Government support is critical in enabling the country’s young entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and contribute in creating employment opportunities, particularly in the rural areas of the country.
This is the view of Ms Retang Phaahla, the 33-year-old Chief Executive Officer of Setšong Tea Crafters, an award-winning tea-making business based in the tranquil Limpopo village of Ga-Matlala Ramoshebo near Marble Hall, Limpopo.
Setšong produces tasteful indigenous black bush and red root tea products from indigenous plants found in Limpopo. These are sold in various stores across the country, including Spar, Food Lovers Market, Dischem, Cosmetic Connection, and some Cash and Carry, Amazon and Makro online.
“Unemployment in South Africa is very high, especially among the youth. But with a little help from government, the young entrepreneurs may change the situation. We are a perfect example of what government support can do to assist a business to change the lives of many people by creating jobs for them. We owe our success to various government institutions which believed in us and provided us with the kind of support that has assisted us to create permanent employment for 25 people, and 15 seasonal workers,” says Phaahla.
‘Through tea product manufacturing and commercialisation of South Africa’s indigenous resources, which stem from traditional knowledge, Setšong Tea Crafters has been able to develop the rural economy of a small village in,” notes Phaahla.
She adds that throughout various stages of her company’s journey, they received critical support from the Department of Science and Innovation, Council for Science and Industrial Research (CSIR), Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).
In addition, Setšong is one of the companies that have benefited from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition’s (the dtic) Export and Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA) Scheme. One of the objectives of the scheme is to facilitate market entry for South African products and services into new markets.
The department has helped the company showcase its products in international exhibitions and trade missions in Germany, Russia, Egypt and Brazil.
“It had always been our ambition to export our products to international markets, and the exhibitions overseas have gone a long way in providing us with an opportunity to market our company and products internationally. We are now in the process of reconfiguring our packaging for the Brazilian market. Last year we started shipping products to the United States of America, and we are also talking to interested buyers in the United Kingdom, as well as buyers from Japan, whom we met in Germany,” adds Phaahla.
Recently, Setšong clinched a deal that will see their tea products available in all of the shops in the Kruger National Park.
Phaahla holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Quantity Survey from the University of Pretoria. The unofficial secretarial duties that she performed for her mother, Nondumiso, a social entrepreneur in her own right, planted the seed for entrepreneurship in her. When her and her mother decided to establish Setšong in 2014, it was not a difficult decision to sacrifice her professional career for entrepreneurship.
“My 9-5 job was not fulfilling. I had seen the impact of my mother’s work in the community. That inspired me a lot, as I worked closely with her. Improving the socio-economic conditions of people through entrepreneurship was her passion. I was bound to follow in her path. Today, we pride ourselves in making a difference in many people’s socio-economic conditions through creating employment” recalls Phaahla.
Her entrepreneurial efforts and their positive impact on communities have been recognised and rewarded. In 2022 her company won the Food Lovers’ Market Seed of Change Programme Award for suppliers with sustainable and tangible social impact. Other awards they have won include Top Female Run Enterprise at the South African Innovation Summit, the most Progressive SMME by the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce, and the Bio-Entrepreneur of the Year by AfricaBio.
Today, she continues to inspire young girls through the company’s participation in the Techno Girls Programme by empowering them with entrepreneurial skills, and life skills in general.
Young entrepreneurs can create jobs – Ms Phaahla with some of the employees of the Setšong Tea Crafters
Ms Retang Phaahla showcasing her products in an international exhibition in Germany, where she was supported by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic)
Investing in young entrepreneurs guarantees return in investment – Chief Executive Officer of Setšong Tea Crafters, Ms Retang Phaahla,
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