Today marks the end of the MTN SA Women in Digital Business Challenge programme for 2022. The ten South African female entrepreneurs who took part in the challenge, which started in July, have left their mark on the local IT industry and on their communities with their innovative approaches to digital business.
Having received a share of R1 million towards boosting their businesses, the cash prize will strengthen and build sustainable companies capable of providing cutting-edge services for years to come, said Angie Maloka, Senior Manager: Education & Community Programmes at the MTN SA Foundation.
“We are proud that each of the women has taken their R100 000 prize money and the R20 000 ‘bonus’ which went to the four top performers, and has invested it in their businesses”.
Among the winning businesses, is The New Dawn Skills Hub in Bloemfontein, once a traditional business that has been transformed to meet the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Once an afterschool care centre, the hub is now preparing children for a digital future by teaching them coding and robotics.
Masabata Chabedi, the owner, believes that age is not a barrier to learning. Children as young as five are coding and showing that they are ready to participate in a digital economy. Their way is being smoothed by New Dawn investing their cash prize into new coding and robotics equipment, employing additional staff and enlarging their site so that 30 children can be accommodated.
“At the other end of the scale, Estelle Olifant, through her company Swift Star Technology, has brought basic and specialised computer training resources, especially for women trapped in abusive relationships. Previously without hope, Swift Star has given these women the confidence and skills needed to enter the business world,” says Maloka.
Olifant spent her R100,000 on a training, assessment, recruitment platform and a partnership with the Queens University, Canada. Nearly R40 000 has been spent on bringing ISP lines to a client base that has increased from 57 to 130 in three months.
Kasie Labs, owned by Siphokazi Nciza, has a broader focus on providing coding for kids and expertise in cyber security and programming skills to small and large businesses. Building a sustainable service provider has involved setting up a digital hub, refurbishing computers, upgrading software and improving internet connections.
Gigabytesmind Technologies has expanded its IT service base, training division, graphic design, and branding capabilities. Entrepreneur Johanna Mokgaedsi Moabelo’s efforts have been rewarded with backer funding that has enabled her to purchase laptops, projectors, printers, monitors, and wireless routers to conduct their training sessions.
“The MTN SA Foundation’s first Women in Digital Business Challenge has highlighting the achievements of these pioneering women and also proves that women are capable of competing in what is one of the most demanding business sectors in a country with a huge digital skills shortage”, says Maloka.
“We will continue working hard to develop the STEM sector by enabling female entreprenerus to change the face of ICT in South Africa. Our ten finalists this year are making a difference by closing gaps in job creation, education and other vital IT sectors, and we are beyond proud to have been privileged enough to lend a helping hand”.
