The unemployed youth of Moletjie village, outside Polokwane, in Limpopo, have learnt how to turn their waste into a business opportunity and make a living.
Thanks to an e-waste management programme launched in the area as part of activities planned to celebrate Mandela Day, the youth can now earn some money by selling waste.
About 20 unemployed youth from the village have been selected and trained on how to crash and dismantle old and unused electrical appliances by Samsung SA.
The event was coordinated by the Samsung SA, Government Communication and Information System’s (GCIS) leadership, the Limpopo Provincial Government and the Polokwane Municipality to celebrate the Mandela Day.
One of the youth who will benefit from the project is Edson Moloto. He told SAnews that the project will open opportunities for him and others to start their own businesses.
Moloto is one of the many unemployed young people, who after completing their matric, struggled to find employment.
“The project has developed me, I am now thinking of starting my own business. This is an opportunity that I have been waiting for,” he said.
Echoing similar sentiments was Jonathan Lamola who said he now knew how to manage waste effectively, especially the electrical appliances.
“I now know how to crash and dismantle old and unused electrical appliances,” he said.
According to Samsung SA official, Pitso Kekana, Samsung SA encourages young people to do business out of waste.
“We encourage young people to start their own businesses out of waste. We teach them how to crash and dismantle old electrical appliances and sell them,” Kekana said.
Kekana explained that Samsung SA saw a need to train young people about business opportunities available to them.
As a part of the Mandela Day event, the South African Brewery (SAB) also donated blankets and groceries to the elderly people.
SAB Corporate Manager Sandile Nkosi called on communities to discourage pregnant women from drinking alcohol.
Nkosi also urged residents to keep their communities clean.
“We have to do good for our communities. We are governed by a principle to create a better world. With the help from government and communities, we can achieve a clean world,” he said.
Mandela Day
The Nelson Mandela Foundation declared that this year’s campaign would focus on fighting poverty under the theme #ActionAgainstPoverty.
According to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, poverty impacts the entire country and is the root cause of malnutrition, poor education, disease, skills deficit, unemployment, loss of dignity and even anger and violence.
Every year on 18 July, South Africans together with the global community honour the late former President and international icon Nelson Mandela by celebrating the Nelson Mandela International Day.
The overarching objective of the day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement for good.
The Nelson Mandela International Day campaign asks individuals, groups and corporates to pledge 67 minutes of their time on 18 July, and every day thereafter, to give back to communities.
It offers South Africans and the world an occasion to honour the ethos of the late former President Mandela. – SAnews.gov.za
