From fashion, skincare and agriculture to music and entertainment, 12 young Mpumalanga visionaries have identified problems in their own communities and built solutions that are already gaining traction and the backing of the Good Work Foundation.
Bushbuckridge, South Africa (14 September 2025) – The rural community of Bushbuckridge is home to incredibly talented youth who aren’t making excuses for what they don’t have, but are pushing past limits to make it as entrepreneurs.
In celebrating and nurturing this tenacity, education non-profit the Good Work Foundation launched its inaugural Pitch Your Business entrepreneurship competition across its six digital learning campuses to support students and their business ventures, ranging from traditional fashion to homemade skincare products.
What is the Pitch Your Business initiative?
The Pitch Your Business initiative celebrates and empowers self-starters by offering them a platform to pitch their ventures to a panel of judges.
Supported by Absa, the competition seeks to help GWF’s Bridging Year Academy (BYA) students apply the knowledge gained from their theoretical curriculum in a real-world setting.
It offers young people who have already started businesses without external backing the chance to rewrite the narrative of rural South Africa and demonstrate that innovation can thrive anywhere, even in the quietest corners of tucked-away villages.
Giving support and mentorship to young self-starters
“The aim of this initiative is to support ideas that are already making a difference; to get behind young entrepreneurs who refuse to wait for outside funding before pursuing their dreams,” shares BYA manager Ntsako Mandlazi.
“Through this entrepreneurship challenge, we are recognising students who have started businesses that solve problems in their communities. We want to give them the tools, confidence and exposure they need to take their ideas even further.”
Among the 12 winners chosen this year are Mduduzi Mdhlovo, Jubilee Mhlongo and Tiyani Sibiya, all from Mpumalanga.
Mduduzi Mdhlovo
At just 24, Mduduzi Mdhlovo from the village of Dumphries in the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality has already turned his love for design into a thriving clothing brand, MMC Clothing. He started his business in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he sold homemade face masks.
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Mdhlovo’s designs carry the pride of his culture while meeting the everyday needs of his customers.
“It was very hard at first. But with my grandmother’s support and mentorship, I gained the confidence I needed. Shortly after starting, I began posting my designs on social media, and customers started finding me,” says Mdhlovo
Today, the clothing line has become a go-to destination for traditional wear with a modern flair in Mdhlovo’s part of the world.
Jubilee Mhlongo
Twenty-two-year-old Jubilee Unathi Mhlongo’s business was born out of personal struggle. As a teenager residing in the village of Lillydale, which adjoins the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve, she battled stubborn acne and tried product after product, only to be met with disappointment and rising costs.
She turned to research and discovered that she could make her own skincare products from natural ingredients she had at home.
In 2024, she came up with Jubilee Skin Products, beginning with soaps, scrubs and serums made from turmeric, honey and other natural ingredients. She started with door-to-door sales, winning over neighbours before expanding her reach through social media.
“I wanted to create affordable products because I know many people can’t afford expensive skincare routines,” Mhlongo says.
Her products proved effective in helping her clear up her own acne, which gave her the confidence to share them with others.
Tiyani Sibiya
For Tiyani Sibiya (stage name Psalmist DeeMthunziE), music is more than a business. It is a calling. The 25-year-old gospel artist based in Nkwinyamahembe, Lillydale, turned to music after a spiritual epiphany that he says gave him clarity about his purpose.
“I wanted to use this gift only to praise God. Music is meant to heal, and it is through music that I feel most comfortable to share and preach the good news,” says Sibiya.
Since 2021, Sibiya has recorded and released two albums and two EPs, with his music available on streaming platforms. He books his own gigs, promotes his work online and has even diversified into other ventures, such as selling his own blend of chilli sauces and printing T-shirts. But it was his gospel music that took centre stage for the Pitch Your Business opportunity.
These three visionaries are living proof that passion and determination can ignite powerful businesses in even the most remote corners of the country.
Supporting entrepreneurial ventures such as these form part of GWF’s Ecosystem of Learning and Working, which helps young people to “bridge the gap” between high school and further studies or the workplace.
As the Pitch Your Business initiative grows, it promises to be a launchpad for even more budding entrepreneurs who are determined to transform their lives and uplift their communities.
Sources: Supplied
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