On the 27th of June, the world celebrated MSME (Micro-, Small and Medium Enterprises) day. The mere recognition of this day by the UN is confirmation that we are on track with the work we do in Diepsloot, supporting entrepreneurs. Recently, one of our participants, Nondumiso Sibiya, was accepted into the RedBull Amaphiko Academy.

The article below was written by her business partner, Sbusiso Shongwe. It tells us about her experience and how being a Wot-if? participant helped Boombadotmobi get to where they are now.

RedBull Amaphiko Academy is a global programme that champions social entrepreneurs driving positive change in their respective communities. The programme’s key focus is in developing and supporting the visions of these young eager entrepreneurs and their groundbreaking initiatives through a storytelling format.

One fortunate Social Entrepreneur who took part in the 2019 programme is Nondumiso Sibiya from Boombadotmobi, a Diepsloot-based waste management business platform that connects waste generators with waste collectors in order to facilitate responsible waste disposal. Nondumiso says the eight-day Bootcamp, which took place in Durban early this month, was a game changer.   

“Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. Being with other social entrepreneurs under one roof, sharing similar values makes one realise that one is doing the right thing. The Bootcamp made it possible for me to be the first one in my family to fly in an airplane and stay in a 5-star hotel near the beach.”

“I love storytelling and meeting people like Saray Khumalo who recently summited Mount Everest, and South African celebrated storyteller, Gcina Mhlophe, made it all the more fun. They both shared their stories and the impact they have had in their respective communities and across the globe.”

Boombadotmobi was founded in 2017 when Nondumiso and her business partner noticed the scourge of illegal dumping in Diepsloot. Upon discovering that the waste was coming from outside Diepsloot, they quickly sought a solution to address the problem. Now they collect waste directly from the generators and redirect its final destination.

“We send pictures to our customers to assure them their waste is responsibly disposed of.” says Nondumiso.

She says starting a business is like raising a baby. A business needs the care of an understanding parent but equally important is having a supportive family structure.

“The Wot-if? Trust has been that family structure. They have seen us crawl, learning to stand, taking that first uncertain step, and learning to walk”, added Nondumiso.

She says that without the support from The Wot-if? Trust, she would not have known about the RedBull Amaphiko Academy. Being an online business platform, constant access to the internet is crucial for the success of Boombadotmobi. So is the constant need to master as many business skills as possible.  

“The Wot-if? Trust has made available business skills development like Economic Literacy, record keeping, invoicing, social media master classes and others. I think doing this on my own would have cost a lot of money and taken a long time.”

just as it takes a village to raise a child, local entrepreneurs require the support of a community. By buying local products and services, you help feed a family or send a child to school or allow a one man business to grow and employ someone else.