The Spaza Shop For Other Spaza Shops

African Accent started a unique service as a Spaza Shop distribution service, bringing local and international brands to townships around Gauteng using bicycles. They pride themselves in connecting upcoming local brands to people through their network. The use of bicycles has meant they’re able to deliver goods to any corner of the township and do it quickly.

About the Entrepreneurs

Bongani and Sibongile are a husband-and-wife combo that left the corporate world 11 years ago to create their own opportunities. The business was started from their passion for township economic development and they wanted to prove that you don’t need to leave the township to find your pot of gold. You’d be surprised to know only one of the two knows how to ride a bicycle!

For business enquiries contact Bongani Mabuza.

Helping Men Look Their Sharpest

Busanimen offers tailored suits and formal wear for special events such as matric dances, graduations and weddings. Their fitted suits can be tailored to a wide variety of styles and materials to suit any occasion. An additional service they now offer includes corporate packages for companies looking to enhance their corporate identity.

About The Entrepreneur

Nkululeko started his business to offer the exclusiveness and luxury that suits give to people but at an accessible price. He loves being his own boss because there’s no limit to how far he can take the business. His mother is his original inspiration as he grew up working every type of job in the restaurant she owned, including cleaning toilets. In the future he hopes that Busanimen becomes a household name for affordable and accessible suits for everyone in South Africa.

For business enquiries contact Nkululeko Mahlangu.

Supplying a Quality Coffee Fix

Ground One Coffee provides complete coffee solutions for any establishment which needs their services and high-quality hot beverages. Their product offering includes supplying their brand of coffee options, along with hot beverages like hot chocolate, spice chai, red espresso, white hot chocolate and frappe mix. Beyond that, their services include ordering, training, quality control and technical services for coffee machines and grinders.

About The Entrepreneur

Pride started Ground One Coffee because he wanted a coffee company that represented African tastes. They started out quite literally on ground one, going door-to-door to restaurants selling coffee out of their car boot. Part of the job includes regularly tasting their coffee for quality control, which means they rarely have a drowsy moment. They have ambitions to bring Ground One Coffee to the rest of Africa, and eventually the world.

For business enquiries contact Pride. 

A Hair Care Brand That Will Grow On You

Haircelerate is a local hair care brand that promotes the love and care for your hair. Their main goal is to promote natural, healthy hair by providing products that assist in hair growth, health, care as well as providing answers to people’s hair questions. They have formulated a hair vitamin supplement, a 5-in-1 hair oil and an intensive shea butter treatment. Their product range now includes satin sleep turbans, with even more products on the way.

About The Entrepreneurs

The sisters Jo-Ann and Berenice started out trying to find a hair growth product that would work for them. The product they ended up with worked so well they decided to make a business out of it. They believe having great hair has the power to make people feel more confident and self-assured. Working together as sisters was a refreshing opportunity even though Berenice is a Libra and Jo-Ann is a Scorpio. 

For business enquiries contact Berenice Slater & Jo-Ann Stanley.

Making Leather Personal

A proudly South African leather brand celebrating local craft with beautifully unique pieces. All of their products can be personalised with names, initials or symbols. This is what makes their already beautiful products one-of-a-kind. Every product that leaves the Journey studio is different and reflects the passion that is sewn into the business.

About The Entrepreneurs

Sisters Bianca and Nina started Journey Leather when they weren’t able to find the kind of styles they liked from any of the local leather companies. Their appreciation for leather came early on as they grew up around their father’s leather goods factory. By recruiting local artisans in Cape Town, they were able to build a full range of unique products. Starting small at local markets, they’ve now both been able to quit their day jobs to focus fully on their business.

For business enquiries contact Bianca & Nina.

These Chickens Are Spreading Their Wings

Moja Chicken is a black-owned, grilled chicken restaurant that was established in Soweto in 2019. This new kid on the fast-food block has their own delicious signature Moja sauce that sets them apart from the flock. Their bright and bold approach helps them get noticed in all the right ways while their rooftop container setup means customers can enjoy good vibes with a view.

About The Entrepreneur

Letlhogonolo’s love for chickens began when he was put in charge of feeding his grandmother's chickens before he left for school each morning. Moja Chicken took years of planning and was a way for him to bring together his three passions of cooking, entrepreneurship and chicken. Going forward, he wants to take the brand beyond South African borders and expand into Africa. The one thing Letlhogonolo was not ready to share with us was the secret to his famous secret sauce. Sorry, we tried…

For business enquiries contact Letlhogonolo.

Creating Greener Pastures

Ronewa Creations uses their botany and horticulture expertise to provide planning, design, implementation and landscape maintenance. They work across the private sector, government as well as for regular homeowners. Agriculture is set to be their newest venture where they’ve been farming their own fresh produce to sell directly  through their WhatsApp online store  

About The Entrepreneurs

Lesego’s grandmother is their original inspiration for the business as she still loves gardening and plants. Lesego and Dinah (Lesego’s aunt) both grew up in a home full of an eclectic mix of beautiful plants. Rowena Creations first blossomed when Lesego was in her final year studying Botany. She decided to combine her passion for the scientific side of plants with her creative side. Their 3-year plan includes expanding into other major cities, employing more teams and educating people about going green.

For business enquiries contact Dinah & Lesego. 

Adding Value To School Payments

SchoolHub handles all your school payments on one secure platform, creating a cashless school shop future that can be used across multiple schools. SchoolHub lets parents manage their children’s tuckshop choices, order uniforms, pay school fees and pay for field trips. SchoolHub uses pocket money limits, purchase reports and messages to parents to set safe boundaries and help children learn how to transact safely and wisely as they embark on their money learning journey.

About the entrepreneurs

As parents to school kids themselves, they were looking to solve a payments problem that they were experiencing first-hand. Luckily, they were able to create an app solution that not only makes life easier for parents but for the schools as well. They started off launching the platform with just one pilot school and since then it hasn’t stopped growing. The three owners all bring something different to the business, with Jared driving the product, Kim being the salesperson and Will describing himself as the best at making coffee for the team.

Speak to your school about SchoolHub and download the app now.

Inspiring SA Youth To Define Themselves

Thesis Lifestyle is a streetwear brand founded in 2005 to illustrate a new point of view in the township. Their clothing range includes hats, t-shirts, jackets, sneakers, amongst other items. The business is multi-faceted and operates in the 4 pillars of clothing, retail, social impact and events. They currently have two stores in Soweto, as well as an online retail store. It’s regarded as one of South Africa’s favourite underground brands but is still able to work on collections for big brands. Their ongoing mission is to inspire young people to define themselves.

About The Entrepreneurs

Galebowe and Wandile started Thesis Lifestyle to illustrate a new point of view about street culture. They originally came together over a mutual love of music and soon decided to work together to change the face of the township through their brand. Wandile credits the late Wandi Nzimande from Loxion culture as a major inspiration for the business, as he broke down many walls in the South African fashion industry. Their plans for the future include expanding their production line and continuing to grow the brand organically, one store at a time, one township at a time.

For business enquiries contact Galebowe and Wandile.

Giving Children The Building Blocks For Their ABC’s

Next Level Learning are the publishers of THRASS, which stands for Teaching, Handwriting, Reading and Spelling Skills. They focus on the Early Childhood Development and Foundation phase. Beyond that, they also provide teacher training, and are endorsed by the South African Council for Educators.

About The Entrepreneur

Mojaki originally bought the Next Level Learning business in 2017 because he saw the potential that the THRASS system had to change the lives of young kids. He has been inspired by Alan Davies, the founder of THRASS, who brings so much energy and passion with his innovative learning methods. Mojaki believes if you love what you are doing, you’ll get up every morning ready to get out there and make it work.

For business enquiries contact Mojaki Finger.

Putting Magic in a Bottle

Koni Wines are a proudly black-owned brand who are paving the way for future generations of young, aspiring wine professionals. They’re based in the Western Cape and are a seller of both red and white wines since 2015. Their mission is to offer good taste and smooth flavours for all types of wine-lovers. They pride themselves in providing consistent quality through the years.

About The Entrepreneur

Koni wanted to bring something different to the wine market, and that something different was her. She started doing wine tastings to tell her story and show off the unique look and feel of her bottles. In her experience, she is exposed to all types of people, from people with no experience with wine, all the way to wine connoisseurs. Koni started with just two wines but expanded her range to suit her growing market. The two people she would love to share a glass of Koni wine with would be Oprah Winfrey and Thuli Madonsela, which may be tricky as Thuli doesn’t drink…

For enquiries contact Koni.

Cleaning Up The Competition

All Things Laundry are a township-based laundromat specialising in small and bulk laundry. They cover everything from household laundry to bulk orders like cleaning of PPE, company uniforms, hotel linen, restaurant linen and exhibition fabric. The secret to their success is that they believe in building long lasting business relationships with their customers by providing exceptional service

About The Entrepreneur

William had a passion for entrepreneurship ever since he started selling sweets in the schoolyard. It was the birth of his twin boys that led to him opening his own laundromat, looking to bring a better quality of service to the sector. A big lesson he has learned from his experience is that taking responsibility and being accountable will benefit your business. Another lesson was that employees won’t always love your music playlists, luckily, you can always just put the radio on. He’s hoping one day for his family to continue the business and keep the legacy going for years and years to come.

For business enquiries contact William.