From sparks to flames: Local entrepreneurs shine at graduation ceremony

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BUSINESS NEWS - Empowering South African entrepreneurs by inspiring a change in the country’s current unemployment situation through financial and business education, the Financial Literacy and Micro-enterprise (FLAME) programme saw 28 local entrepreneurs graduate at a ceremony held in Mossel Bay on 16 October.

The programme was made possible through the ASISA Foundation. The Foundation is the non-profit arm of the Association for Savings and Investments in South Africa (ASISA), established with the intent to enable financial inclusion while empowering individuals with financial education.

The programme in the Garden Route was launched in July last year and saw its graduates spending 12 months receiving hands-on business development support training. It specialises in personal and business financial literacy knowledge and skills to empower entrepreneurs to make informed and effective financial decisions that will benefit their lives and businesses.

Last Thursday, the graduation ceremony, held at the Pero Dias Conference Centre at the Diaz Beach Hotel & Resort, saw the celebration of the 28 business owners, some of whom operate in Mossel Bay and others in parts of George, as they graduated from FLAME.

During the ceremony, attendees heard FLAME had distributed over R500 000 in grant funding to the participants, enabling each one to access up to R20 000.

ASISA CEO Kaizer Moyane, chairperson Isaac Ramputa, CEO Ruth Benjamin-Swales, Themnkosi Mkize, Mossel Bay Deputy Mayor Cliffie Bayman and Dedat Director Joshua Wolmarans.

The sectors in which the graduates operate are construction, services, hospitality and leisure, wholesale and retail, manufacturing, health and wellness, and arts, culture and crafts.

The attendees also heard from participants how they had benefitted through the programme, grew their businesses, helped to make sustainable financial decisions and even created jobs.

The event also acknowledged the accomplishments of those participants who were identified as the top performers. The FLAME Champion, recognised as an outstanding performer in the course, was awarded to Themnkosi Mkize, the owner of Eden Tyres, a tyre business located in KwaNonqaba, Mossel Bay.

The business that experienced the highest average monthly profit growth throughout the programme was Ribye Civils and Construction, a subcontracting construction company owned by Julius Chauke, operating in both George and Mossel Bay. Additionally, Chauke was recognised for creating the most jobs during incubation period.

The business that recorded a consistent monthly revenue growth in the cohort was Pulaboha Internet Café, a digital services hub based in KwaNonqaba, owned by Matsoso Tsoalei.

In total, the programme recorded an accumulated revenue of over R14m for all 31 businesses within the cohort over its duration, and a total of 166 jobs were created.

Through the FLAME programme, over 500 businesses across township, peri-urban and rural communities have been impacted since its inception in 2016.

FLAME continues to unlock economic potential in underserved communities and the next iteration is planned to commence early in 2026. With growing demand and proven results, funding partners are invited to help scale this transformative initiative.