On 19 June, TCTA hosted the Green Youth Champions Awards gala dinner as part of the 11th Annual Green Youth Indaba at the Sun City Convention Centre in the North West. The gala, which marked the close of the Indaba, created a platform to strengthen sustainable partnerships with key industry players, including DWS, EWSETA, CATHSSETA and Magalies Water.
Alongside the flagship Indaba, the evening celebrated young environmental changemakers who are using innovation to support sustainable development. The Green Youth Indaba brings together young entrepreneurs, government representatives, civil society actors and private sector partners to advance sustainable innovation and contribute to economic growth.
Setting the tone for the evening, Green Youth Network CEO Sanele Zulu welcomed guests and thanked TCTA for its continued investment in the country’s youth.
“TCTA is one of those organisations that we value most because they are one of the first organisations that bought into our vision. They did not have to, but because they believed in the vision, we are now able to attract many other sponsors and offer more comprehensive support to aspiring businesses,” said Mr Zulu.
Giving a message of support, Senior Manager: Communication and Stakeholders at TCTA, wanda mkutshulwa, praised the work done by the Green Youth Network over the past 11 years. “As this has been a long-running programme, I am actually thinking to myself, ‘Where are they now?’ as I believe that this Indaba has given birth to many young black entrepreneurs,” said Ms mkutshulwa. “Perhaps some of them have not fully reached their goals. In that case, maybe we and other partners here today can partner with them to further their inventions.”
Ms mkutshulwa also highlighted TCTA’s broader youth development initiatives. These include the Youth Entrepreneurial Development Programme, a corporate social investment initiative that identifies aspiring young entrepreneurs from TCTA project areas and supports them in growing their businesses.
The programme has recently absorbed two entrepreneurs within the uMkhomazi Water Project site, reinforcing TCTA’s commitment to creating opportunities in the communities linked to its projects. She also spoke about the fast-growing Naledi bursary scheme, which continues to demonstrate TCTA’s commitment to youth empowerment, enterprise development and long-term socioeconomic impact.
