Week 4 at the SHAWCO training center

Photos from the training phase

Consultant's Perspective

Working with Siyaya - A Consultant’s Perspective

At the beginning of 2012 I joined the Siyaya Social Entrepreneurship Project and have enjoyed every single moment of the experience since! The entire project is smoothly operated and co-ordinated and it has provided me with the opportunity to make a significant difference in someone else’s life.

Since joining, not only have I gained a deep understanding and respect for the people whom I mentor, but in the process I have also formed new relationships with a diverse range of people from both the University of Cape Town and Khayelitsha.

Throughout the teaching process I have made a special connection with all the women whom I have mentored, and I honestly believe that the women have learned a great deal since the beginning of the year. Nomathemba in particular has found the training extremely useful and has taken a keen interest in the concepts being taught. She said that she wanted to be able to have a clothes business so that she could sell the clothes that her husband (Dumisane) had sewn. Nomathemba also expressed her delight at the curriculum content saying that she was learning something new every week.

I foresee an extremely bright future for Siyaya. The project has a well-structured organisational base and a dedicated leadership team consisting of a range of university students from different year groups and faculties, thereby facilitating an on-going sustainable business model.

I also believe that, within the near future, Siyaya will be able to incrementally increase the number of businesses that they are able to start-up each year, eventually diversifying their entrepreneurial structure to include other types of business. These sectors could include anything from food to housing, with the primary intent being to provide members of the community with additional sustainable businesses which address the inherent needs within townships such as Khayelitsha.

Matthew de Klerk

UCT Student

Siyaya Business Consultant