08 November 2002
	Extranet - 2 AN ENTREPRENEURIAL DYNAMO GENERATES ACTION IN DUDUZA By Ethel Hazelhurst Business ideas abound in previously strife-torn township

Amix of shanty town and brick suburbia, Duduza is perched on a tapestry of bright brittle grasses that flow across Gauteng to the escarpment. Duduza is facing a problem common in post-apartheid SA: high levels of unemployment. "Some people have jobs," says Sibongile Mndebele, a 24-year-old third-year student at Cida City Campus. "They are employed by Marley Tiles and Coca-Cola in Nigel. But many people leave school and there is no work for them." She would like to make a difference to Duduza. Her contribution is a weekly course in entrepreneurship which she gives to Grade 11 students at the Asser Maloka Secondary School. Mndebele, who is the 10th of 12 children, started her initiative in July when she gave a day-long introduction to entrepreneurship. Her audience was so enthusiastic they asked her to run an ongoing course. She agreed and about 25 young people, who previously had nothing to do on a Saturday morning, regularly attend her entrepreneurship sessions. She follows the Cida approach, splitting her class into syndicates who work on projects as teams. It's a typical Saturday morning and Mndebele is taking her class through the basics. "What do you need to start a business?" she asks. A forest of hands shoots up and the answers come thick and fast. "Yourself." "Capital ." "Customers." "Products." "A distribution channel." "Sales." When the more formal part of the lesson is over, representatives of each group takes a turn to present their group project. Dumisani starts. His group has a stationery business and he outlines its business plan. Next comes Busisiwe, twisting her body in embarrassment; Paseka who struggles with English; and Hopewell, clear, confident and fluent in English. Each sets out a business plan. When that is done they offer helpful criticism of the business plans proposed, including their own. Why are you selling cold drinks in winter? Why do you call yourself Wisetech when you sell sweets and peanuts? Why do you call your products snow cookies when they are brown? The criticism is taken in good spirit, the debate is lively, and the classroom fills with laughter. Finally the class votes on the business plans and, despite the criticism, the voting is very supportive. "I'm going to support these guys because I expect them to support me." "I will support them if they give credit." The classroom is humming with creativity, bubbling with enthusiasm and brimming with energy. The future hasn't arrived yet but it's on the horizon.