#BeautifulNews: Hand crafting a way out of poverty

Sivuka Youth is a South African youth development partner addressing the far too large unemployment gap in SA through novel youth coaching, work readiness training and recruitment for youth. In this BizTakeouts interview Ashalia Maharajh, the founder and director of Sivuka Youth, discusses the company’s introspective, self-first approach to fundamental topics to develop SA's youth and tackle unemployment.

Bizcommunity’s new business development manager and recruitment specialist, Clarina De Freitas, talks trends and shares tips on how B2Bs in Africa can make the most of free digital resources to grow their enterprises via publishing platforms on Bizcommunity, at the Success by Design free 'B2B in Africa for Africa' webinar, that took place on 24 March 2021.

In the third episode of our E-commerce Focus geared towards the launch of E-commerce Day on Wednesday, 10 March 2021, we are joined by Trevor Gosling, who is the CEO and co-founder of Lulalend, a South African FinTech company and online provider of business funding for SMEs and small businesses. He explains how the company addresses some of the traditional challenges that SMEs face when applying for funding, the pros and cons of running a digital lending business in SA, as well as advice for aspiring entrepreneurs....

In the second episode of our E-commerce Focus geared towards the launch of E-commerce Day on Wednesday, 10 March 2021, we speak to Warrick Kernes, the founder of Insaka eCommerce Academy, a leading e-commerce education platform and community. Kernes tells us a bit more about what led to the launch of Insaka, the ways Covid-19 has caused businesses to pivot offerings, why smaller businesses can capitalise on the e-commerce boom, and he shares tips for launching and running an online store....

In the first episode of our E-commerce Focus geared towards the launch of E-commerce Day on Wednesday, 10 March 2021, we chat to Jonathan Smit, founder and managing director of online payment processing service PayFast. He shares insight into the growth of the e-commerce landscape in recent times, how Covid-19 has affected the e-commerce sector, as well as future trends to watch out for.

Yaseen Salie, bio-energy analyst and DiBiCoo project lead at GreenCape, explains the latest innovations in the biogas sector as well as some of the goals and examples of the DiBiCoo project.

Ambassador Riina Kionka, the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to South Africa, Ambassador Martin Schäfer, the German Ambassador to SA, and Ambassador Aurélien Lechevallier, the French Ambassador to SA, discuss the importance of investing in a green recovery for South Africa as well as the EU’s projects in South Africa.

Kirsten Barnes, the project lead for SA Plastics Pact, GreenCape, and Kevin O'Brian, the Group Sustainability and Risk Executive for SPAR, discus the Plastics Pact and the vision for a circular economy for plastics in SA.

Mike Mulcahy, the CEO of GreenCape, and Cecelia Kok, the head of research and advocacy projects at FNF, discus “greenshoots at grassroots” in the green economy and why we should be concerned with growing the green economy in SA.

Lindiwe Johnson, the skills development project manager of GreenCape and Genesis Cleveland’s regional project officer, FNF, discusses the Green Economy Decision-Makers course and why it’s so important to develop skills for the green economy.

Tine Fisker-Henriksen, the Innovative Finance Lead for Bertha Centre for Social Innovation, Graduate School of Business, and a member of the Green Outcomes Fund Advisory Committee, shares details of the Green Outcomes Fund, what it means to be a green business and how green SMMEs can apply for funding.

They dance, laugh, and embrace. Though they’ve never met before and might not see each other again, community members of Cape Town’s informal settlements are sharing touching experiences with tourists. In these townships, there are myriad problems from unemployment to poor healthcare and lack of housing. Not enough money goes towards creating or finding solutions. With this in mind, Xolani Maseko is pursuing a livelihood that uplifts people’s conditions and lives. Read Xolani Maseko's full story...

We’ve been on this planet for thousands of years, each civilisation adding to a constant flow of ideas. But over time, much of this has been lost. Which is why traditional healer Sisonke Papu is curating and showcasing the creativity inherent to his home province. “Although the Eastern Cape has contributed to the development of South Africa, art created within this space is forgotten,” he says. His goal is to make these culturally significant products accessible to the rest of the world. Read Sisonke Papu's full story...

If Thabiso Mokomele’s love for fashion doesn’t inspire you, the clothing he makes will. His homegrown brand, and some of his t-shirts, carry slogans that encourage people to push past the limitations of poverty. Read Thabiso Mokomele's full story here.

Which industries do the Section 12J deal with, and what type of businesses are you not able to invest in? Have you ever heard of impact investing? Learn about how you can do this with Grovest on this edition of the Section 12J show.