Wayne Isaacs took an early retirement package after 30 years of service, which he turned into a business opportunity, and today he employs 16 people.
South Africa (21 July 2022) – Opportunity is what drives South Africans to start businesses that can go on to create jobs for even more people. There are big businesses that invest in these innovative small businesses to fill the gaps where they cannot.
The Telkom FutureMakers programme does exactly that, gives small businesses a chance to work on development which will not only create jobs within the communities they serve but enhances Telkom’s own services too.
Telkom FutureMakers is a completely fresh and proactive approach to skills and small business development that taps into the existing Telkom pool of talent. Telecommunications is an industry that is in continuous evolution and Telkom is a business that has proved its resilience and adaptability to change, always served with a touch of compassion.
Through business support and skills development, these three people are turning their dreams into reality and helping create opportunities for more South Africans.
From Retirement to Creating Employment.
Wayne Isaacs worked at Telkom for 30 years when he was offered the opportunity to take an early retirement package. Not one to sit idle, he used his knowledge and skills to start a business that would go on to support Telkom in its fieldwork, address a backlog in their systems and employ a handful of people.
Enlight Technologies was started at a time when Telkom was faced with the enormous challenge of line faults occurring exponentially. His initial focus was attending to the Telkom faults that had fallen behind and were bottlenecking the support system.
Isaacs went on to enrol in the Telkom FutureMakers Independent Field Technician Programme, which provided business training and investment in his business. Isaacs went from helping work through a backlog to connecting parts of Cape Town that had previously never had an internet connection.
In the process, he has been able to employ 16 people, offer ongoing training to his team and provide a service in communities where it is needed most.
Developing Opportunity.
The FutureMakers programmes not only support previous employees, but it also supports people within the Telkom supply chain and innovators looking for investment.
Khathutshelo Mufamadi is a beneficiary of the Telkom Future Makers Venture Capital IDF fund, which has supported his trucking company, Droppa. The company is a multi-million rand success story since he started the business. Technology and innovation have driven this success.
Mufamadi was driven to develop the app and system that drives his business today. With further investment, he has his sights set on expanding beyond South Africa to become Africa’s pre-eminent supplier of transport logistics.
Lesedi Rannoko, a third-year BComm student from Soweto, was introduced to the FutureMakers Township Innovation Incubator programme; she was selected to join as one of eleven candidates. Being a student, she was aware of the struggles in finding affordable accommodation and is creating an app that connects students to landlords.
With the assistance of the programme, she is developing a platform and app to effectively connect landlords seeking vetted tenants, together with students needing clean, safe and affordable accommodation in close proximity to their learning institutions. Her app has the potential to change lives!
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