SA's Top Five Young Entrepreneurs of 2021

From the well-known "Afronaut" and CEO of Canonical, Mark Shuttleworth, to the founder and creator of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk, South Africa's entrepreneurial spirit has proven that the sky is no longer the limit.

It's no doubt that we have a large collection of go-getters that are setting the scene for new business concepts both innovative and uniquely South African. From new and exciting ways to combat waste disposal to helping our people build the skills that they need. The youth of SA are pioneering the way forward and doing their part to give back to local communities, society, and encouraging an environment for sustainable practices.

Here are five of some of South Africa's most successful young entrepreneurs to date.

Luvuyo Rani 

As an individual who prides himself in building a reputation from the bottom up, Luvuyo Rani's journey is a classic rag to riches story.

Luvuyo founded his award-winning IT services company, Silulo Ulutho Technologies in 2004 to provide internet and computer access to a lower-income target market. The company now has over 46 stores in townships and rural areas in the Western, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, 220 full-time staff members, and 18 franchisees.

Starting as a school teacher, Luvuyo knew that his destiny was to be found elsewhere and took the plunge in the form of a R10,000 loan and started the business that would propel him into Forbes Magazine 2014 and being named one of the JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (JCI TOYP) in the category of business, economics, and entrepreneurial accomplishments.

Luvuyo owes much of his success to the support he got from his mother when growing up. He often cites her as his core inspiration and the reason he had the opportunity to achieve his BTech in Communicative Technology.

Based in Cape Town with his wife and son, Luvuyo enjoys spending time outdoors, and connecting with friends.

Website: Silulo Ulutho Technologies

Ezlyn Barends

A dynamic visionary and self-starter, Ezlyn Barends is a recognised and driven professional who is passionate about the empowerment of women though business development, marketing, and social entrepreneurship.

Ezlyn founded her company DreamGirls Academy in November of 2011 with a group of South African female professionals determined to develop a hub for top young talented ladies and leaders throughout the country. The stated goal is to support young girls and women to reach economic dependency and self sufficiency. Ezlyn and her team view themselves as agents of change.

Since its inception, Dreamgirls' team of twelve professionals have graduated over 800 mentors and mentees from the uniquely styled and structured programme across Johannesburg, Cape Town, Polokwane, and Welkom.

When asked what's the best advice she could give to other women looking to create their own start-up, Ezlyn isn't afraid to tell you to take risks, stand up for yourself, and never be afraid of failure.

"If you apply a learning mindset, those very same failures will lead to the most epic work that you'll put out into the world." 

Website: DreamGirls Academy

Siyabulela Xuza

Siya Xuza is one of the youngest innovators in the country with a background in Science and Engineering, his motivation is to harness the power of the sun to create a long lasting and sustainable future through efficient energy consumption.

Siya's story began when he was just five years old witnessing a Cessna plane fly over his town to drop off ANC flyers for the then 94 election. Since then, Siya has been fascinated by the world of science and technology. Beginning with experimenting on rocket fuel in his mother's kitchen!

This early passion led to his later innovations in fuel development leading to the design and application of cheaper and safer rocket fuel which he used in his own self-built rocket, The Phoenix, in order to demonstrate its benefits. His rocket was propelled over a kilometre above the skyline making it the highest propelled rocket within South African airspace.

Siya's rocket fuel became the subject of his project "Fueling Africa's quest to space" which won gold at the National Science Expo. This achievement led to an invitation to the International Youth Science Fair in Sweden in 2006, where he presented his project to the King and Queen of Sweden and attended a Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm.

Siya's accomplishments in the field have led to a mountain of awards and accolades, one of which was a minor planet discovered in 2000 being named after him. 23182 Siyaxuza in recognition of his achievements is an asteroid that orbits around our solar system.

Nick Kaoma

Nick Kaoma is the founder and CEO of South Africa's lead streetwear brand, Head Honcho Clothing.

Starting out with absolutely nothing, the young South African entrepreneur had only his determination and passion for his brand. That passion eventually paid off as Head Honcho is now leading the pack in terms of streetwear fashion in the country. 

The clothing brand has collaborations with Miller and Play and is the first local business to see its wares stocked in Shesha and Sport Scene outlets all over the nation and across the border in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Zambia.

Nick is ranked 4th on the Forbes list of Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in the continent of Africa. He believes in changing up the fashion industry with an aspiration and desire to see local trends coming to the forefront of African fashion as a whole.

"the simple desire to create something magical that reflects the spirit of our times."

Website: Head Honcho Clothing

Jonathan Liebmann

Durban based Jonathan Liebmann is a well-established and recognised name within the real estate market. Founder of Propertuity in 2007, Jonathan's exceptional eye for construction and architectural design helped his company oversee the development of the Maboneng district in the Rivertown precinct of Durban with a distinctive focus on urban spaces for residents and businesses.

Jonathan is also co-founder of Flow, which is an SA based online real estate company with a focus on creating a community for millennial renters known as Generation Rent. He is described as notorious for being a property disruptor and innovator.

A workaholic from the getgo Liebmann was involved in running nightclubs, a successful mobile coffee shop, and a number of laundries from the age of 15 years old. He went on to study Business and Accounting at Monash University between 2002 and 2004 and by 24 had started five separate businesses with Propertuity being his fifth and most successful.

Since then, Jonathan has amassed an impressive portfolio of properties both old and dilapidated within the run-down sections of Johannesburg inner city. Part of his success has shown itself through the transformation of mindsets about living in areas once known for crime and dereliction with an attempt to gentrify and re-en envision their future. 

Propertuity owns 60 buildings so far in Johannesburg and is now on the same aggressive growth path in Durban.

Website: Propertuity 

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