8.30am-5.30pm at the SAB World of Beer in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Roche Mamabolo

The School of Startups is designed to achieve several key objectives: to assist entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses; create employment; deploy innovative solutions in and through communities as well as to alleviate poverty in the country and beyond. 

The course content comprises of contemporary topics including: Strategy, Storytelling to the market and to the Investment community, Staffing, Raising Money and Cash Flow, Making Ideas Travel, Advertising and Competitors, Appealing to Consumers, Permission and Trust, Innovation, Creating Scarcity, Compromising, Adjusting the Course, The Startup Revolution, to name but a few.

Jabu Stone, the South African entrepreneur who has been in the industry for over 20 years operating in local and international markets, will be the guest speaker for the day. He will be outlining his success ingredients, unique business models and imparting advice to all participants. 

The past Schools of Startups have attracted close to an equal ratio of women to men, an array of businesses in different growth stages - from those in their first year of operation to those with over 12 years. Sectors represented in past events have included: retail; manufacturing; financial services; construction; catering and events; education and training as well as others.

The investment required to attend the event is R700. This includes a full bouquet of the courses, a copy of ‘The Startup Revolution: Fit in or Stand Out’ book which normally retails at R250, lunch and refreshments, as well as networking with other entrepreneurs. To ensure that the event is good value for money, there is a cap of 16 participants - on a first-come, first-served basis. 

The 16 June narrative has changed. Commemoration of the Uprising will focus on planting seeds that will sprout entrepreneurial history makers through the School of Startups by the LORA Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

EDUCATION NEWS

Sphere, Pearson deal to develop classrooms of the future

13 JUN 2016 | SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |  PDF    

In a landmark empowerment partnership deal, Sphere Holdings (Sphere) will acquire a 22.5% stake in Pearson South Africa Proprietary Limited (Pearson South Africa). The Sphere transaction together wth the Pearson Marang Education Trust's 2.5% holding raises Pearson South Africa's black ownership level to 25%.

©Cathy Yeulet via 123RF

Pearson South Africa is a subsidiary of Pearson plc, the world’s largest education company. Sphere is an established black-owned and managed investment holding company with a highly successful track record as an active long term investor in local and multinational companies providing critical infrastructure, and social and industrial goods and services to South and southern Africa. 

The combined cash and vendor financed transaction will also see Sphere CEO Itumeleng Kgaboesele, and Sphere executive director Marang Denalane, join the Pearson South Africa board. 

Commenting on the transaction, Michael Ogden, interim managing director of Pearson South Africa, said: “Sphere’s strong track record as professional investors, and proven capacity to work with multinational boards and management to deepen local client relationships and deliver winning South African strategies made them ideal investors and empowerment partners. Sphere has a clear commitment to South Africa that is closely aligned with our own values. Sphere also has the vision, credentials and technical skills necessary to advance our broad-based black economic empowerment goals and to help us take advantage of new opportunities.” 

Digitally enabled learning environments

Sphere director and new Pearson SA board member Marang Denalane said: “While South Africa is making massive investments in education as a national priority, we are not seeing the quality outcomes we should expect. This can and must change fast. Already, the so-called 4th industrial revolution – the digitised economy - is becoming a reality for our workforce. So it’s vital that we mobilise the best education content and teaching practices to equip millions of South African learners with the education they need to get jobs, compete globally and reindustrialise our economy. 

This starts with traditional textbooks, teaching and systems, and will evolve into increasingly digitally enabled learning environments – as we develop the classrooms of the future. We look forward to working with Pearson to adapt their unparalleled global education expertise, content and services to meet the needs of South African learners, teachers, education departments and schools.”

Supporting education

Denalane added that Sphere would work with Pearson SA’s board and management to develop and deliver a sustainable growth strategy, to build deeper relationships with key clients and education stakeholders, and to bring new leadership talent into the business while supporting their mentoring initiatives. 

Commenting further on the partnership, Ogden said: “Although publishing forms a core part of our business, we are looking to expand and enhance our managed services and digital offering – particularly in the public education sector. This partnership with Sphere, as a ‘home-grown’ investment company, will enable us to continue to grow our business in this sector and to positively impact many thousands of learners across the country.” 

“When Sphere was formed, one of the key strategic pillars was supporting education, empowerment and development in South Africa and we are confident that we will bring the same commitment and drive to our partnership with Pearson,” concluded Denalane.

The Citizen

national 13.6.2016 12:42 pm

Zuma about to sign ‘EFF-style law’

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Denise Williams

FILE PICTURE: President Jacob Zuma. (Photo: DOC)

Amid a chorus of protests, the Land Expropriation Bill before Zuma this week has been described as the ANC trying to be more like its opposition.

The Expropriation Bill is only one step away from being signed into law, and is now – along with objections to the proposed legislation – sitting on the desk of President Jacob Zuma.

“All the matters are still being processed,” the presidency said last week in confirming that the statesman had received the proposed bill and was mulling its possible enactment, after parliament last month passed it and sent it to Zuma to sign off.

Should he have reservations, particularly about whether it would stand up to constitutional muster, he has the option to refer it back to the National Assembly for further deliberations. The bill seeks to give the state greater powers to expropriate property, including land, from private individuals or companies for the “public purpose” or in the “public interest”.

Land with mineral resources or that which was previously tribally occupied would be up for grabs, with the state having the power to take it from the owners, who would be given monetary compensation.

Government has traditionally applied a “willing buyer-willing seller” approach, but the new bill would enable it to acquire land without the owners’ consent.

The amount would be determined by the valuer-general. Last week, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said parliament’s passing of the bill provided legal certainty to the process of radical socioeconomic transformation.

It also set out the rules by which government could lay claim to land “in the public interest” and “for public purposes”. Should a dispute over money arise, the final arbiter would be the courts.

Labour federation Cosatu has strongly supported the “progressive provisions” in the proposed bill. It applauded that “clear timeframes” had been set out to resolve expropriation cases which, in the past, had been delayed “in perpetuity by the wealthy”.

But the proposed law has been met with opposition from several fronts, including the DA, which last week petitioned for Zuma to return the bill to parliament.

DA MP Anchen Dreyer referred to it as the “job-killing Expropriation Bill”, and said it was unconstitutional. She also claimed there had been insufficient public participation.

“If the president is at all serious about the constitution in general, and property rights in particular, he will not sign the bill,” she said.

The Free Market Foundation and the Institute for Race Relations (IRR) have also voiced their opposition to the legislation.

In an article published on Politicsweb, John Kane-Berman, CEO of the IRR, said government’s intentions regarding ownership of land was unclear. As land was taken away from white farmers, the state would then be the custodians and lease land to black farmers.

But allowing small black farmers on communal land to acquire individual title to that land would be unpopular with traditional leaders, Kane-Berman said. The legislation had the potential to limit white farmers’ land rights, but without extending to black beneficiaries of land reform the rights that white farmers previously enjoyed.

“Instead, it would appear, more and more land is to be acquired by the state, with white and black farmers alike subject to its increasingly capricious behaviour,” said Kane-Berman.

Freedom Front Plus spokesperson Pieter Groenewald said his party was opposed to the bill, even though the principle of expropriation was in place internationally and essential to development.

“In South Africa, however, the ANC government makes it a political issue. The ANC wants to abuse this bill as an emotional political play ball on land.

“Zuma falls in with the choir of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which says whites have stolen land,” Groenewald said.

“The president had, in reality, said that he has a new bill which is with Cabinet, that places a restriction on land ownership.

Through this, the size of large farms will be limited to 5 000 hectares, and enterprises such as plantations will be restricted to 12 000,” he said.

The EFF said the adoption of the bill was yet another piece of legislation based on “ethically unjustifiable logic”. EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has argued that the bill was not an answer to the colonial question of land.

“Land in South Africa was acquired through a crime against humanity, colonialism and apartheid. These crimes were crimes of mass death, mass destitution and systematic dehumanisation of all black people.

“We reject the idea that for the purposes of land reform there must be money spent by the government or anyone else to redistribute land,” Ndlozi said.

The “willing buyer-willing seller” principle has, in the past, forced government to pay exorbitant amounts for land, frustrated the redistribution process and hamstrung its ability to achieve redistribution targets.

SOURCE: The Citizen