Jambo Africa Online’s Publisher, SAUL MOLOBI, profile’s Soweto’s dynamo, Sonono Khoza, who’s geared to preserve the legacy of her late sister, Zodwa Khoza, by empowering their community through skills development and sport.
Defeating the legacy of apartheid demands a multi-faceted and multi-stakeholder effort driven by selfless, determined, committed and passionate servant leaders such as Sonono Khoza – the Executive Chairperson of the Zodwa Khoza Foundation. Although democracy triumphed in the country in 1994, it is battling with serious socio-economic challenges arising from over 300 years of colonial and apartheid tyrannies that saw the exclusion of the black majority from the mainstream economy and provision to them of inferior education. The democratic government has since developed the blueprint for the reconstruction and development of the country, the National Development Plan (NDP), through the National Planning Commission (NPC) – which is chaired by the President of the Republic. Immediately after its finalisation, the plan was further adopted by all political parties that were represented in parliament then.
In their review of “the economic progress towards the National Development Plan’s Vision 2030” in December 2020, the NPC identified seven critical factors contributing to South Africa’s poor economic performance. And these were eloquently tabulated as follows:
1. Sustainability in fiscal and financial resources to fuel transformation
2. Building the asset base: capital
3. Building the asset base: people
4. Digital readiness for the future
5. Dynamism in employment-generating industries
6. Public employment and public employment programmes
7. Building a capable state
We have highlighted the three that are at the core of the mandate of the Zodwa Khoza Foundation which could be succinctly reformulated as follows: To employ omnichannel delivery platforms in developing the pertinent skills and expertise among the most vulnerable members of our communities which are appropriate to empower them to meet the demands of the economy. These underprivileged sections of our communities are the youth, people with disabilities, women and township residents in general. The NPC’s review found that the youth sector is faced with the crisis ever.
The NDP 2030 demands the country to develop a coherent and integrated education and skills system capable of addressing the critical challenges we are facing: effective inclusion or access to education opportunities; quality education and training outcomes; and development of requisite skills and technical expertise to promote entry into, meaningful participation, in the labour market.
The Foundation concurs that skills development is the most important asset that enables low-income families to move up the ladder. That’s the reason why we have seen ourselves as part of the solution to redressing the dire crisis our country is thrust into.
Without belabouring the point, here’s the education crisis the country is faced with. Although the number of black students completing matric and post-school education and training has slightly expanded in the last three decades, the situation remains worrying. Out of the group that entered Grade 1 in 1997, NPC notes that only 60% of them wrote the matric exam – and only 37% of that original group passed. Furthermore, although approximately a quarter of the original group achieved a pass that qualified them for university entrance, only 12% entered university. Sadly, only half of the 12% that entered university managed to complete an undergraduate degree within six years after matric.
The most worrying statistic given is that almost 40% of learners drop out between Grade 10 and Grade 12 without obtaining any qualification. This is the core that the Foundation hopes to target.
The NDP correctly asserts that education lies at “the heart of improving the country’s economic potential.” Because of lack of education, unemployment wreaks havoc among the youth. The statistics during the COVID-19 pandemic worsened on an already deepened crisis. In 2020, only 59,0% of South Africans of working age were employed. Over 16.4 million were youth unemployed – accounting for 63,3% of the total number of unemployed persons in South Africa. Of the 10,3 million persons aged 15-24 years in the first quarter of 2020, approximately 3,5 million or 34,1% were not in employment, education or training. Of the 20,4 million young people aged 15-34 years, about 8,5 million or 41,7% were not in employment, education or training. These rates, seen in conjunction with high rates of unemployment, suggests that South African youth face extreme difficulties engaging with the labour market.
Certain factors such as lack of experience and length of unemployment may increase the vulnerabilities of these young people in the labour market. As indicated earlier, education and prior work experience play an important role in the labour market. Most often employers prefer to employ those with previous work experience and a higher level of education. Unfortunately, for the youth, lack of work experience is a stumbling block that results in them finding it hard to secure employment. Those with jobs are often employed on unspecified or limited contract duration, and consequently do not have access to employee benefits such as medical aid, pension fund, paid sick leave and permanent employment.
Youth unemployment is a major national challenge that needs urgent and coordinated responses to address it. Above all, a comprehensive strategy for youth employment, as part of a broader focus on expanding employment in South Africa, is necessary.
Kate Philips, an economist attached to the Project Management Office in the Presidency, said:
“Participation in work at decent standards – including in self-employment – builds important attributes and capabilities. These include increased access to networks, to life-skills, teamwork, management skills, access to information, a greater sense of agency, and community respect and recognition. It is also often in the workplace – or the marketplace – that people learn organising skills, which build leadership. Work experience also enhances the success rate of later enterprise activity…”
This crisis becomes compounded when one looks at its impact on people with disabilities – young and old – who require medical supervision and yet they do not access to medical insurance. According to data published by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) out of a population of 54,432,000 South Africans only 17.4% of the population is medically covered by health insurance, meaning that 44,974,000 South Africans are without medical coverage. This explains the pressure the public health system is under.
In South Africa we have vast economic disparity, South Africa being an emerging market we require a different set of skills, we require a transformation where existing businesses become more economically active, however the shortages that exist when it comes to the entrepreneurship in South Africa is a concern, and we have partnered with various role players in education to provide solutions to address the skill shortages that exist in South Africa.
The NPC has laid down the following four conditions for the country to achieve the goals of the NDP:
- Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have to play an important role in future employment creation.
- Equitable access to business opportunity will have to play an important role in employment creation and in building a dynamic economy.
- Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and large dynamic firms have to play an important role in stimulating new products, innovation and raising productivity.
- Competition will have to contribute to reducing the cost of inputs to business and the cost of basic goods critical to the development path.
It is behind this backdrop that as a country we appreciate the effort undertaken by Sonono, through the Foundation’s Entrepreneurial and Sports Development Centre situated in Diepkloof, south of Johannesburg. The Zodwa Khoza Foundation was launched in 2011 as a tribute to her sister who passed on in 2006. The Zodwa Khoza Foundation is a non-profit company that provides support for families and households affected and infected by HIV/Aids; youth, women, the elderly and child headed households. The Foundation provides ongoing support to child and elderly headed households, in and around Diepkloof, Soweto.
“Our vision is to create opportunities through sports, entrepreneurship and skills development for the marginalised youths and women in our community. This is underpinned by our mission to help develop the skills, leadership and business potential of youth through advocacy, mentoring, networking, skill building and economic empowerment programs and projects. By helping the youth and children to achieve their full potential in sport, skills development, empowerment and entrepreneurship, the ZKF seeks to foster an environment where opportunities will be made available to them to have access to opportunities that assist them in making something of their lives against all odds. Providing young individuals with specific goals to achieve, will allow them to take responsibility for their own lives and undoubtedly be of great value for them, regardless of where they come from or their backgrounds,” asserts Sonono with confidence.
The affable Zodwa was one of the foremost thought leaders on competitive identity as a brand architect for Orlando Pirates, South Africa oldest and premier soccer club. She built its brand equity premised on the brand positioning statement which is still being used today: “Happy people.” This was critical as often the perceptions among soccer lovers juxtaposed the behaviour of millions of its typical fans to that of its rival whose motto was: “love and peace”. Her positioning, looking back, had an impact as there was notable behaviourable change among the team’s fans even if they were to lose a game.
Recognising this excellent contribution she made to the team, Irvin Khoza – the Chairperson of the team – commented in his tribute to Zodwa which was published in the Sowetan daily newspaper of 17 February 2006: Zodwa Khoza knew that “the quickest way to kill a brand is to communicate something that falls short of the brand promise… ”
Zodwa should be smiling from the world beyond when she looks at what Sonono is doing in her honour. “We have partnered with the City of Joburg who have provided us with land to construct the entrepreneurial and sports development centre in Diepkloof, Soweto,” she says with a tinge of satisfaction. “Our funding has been provided by the Employment Creation Fund administered by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic). The centre provides the Diepkloof community with an array of empowerment opportunities through skills and sports development.”
Beyond this, is concern for the health provision of the community. “Also in the pipelines, is the development of a day Zodwa Khoza Day Hospital for the community of Diepkloof and surrounding areas,” Sonono says matter-of-factly. “The day hospital will service referrals from surrounding practices, clinics and the community at large. This is in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2015 – 2030 ‘to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all, at all ages’.”
Conscientiousness is deeply rooted in the Foundation’s core principles. “We regularly host a couple of different people-centred outreach programmes. We celebrate Zodwa’s birthday celebrations with local elders from Diepkloof and Orlando, where we host a braai day, cake and hand out gifts to attendees. We have also taken upon itself the task of giving different families food parcels and blankets at Christmas every year.”
Furthermore, Sonono explained the Foundation also sponsors about 25 young students who are currently studying at the Maharishi Institution here in Johannesburg.
So this year during the 3 November to 3 December – the period celebrated as the Disability Rights Awareness Month in South Africa that climax into the International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebrated on 3 December – the Foundation has partnered with the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) to impart entreneurship skills through the “Youth Business management Training for Persons with Disabilities programme. The workshop will be held from 22 to 24 November in Soweto. This is about mainstreaming issues affecting people with disabilities by also integrating them into the mainstream economy. This is about empowering youth with disabilities who are often denied employment opportunities by the private sector even when they are educated. The employment equity act has set a target of every corporate ensuring least two percent of their workforce is people with disabilities, but every year this paltry target isn’t met – thus pushing the majority of people in this sector into the welfare system. “We intend changing this. We want to transform youth with disabilities into entrepreneurs who will succeed to become employers – they shouldn’t be perceived as charity cases. We invite all young people with disabilities to register to attend this ground breaking workshop. We also appeal to families, relatives and neighbours with youth with disabilities to alert them to this opportunity.”
In introducing the newly-appointed Board of Trustees of the NYDA recently, Jambo Africa Online committed to hosting weekly articles looking at empowering the youth. This workshop should be looked at within the context of developing empowering strategies for the economic recovery post the “pancession” – the COVID-19 induced economic recovery. Because the world of work snubs them, people with disabilities are forced to become beggars; rely on social grants; and some become hawkers. This programme hopes to transform them into proper entrepreneurs by honing them with requisite skills.
A seasoned professional and an ardent development advocate
Sonono is the Founder and Chairperson of the Zodwa Khoza Foundation a non-profit company. She heads the Zodwa Khoza Entrepreneurial & Skills Development Centre situated in Diepkloof, Soweto in partnership with the City of Joburg. She is the Chief Executive Officer of TES Projects Management (Pty) a 100% a BBBEE multifaceted, highly professional projects management consultancy firm with expertise in enterprise development within the small and medium sized enterprises space. She is the Director and Chairperson at AnChicon International (Pty) Ltd; Chairperson of Soweto TV; Board member of the Township Economy Council South Africa; and Member of the Board at Grantley College.
She’s endowed with vast professional experience. She started her career in advertising years ago and gained extensive experience in both above-the-line and below-the-line advertising agencies; working in client service and account management at leading agencies like Young & Rubicam and HerdBuoys McCann-Erickson SA. She also worked for The Event Production Company as General Manager, responsible for new business development strategies and overseeing the implementation of both internal and external communication programmes. She was employed as Marketing Manager heading Events and PR Management at Absa Bank (Pty) Ltd.
A committed social entrepreneur, she believes in doing good while doing business. She supports various charities and Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) in her role as Patron of the Kasi Gains Youth Co-operative and the Raising Giants Organisation.
Sonono holds a Business Management Diploma from Birnam Business College and is also a Business Communications graduate from the University of South Africa (UNISA).
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For more information, visit http://www.zodwakhozafoundation.org/projects/,https://www.instagram.com/zodwakhozafoundation/?hl=en.
To contact them, call +27 10 300 6000 or email sannie@zodwakhozafoundation.org