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South Africa assumed the Group of Twenty (G20) Presidency on 1 December 2024 until 30 November 2025, the nation has an opportunity to influence the global agenda. 

Dipuo Phakathi is taking her small business to new heights with the support of the NEF.

Driven by a passion for home improvements, Dipuo Phakathi transformed her love for interior design into a cabinet-making business.

Good day,

I am a youth interested in opening a business in a rural area. I have seen a lot of youth gamechangers in the Vuk'uzenzele Newspaper website.

I am interested in starting a business in wholesale and retail. Can you advise or direct me to any doors where I can get assistance mainly for funding.

Kind regards

Thalente

Makhosazana Loriane Ntshangase, known as Sista Fella, found herself in a job that no longer fulfilled her. Undeterred by her age, she pursued her goal of creating a career centred around community support.

A resident of Gamalakhe in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, Ntshangase had always wanted to work with a non-profit organisation (NPO), a platform dedicated to assisting the community. However, she found her true calling in fashion.

Tomorrow, 3 December, marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

It is an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made with respect to advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. It is also an opportunity to consider what we still need to do to implement inclusive policies and to elevate the representation of persons with disabilities in our society.

Tshegofatso Dolo, the director of Flame Creations, a beauty and style business in Mokopane, Limpopo has set her sights on growing the business into a franchise with a footprint across the country. 

Founded in 2018, the business operates in the beauty, cosmetics and personal care industry. 

“The vision was to operate in the beauty, cosmetics and personal care industry.  When we started, I had identified a gap in the market, particularly in Mokopane for nail enhancement, massage therapy, facial treatment, make-up and eyelash installation,” she explained.

A growing office and household furniture manufacturing company is hoping to reach new heights after securing much-needed funding from the National Empowerment Fund (NEF).  

Founded by entrepreneur Sibitiwe Pereira in 2019, Ziphiwo Group is situated in Munsieville on Gauteng’s West Rand. 

If South Africa is to eliminate the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), greater efforts would have to be made to understand its root cause. 

This is the view of Dr Charley Pietersen, the director of the Growing Up Without A Father Foundation in Johannesburg. He said he started the foundation in 2016, after studying and observing the behaviour of fatherless boys.