UDM Gauteng premier candidate leads youthful drive

United Democratic Movement (UDM) Gauteng premier candidate, Professor Mthunzi Mdwaba launched a youthful drive to ensure issues of social justice and entrepreneurship are tackled as part of his broader mandate to empower young people.

On Wednesday, while the country was commemorating Workers’ Day, Mdwaba hosted an intimate group of young professionals and business people at a gathering in Midrand.

The CEO and Chairman of Tzoro Strategic Advisory and Thuja Holdings, said he had been putting off committing to requests for mentorship from a range of young people who had approached him on social media and in person, for a long time. But now with a newly found vigour for advocacy he had decided to take the bull by the horns.

Many business founders in HR, law, telecoms, cycling and trade unions at the gathering seemed to have had similar experiences of being denied equal opportunities in their spheres of business.

Speaking during an information-sharing session, Wisani Maluleke, who runs various entities in the telecommunications sphere including Teletics Network Cabling, spoke of the race-based war that he has to fight to get business and money from funding institutions, which continue to see black businesses and their owners as high risk.

“All I can say is that there is a war being fought by black entrepreneurs on all fronts. In my space, it has become so common that race politics are played openly and for me the freedom we have is a mere curfew, and not real freedom. I have struggled to get finance even though I have proof that my business is sustainable,” he said.

Buyi Zwane, who is in human resource recruitment, revealed that she was embroiled in litigation after a big printing company stole her client and refused to honour an agreement, which left her in financial difficulty.

“We as black business people are bullied sometimes by big companies and sometimes by banks who refuse to fund our businesses. I am currently having a problem and involved in a messy legal battle with a printing company and have lost more than R110 000 fighting for a contract of R120 000. Right now, I do not know what to do as the legal fees have rendered me bankrupt,” she said.

As a space for engagement, networking and ensuring social justice, Mdwaba has committed himself to using his voice and platform to be a voice for change for the many young people, entrepreneurs who are crushed by the anti-black system.

“There is no recognition for African heritage in Africa. Why is it that our culture and heritage including our ways of healing are not recognised. What is wrong with our customs that they are not catered for in the constitution, world of work and funding institutions? These are all things that we must change,” he said.