Loud joyful ululations and traditional recites of victory at the University of Johannesburg campus Imbizo hall on 1st April 2025 as families and acquaintances assembled for the 247 Graduates ceremony. As each graduate ascended to the podium, it was a milestone achievement for the e-Government Department in collaboration with the University that initiated the SMME Development as well as the 4IR ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Development Programs in empowering the young people in Gauteng with the breaking technological skills in the rapidly evolving world of Artificial Intelligence.
With the critical training, SMMEs are supported and mentored with the much needed tools necessary to manage and grow their businesses, while the 4IR Program empowers the techno savvy enthusiasts, mostly unemployed youth across Gauteng townships to be eligible for ICT job opportunities as well as tackling economic empowerment strategies.
In his keynote address MEC for e-Government, Bonginkosi Dhlamini stated that, “through the partnership with the University, we are enabled to create programs that are responsive to both the demands of the labour market’s 4th Industrial Revolution and the developmental priorities of our Province. Our township youths have acquired globally competitive ICT certifications and the confidence to pursue work, entrepreneurship or further study. Through this Program SMMEs become drivers in fiscal economies, bringing innovation to areas that they were previously excluded from. The partnership aligns with the priorities of the 2024-2029 Gauteng Medium Term Development Plan especially including economic growth and job creation, education and skills for youth employability!”
The ecstatic Zipho Sibiya (insert) who hails from the West Rand and founder of Spaceman Media, a multimedia company mentioned that he started the business after completing his matric. Having spotted the program online, he decided to get empowered as and mentioned that he gained a lot of technical know-how through the Program as he regularly applied for RFP’s (Request for Proposal) upon approval in most cases, for example one that would enable him to set up screens for the various campaigns and projects in his area. I learned a lot during the 6month Program. “Academia plays a role because as a creative I was empowered a lot in the intricate digital technical aspects including handling complex documentation. The benefits of the Program develop one to grow, and I’m going to apply it in my immediate tasks and furthermore I managed to establish good networks.”
Zanele Ndaba (insert top right) an SMME Development graduate and entrepreneur from Naledi, Soweto, runs a ‘Pizza in Naledi’ take-away business. She mentions that her pizza is the best there is, which is shared with the same name in social platforms. She indicates that the program they have been offered at UJ gives the insights in tackling interventions such Digital Marketing among others, offering them information on how to effectively run their businesses in the 4th Industrial Revolution. “We’ve been exposed to such great training, but to take advantage of it, we need an environment that will allow us to practice the technical abilities directly into our businesses and therefore grow them.”
She further indicates “the technological savviness alone is not enough and beyond that, how are we getting resources to grow our businesses? I think there has to be projects that will align with our acquired development. Further, I’m confident that I can take on the known pizza brands around if given the opportunity to expand! While we appreciate this initiative as business people, beyond attaining our meritorious certificates we need intervention to scale up our current outputs. Our development sponsors must follow up to see through the Program’s effectiveness.” She feels that as the beneficiary of the Program she can be afforded the opportunity with credits and support to present her Pizza business masterclass in social business platforms to benefit aspiring enthusiasts.
Jerry Sokhupe Soweto Sunrise News
