A cohort from The South African Women Entrepreneurs Climate Change Awards (SiAWECCA) 2022.
Indalo Inclusive South Africa, in collaboration with The Innovation Hub-Climate Innovation Centre South Africa, Gender CC Southern Africa, and with the financial support from the Government of Flanders, hosts the South African Women Entrepreneurs Climate Change Awards (SiAWECCA) Programme. Following the successful launch and implementation of the first cohort in 2021, the call for applications to host the second cohort of the awards programme was launched in March 2022 at the Indalo Inclusive SA annual symposium.
Indalo Inclusive is a non-profit company that promotes and supports eco-inclusive entrepreneurship and the promotion of responsible business practices. In everything they do, entrepreneurship and the environment are joined; each aspect is as important as the other.
The awards programme showcases innovative climate-smart women-owned enterprises in South Africa. It credits them as core contributors and change-makers in the country’s green recovery and adaptation to the effects of climate change. The aim of the awards is to promote an entrepreneurial mind-set that advances a green and climate-resilient economic transition in South Africa while supporting gender equality.
The second SiAWECCA cohort supports seven women entrepreneurs who will each receive a six-month enterprise development support package including contact and online workshops, one-on-one business development mentorship and a grant of R85 000.
The SiAWECCA awards are presented to women-led, locally oriented and climate resilient enterprises that have the potential to replicate, expand and bring climate-smart solutions in the communities while improving their livelihood.
The following trailblazing female-led enterprises has been selected as participants for the SiAWECCA Programme:
- GUGU Clean Tech, a clean energy and sustainable agriculture enterprise based in Amazimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal, founded by Zinhle Ngidi. The enterprise specialises in the production of biodiesel using Solaris plants. IGUGU partners with farmers in rural communities of KZN to grow the specialized hybrid crop, for virgin vegetable oil, feedstock and high-value press cake for cattle protein feed. This partnership allows an opportunity for the local farmers (women in particular) to be trained on climate-smart and best practices on the cultivation of Solaris and in turn IGUGU becomes a sustainable market, purchasing their harvest, which feeds into their biodiesel refining process.
- Aqua Green and Agricultural Co-operative, an eco-inclusive initiative based in Bethal, Mpumalanga, was founded by Joana Ngele. Aqua Green breeds, sorts and rears Catfish for six months, when they reach market size. At harvest they select breeding stock and transfer the fish to the holding unit in the hatchery for breeding. Harvested stock is packaged in 1kg bags and sold ungutted, fresh or frozen. The enterprise also does organic framing of fresh produce and the waste from fish is used as crop fertilizer. Aqua Green uses modern systems (Aquaculture Production Systems) that conserve water through water recirculation, and indoor systems for climate control, which results in fish that are free from any chemical contamination. It reduces production costs, which then leads to affordability for the consumers and marginalised communities. Aqua Green’s organic fertilizer, produced in-house using fish waste, is currently being tested by the Department of Agriculture.
- PWK Waste Management is a waste management enterprise based in Thohoyandou, Limpopo, founded by Susan Kone. The enterprise is a waste collection and buy-back centre that focuses on the reduction of waste disposed at landfills, while reducing greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Additionally, the enterprise identifies women around the Vhembe districts and empowers them with the knowledge of recycling and waste collection. PWK Waste has also partnered with Dziphathutshedzo Green Surfacing in the manufacturing of pavement bricks, using used plastic oil cans; the process does not require water.
- Sibocali Foods is an agro processing enterprise that is based in Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal, founded by Sibongile Mtsabe. The enterprise currently produces cocoyam and sweet potato crispy chips, gluten free flour and indigenous fermented instant porridge. Mtsabe works with local farmers who possess indigenous knowledge on growing these roots. The enterprise provides farmers with seeds and purchases the fresh produce back for manufacturing various products. They are currently distributing to six snack shops, a health shop and eight mini shops, and an online platform is in the pipeline. They currently work with seven farmers and are planning to add 12 more as they resume planting. Additionally, the enterprise helps to curb poverty in the local communities and educates families about the importance of growing their own crops. Their short-term plans include opening a processing plant at their current site and replicating the model to other communities in the long term.
- BeeAfrican is a social enterprise that specialises in beekeeping, based in Mamogaleskraal, Northwest, and founded by Memme (Mems) Ramaila. The enterprise offers women and youth in marginalised communities an opportunity to earn a sustainable income through honey production. They aggregate honey and facilitate market linkages. The enterprise focuses on establishing beekeeping enterprises, bridging the biodiversity knowledge gap at grassroots, and transforming the beekeeping sectors through manufacturing and localisation. BeeAfrican manufactures beehives to supply the communities, and sells them to other enterprises. The beehive manufacturing process recycles wood pellets that would otherwise end up in landfills. The enterprise developed a honey-based immune booster under the tutelage of a reputable Zambian naturopath, who shared the formulation with them. This product was released in August 2020 and increased their sales, as honey, ginger and garlic became common household purchases at the height of Covid-19.
- Vatsakeme Multipurpose Cooperative Ltd is a woman-led enterprise focusing on organic farming and collecting biomass waste such as cow dung and food waste for their conversion into biogas as a valuable source of energy. The cooperative is based in Mopani, Limpopo and was founded by Netion Rikhotso. With this technology, Vhatsakeme produces green energy as an alternative to electricity, which is used on their farm. Vhatsakeme offers training on the manufacture of biogas to community members, especially farmers, and businesses in Limpopo.
- AVYSTOS Trading Projects is a female-led electronic waste management enterprise based in Tembisa, Gauteng that was founded by Molatelo Lebogang Mosehla. The enterprise provides E-waste collection, recycling, and disposal services, thus creating awareness among communities about the recycling of electronic gadgets. AVYSTOS offers their service through a user-friendly booking platform, with a turnaround time of just 24 hours. The enterprise uses a shredding machine to dismantle e-waste in a controlled and safe manner that doesn’t create health hazards.
About Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
Indalo Inclusive South Africa is a not-for-profit company established with a mandate to support and promote social, green, inclusive and responsible entrepreneurship in South Africa. Indalo’s principal services are enterprise capacity development and the facilitation of dialogue processes. As part of the enterprise capacity building, Indalo educates and trains entrepreneurs, established enterprises, organisations and business advisors to profitably integrate green and social dimensions into their business operations.
In its four years of formal incorporation, Indalo boasts a portfolio of projects that are financially supported by various entities including The Government of Flanders, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The European Union (EU), Old Mutual Foundation, Nedbank, British High Commission, and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
In addition, Indalo has contractual agreements with entities such as SANParks, with a focus on implementing projects, geared among others to supporting land claimant communities living adjacent to protected and wildlife areas such as the Kruger National Park (KNP) through structured entrepreneurship support and dialogue, as well as identifying and supporting entrepreneurs in the eco and inclusive sectors.
Indalo further hosts various global climate smart and green entrepreneurship programmes such as Climate Launchpad, the International Labour Organisation’s Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) programme, which focuses on the improvement of productivity and working conditions in small and medium enterprises, and SEED South Africa (inaugural hosts between 2017 and March 2021).
Indalo proudly serves as the implementer of choice for Reaping the Potential of Entrepreneurship for a Climate Smart Inclusive Green Economy South Africa (ECSIGE). This is a three-year project, funded by The Government of Flanders, with the aim to ensure that climate resilience in South African rural communities is sustainably enhanced through an approach of strengthening innovative, economically viable climate-smart enterprises that make solutions for climate change adaptation available. The ECSIGE Project is implemented in partnership with the Climate Innovation Centre – South Africa (CIC-SA).
The “Indalopreneur South African Green and Inclusive Enterprise Awards and support Programme” (SiAGIA) is a 3-year programme funded by Nedbank and aims to support innovative entrepreneurial solutions to contribute to the evidence base for climate change bringing about a climate resilient society and an inclusive green economy, which addresses the country’s triple challenges of poverty, unemployment, and inequality.
The Indalopreneur – South African Green and Inclusive Enterprise Awards and Support Programme addresses social ills through an innovative and holistic approach by systematically and continuously strengthening capacities, organisational resilience and the sustainable impact potential of green and inclusive enterprises, while promoting the relevance of climate change and entrepreneurial solutions.
Strategic and direct support for green and inclusive enterprises within the water, energy, agriculture, and waste sectors will be provided through the Innovation Proof (Indalovator), Growth Phase (Indalogrow) and Accelerator (Indaloaccel) – based on tested and proven Indalo adapted models. Additionally, the programme focuses on strengthening the ecosystem of green enterprises through prototyping, testing and showcasing, financing and support instruments.
For more information, visit: www.Indaloinclusive.org.za