GEP CERTIFICATION CEREMONY FOR 125 CANDIDATES WHO ACHIEVED THE COMPUTER LITERACY TRAINING AND DIGITAL MARKETING PROGRAM FOR THE COOPERATIVES.

The Computer Literacy program was hosted for 5 regions in Gauteng and was a 5-day training which helped evolve and teach anyone of age and race to be skilled in computer skills in their cooperate field. An awarded ceremony was hosted on the 5th of December 2022 for the successful candidates at the Museum Africa, Newtown, Johannesburg. GEP was in partnership with Phaahlana Mahlako for the Computer Literacy training.

In the event of covid-19, GEP realized most of the businesses could continue working because they were technologically smart, but the challenge was coops because many Cooperatives needed to evolve and learn how to use the Microsoft office and laptops to further their businesses and that is how the training transpired.

The computer training program was based on Microsoft office like Excel, Word, outlook and more to enhance their skills to better their businesses. The objective was to provide service to 25 coops each in 5 regions (Ekurhuleni, Sedibeng, Johannesburg, West Rand, and Tshwane) GEP ensured the program was a success at providing the necessary skill set.

“I took a lot from this experience, that you can’t know everything as a businessperson, you must keep on learning and teaching yourself new things every day.

I did know about Microsoft word and PowerPoint but I didn’t know how to use the programs. it has given me an awareness about re-learning computer skills, and I wasn’t even aware that I could easily launch my own business and empowering myself to do my own thing “ stated Nomsa Masiya, from Region G.

“This training was very big for us, which will take us far and we want to spread it out there in terms of how to conduct business profiles. That program has taught me a lot and that we want it to continue and help other coops that couldn’t attend the training “” stated Nokthula Nhlapho from Orange Farm.

GEP will continue assisting Cooperatives thrive and prosper.

Phaalana Mahlako in partnership with GEP (Nadas Pillay GEP Manager of Cooperatives & incubation enterprise support)

A HAPPY CHAMBER SHOWS APPRECIATION TO GEP

GEP-Germiston met with Mr Mnguni, the president of the Greater Thembisa Chamber on possible collaboration to assist small enterprises within the Chamber. His biggest concern was that GEP does not appear to reach out to needy entrepreneurs in Townships, and that they as Chambers are inundated with complaints from their members that GEP does not assists. A process was explained to him, and what role the Chamber could play to assist their members through the process of application. The issue of compliance was raised as the biggest for small enterprises. He committed to ensure to work with GEP to ensure qualifying entrepreneurs within the Chambers are assisted. Shortly after the engagement, GEP started receiving applications directed by Mr Mnguni from the Chamber, amongst those were Informal Traders.

GEP Intervention Offered
Informal Traders Grant is one of the popular offerings by GEP to informal business. This grant was initiated seeing the dire need of the Informal Traders who could not be assisted in any way by any DFI due to non-compliance, yet these businesses tend to be very resilient with some having been operating for years sustaining families. Through this grant funding, Informal Traders are boosted with stock and even trading aids such a cooler boxes and smaller utensils to improve their trading conditions.

GEP Team committed to attend to the Informal Traders swiftly as these were a sizeable number from the Greater Thembisa Chamber. A Total of 19 Informal Traders were assisted with stock and some small trading aids to the value of R 5 000 each.

Mr Mnguni was directly involved as the Team would report to him directly on challenges they faced. In this way he got to appreciate the struggles that GEP officials sometimes contend with dealing with small enterprises.

A Token of Appreciation
After the project was successfully completed, Mr Mnguni felt compelled to demonstrate the Chamber’s appreciation of the GEP Team’s effort is a special way. He delivered unannounced to GEP-Germiston offices a Certificate of Appreciation, as well as some refreshments for the Team.

On the 06th of December 2022, GEP in partnership with Manchu group (Answer The Call) held a graduation for the class of 2022 learnership students. The ceremony was held in Sandton, Johannesburg.

The graduation is made possible through the partnership programme between GEP Partnership and Revenue Generation unit the Manchu group. Manchu runs a learnership programme that equip learners with necessary skills for when they start looking for employment. and they students who are living with disability to be placed.

in a job placement. The partnership began two years ago and it has been running successfully since. The agreement is that GEP will give their students training to gain skills that they can use when looking for employment.

The class of 2022 students were placed at contact centre.”Ï trained them on all call centre stuffs, GEP services.

They started their training in March. “We took on a women group this time around. It was mainly focus on women who are disadvantaged from any background they come from.

The learnership runs for a year. The students attend classes on Friday. Manchu/Answer the call is responsible to give students classes and lectures.

They enrolled 6 students.

Part of practicals

Most of them are from afar. They are from out of the Gauteng province

at first when I started learning about GEP it was tricky but as time goes it got easier especially when I had to deal with clients.
When I first got here, we started by theory training to understand how things works at GEP contact centre. I enjoyed working with Sis Nomonde. She made the training easier and simpler to understand. She is a good teacher.

Graduating was a dream come true and I enjoyed every moment of it. We received a certificate, a mouse, powerbank and notebooks. I am glad since this certificate is going to help upgrade my CV.

Limpopo GaMampana
Sis Nomonde was very patient with us. She taught us everything. We are here today because of her. She has been pushing us and encouring us to work hard.
Graduation day was a joyous day. To final did everything and know that I have passed was a happy moment for me.

Let’s meet the GEP Manager of Debt Collection and Acting Manager: Post Investment, Mr. Moyagabo Ledwaba.

“I am a ballroom dancer. I danced for a good 18 years”

1. Who is Moyagabo?
I come from Ekurhuleni. I consider myself part of the beginning of the rainbow nation because I was part of the first group of black students that went to a white high school. I was the first black head prefect, so my leadership started there. I was also a deputy head boy. When I was in varsity, my mother invested money in a fly-by-night company. Our family became victims of a scam, which led me to drop out of school due to finances. I looked for a job and worked for Edcon as a call centre agent in credit management at the age of 19. I wanted to be a CA but because of life battles I changed direction. I went back to school. I have a Diploma in Management Principles, and a BCom. I worked in credit control for over 10 years and in banking for another 10.

2. What made you interested in working at GEP?
I am newly employed in the civil service. I have only ever worked in the private sector. As people, we always comment and critique what’s wrong with the civil service. So as a patriot, someone who loves his country, I figured it was time for me to contribute to the success of South Africa through working for the government.

3. What has your experience been like working for GEP?
It’s been an exciting challenge. My unit is very key to the sustainability of our entity and we are working hard to get us to the best place we can be to deliver on our mandate and the results are starting to show.

4. What keeps you motivated?
The age analysis. I am motivated by making sure that it looks healthy. I positively push my team because I seek to inspire and teach more than instruct. That is why I consider myself a leader not a boss.

5. What is a fun fact about you that not many people know?
Many don’t know that I am a ballroom dancer. That was my sport. Ballroom and Latin American dance are what I like to do. I can move. I danced for a good 18 years.

6. What is your favourite hobby?
I enjoy spending time with my children. I like board games with my family.

7. What type of music do you listen to?
I enjoy RNB and soul. Luther Vandross, Dance with My Father is a favourite. The song resonates with me because if there was one wish that God could grant, it was. I do not remember him, I was 4 years old when he passed on but when I close my eyes I can see a silhouette, a flash of him.

8. Your daily must-have
Coffee. Every morning I must have a cup.

Motto: “I take every opportunity as if it’s my only and last opportunity I will ever get.”

Being a woman entrepreneur comes with a unique set of challenges. Being an entrepreneur with a hearing impairment, however, would surely compound the difficulties faced in a tough economic environment.

“Being deaf and black woman make things more difficult because my challenges of being unable to express myself. The community always see deaf community as disable and unable to do thing for themselves.’’

Yet, the indomitable Victoria Matebogo, a deaf entrepreneur, is unfazed by these obstacles. Her enterprise, Voiceout Deaf (Pty) Ltd, is a black woman-owned business based in Mohlakeng.

Matebogo left her corporate job at Standard Bank to start a business that would cater for the deaf community. Providing deaf people with greater career opportunities was her goal.

“Often deaf are given simple jobs where they are not interacting with direct customers or managerial positions. That’s when I decided to start my own business and hire the deaf community and make a place where they can feel at home and express their skills.”
Founded in 2016 as a cooperative for deaf people, Voiceout Deaf was part of the Agri-park program initiated by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and was converted to a private company by Matebogo in 2017.

As the Deaf Federation of SA reports an unemployment rate of 70% in the deaf community, her business is a welcome relief. It employs 41 people, including 9 deaf employees.

The company specializes in vegetable production and offers business development services and tour guide training to the deaf community. It produces vegetables that are sold to local households, such as Pick n Pay, SPAR, and to retail shops in and near Mohlakeng.

Voiceout Deaf lacked sufficient equipment and approached GEP for assistance. They applied for non-financial assistance and were assisted with Township Business Renewal for equipment purchase in 2018.

“GEP assisted me with garden tools. When I started agriculture, I didn’t have any working tools. I always had to borrow from other farmers. We also got support to buy bicycles for the deaf workers. The deaf had challenges travelling to work using public transport because of communication challenges.”
In 2021, the business received Covid-19 relief funds. It was able to hire more employees, attract more customers, and improve its capacity.

“The support made us to start working efficient since agriculture is seasonal business. Workers were able to come on time to work and not sharing tools.”
Matebogo’s outstanding performance has earned her awards from the Gauteng provincial government and the national Department of Agriculture.
She hopes to have her own farm in the future. “We currently farm on a leased farm. Having our own farm will give us total control and growth.”