THOUSANDS of people in Mzansi are still living below the poverty line and job opportunities are very scarce.
Graduates often find themselves sitting at home with their qualifications, which is why most unemployed people are now turning to entrepreneurship.
Among those who have embarked on this journey is a group of women and men from Dlangezwa just outside Empangeni, northern of KZN. They formed Bhekinhlanhla Cooperative after battling to find work.
Bhekinhlanhla, which is made up four women and two men, was one of the cooperatives that benefited from the R10 million set aside by King Cetshwayo District Municipality to help small businesses in the area.
One of the cooperative's members, Nonkululeko Myiko (32) said they started Bhekinhlanhla because they couldn’t find jobs.
“Different gender and age groups came together and decided to get into livestock farming because it's a business that will grow due to the demand,” said Nonkululeko.
Another member, Nompumelelo Ngcobo (38) said they formed the cooperative in 2015 and everything is moving nicely because it was started by a mix of people with different views.
“To have both young and old minds helps us grow because elders are helping to make sure the livestock is fed accordingly, and young minds are on the innovation side of business and marketing because they are good at it. This brings balance that sustains a business,” she said.
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Nompumelelo said when they saw that the local municipality was looking for businesspeople to help, they jumped at the opportunity.
“We applied and asked for more goats and indeed they helped us with 10 goats to help our business grow even further. We're over the moon because we know that this assistance will go a long way,” said Nompumelelo.
King Cetshwayo Mayor Thamisanqa Ntuli said they couldn’t fold their arms and wait for the provincial government to help.
“The provincial government has proven that they don’t care about the people who voted for them. They're taking money meant to help small businesses and create job opportunities and eating it with their friends.
"That's one of the reasons that pushed us to do this because we don’t want to see anyone go to bed on an empty stomach. We're encouraging them to be self-employed to break the chain of poverty,” said Ntuli.
