This blog is about Patson Musabayane.

Patson is one of a kind. Not many like him. He is a true entrepreneur and leads the micro business training courses we present at Mfesane in Crossroads, Cape Town.

Patson was born in Zimbabwe, approx. half a century ago (very old!). He became a victim of the crisis that took place in Zimbabwe post 2000 and moved to South Africa in 2007. The Zimbabwean crisis split his family apart, and on top of it he then had to endure the evils of the xenophobic attacks in 2008. This is when he met Adrian Lange and was introduced to Themba Training. Adrian spotted Patson’s gifting and since then he has been the “anchor” trainer in our programme with hundreds of students passing through his classes.

I have had the pleasure of sitting in on some of these classes. They are full of humour. Much interaction. Dramatic. Full of life, lots of action. At times I am confused as to why he addresses certain subjects, but then I notice the response from the audience. He pushes the right buttons. Jokingly he refers to himself as an amaKwirikwiri (the appellation used in the townships to talk about foreigners). He has learnt the local language (Xhosa) but at times uses wrong words, pronunciations. The class finds this funny. We all laugh as they correct him.

“So what about the Somalians?”

“They must go!”

“Oh so you want to chase them away? What about the Nigerians, the Zimbabweans, Congolese, Pakistanis? Will you chase them also? Musa ukwenza. No, don’t chase them away. Observe them, learn from them, and acquire their business and entrepreneurial skills”.

Patson misses Zimbabwe. I see the longing in his eyes when we talk about fishing. Immediately he is transported to the Eastern Highlands. To the Nyanga mountains. Maybe that is why he enjoys taking the students (every weekend) to sell on the Boland farms in the Ceres district.

For 5 years Patson has lived on the premises at Mfesane in Crossorads where we present our classes. Mfesane has been a haven. It is secure. The students come and go. It is very convenient. We have been informed that he has to vacate end of December. Not easy when you are an amaKwirikwiri. We have built this project around Patson, built it around him staying at Mfesane. So it is a challenge. A challenge we will have to overcome.

Patson – a valued Thembalitsha Foundation colleague.

Francois Heunis

Project Manager

On the 14^th of October 28 of our students graduated. This was surely one of the most exciting and colourful graduations in the history of Themba Training. I believe 4 things contributed to the success of this event;

1.         Patson and his students

The interaction between Patson and this group of students, plus between the students themselves has been very encouraging. This group also represented an older age group than most of our previous classes. A number of the students were born in the 1940s and should be preparing for retirement. This is the furthest thing from their minds as they simply cannot afford this luxury. The prospect of finding employment at this age is almost nil, therefore establishing micro businesses is the only way to put bread on the table.

2.         New premises

We held the graduation in the large training room which forms part of the new facility we will be moving into at Mfesane on the 1^st of November. It is a great improvement on anything we’ve ever had in the townships. We will be partnering with Bosom Buddies and use the facility also for other training, with a sewing project (linked to business training) our first new venture.

3.         Visitors from Finland

        23 Students from the University of Aalto in Helsinki (Finland) also joined us on the 14^th. They were visiting South Africa to study projects involved in assisting micro-business owners (entrepreneurs) with special interest in micro-financing. Their presence at the graduation added that “something extra”. To bring even more colour to our event 8 young people from America popped in as part of a general tour visiting the various Thembalitsha projects.

4.          It was difficult to drive around in Crossroads/Philippi with 23 blond Finns visiting various businesses so in the end Patson organised for a number of our students to bring their businesses to Mfesane. We were blessed with a beautiful day and passers-by were surprised to see shops erected overnight outside the training facility. This provided the students from Aalto the opportunity to interact with and interview our students.

2013 has been a year of contrasts for Themba Training. We have enjoyed good news stories, yet at the same time have faced challenges, and had a few sad news stories. Sadly, at the end of August we said goodbye to two of our trainers. 

Malibongwe Nduku joined the Thembalitsha staff more than 5 years ago and has become much loved and respected in the Foundation. For most of this time Mali was involved in our micro business training courses. In 2012 we established the PC training center in Bellville (near main bus/taxi rank) which came under his leadership. We are very proud of what we managed to establish but have not been successful in creating sufficient interest. In the many years Themba Training has been involved in the townships we have literally had hundreds of requests for computer training. However we were not confident establishing such a facility in the areas we operate due to security concerns, therefore the move to Bellville. We offered our courses at very little cost but discovered people were not prepared to travel to attend them. This surprised us as it never surfaced as a potential issue when we did our canvassing. We have had to go back to the drawing board, but due to lack of funds Themba Training is no longer in a position to employ Malibongwe.

Lionel Padayachee joined Themba Training (also as a micro business trainer) in 2009. In 2012 we mandated Lionel to establish a Security Training Academy. We are very proud of the way in which he enrolled for and passed the many courses to obtain full SETA accreditation as a facilitator and monitor. However, the Foundation has not been able to produce a certificate required for us to register as an accredited SASSETA training facility. This has been a tremendously frustrating experience for us. Our objective was that this project would be self-sustaining but as we can no longer provide the necessary financial support we have had to call it a day.

Both these men have become my good friends. I have huge respect for them and pray that wonderful doors will open for both of them. Having to let them go has been a big blow to us.

Our small business training in Crossroads continues. Currently we are running two very successful classes and will share some good news stories next month. We have also obtained new training facilities in Crossroads and are in advanced discussions with some of the other Thembalitsha Projects to present training courses and other services at this venue. So amongst the sad news, there is also good news and much hope.   

Francois Heunis

June News

A large percentage of the people signing up for our micro business training courses list Grade 11 as their highest education achieved. Approximately 30% claim to have passed Matric (Grade 12). However this is not a reliable statistic as we do not request copies of certificates, and simply ask students to complete a form. We have discovered many write down “matric”, meaning they got to matric but never passed it. They are the product of a system which pushes people through the grades, only to come crashing down when attempting to pass the national Grade 12 exam.

It is indeed sad to notice the lack of basic writing skills and mathematical ability with those who supposedly passed Grade 11. It is also interesting to note the obvious difference in basic educational ability between those from countries such as Zimbabwe and Malawi. The majority of the “foreigners” who attend the courses end up as our top students. The lack of the most basic education remains one of our greatest challenges. Often it feels that what we are doing is helping adults who simply will never “catch up” – the damage was done when they were in their early formative years.

At Thembalitsha we are fully convinced that one of the best ways to serve and bless South Africa, is to do something about early childhood development (ECD). Report after report published has identified this as one of the root causes of many of the challenges we face in this nation. The findings paint a very sad picture.  The majority of learners in poor schools start falling behind required literacy and numeracy levels in their first year, and by the time they end the “foundation phase” in grade 3, many have effectively dropped out and will predictably fail to master the curriculum in later years.   This is the main reason why around 50% of children drop out of school before they reach matric.
There are many variables at work, including children’s home circumstances. But a primary reason for education failure in the foundation phase is this: A large proportion of South African teachers can’t teach, and many won’t make the effort required to do so. Most are also agreed that the problem is not just what happens in Foundation Phase teaching or thereafter - BUT IN FACT WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE children arrive at formal school. The formative years – 1-6 are of critical importance. If children are not taught certain things and in certain ways – they will NEVER recover. Traditionally this is where the home played a key role – but many children now spend these years in crèches or playschools.

A number of the women who attend our micro business courses run crèches. Looking after children whilst their parents are at work (or looking for work) can generate reasonable income for many. However most of these brave women have no teaching skills. At Themba Training (together with some of the other Thembalitsha projects) we would like to do something about this and train staff at crèches to different skill levels. So watch this space. By helping the teachers, we will help our children, and therefore bring hope to our nation.

April News

We all know, when output exceeds input, life is tough.

When your personal needs (for survival), and the needs of your dependents, exceed your income, life is tough.

This is the reality of life for most who attend our micro business training course. Life is tough.

We help our students set up micro businesses, or assist them to make an existing business more effective. We celebrate with them when good profits are generated, but for many the profit is consumed by the demands to simply survive. Many do not re-invest into their businesses, and many simply do not save anything at all. This remains a key challenge and an issue which we have discussed and analyzed numerous times.

I am therefore excited about the 4 MBA students from the University of Stellenbosch who have chosen our project for study, analysis and comment. I am especially interested to see their reactions when they come into contact with “township economics”. I am interested to discover whether their advanced studies will help them help us, as we work hard to find solutions for some of the unique challenges micro-entrepreneurs are faced with in Cape Town township life. Watch this space!

We have completed training the first two groups for 2013, and are now busy with the long process of mentoring. The attached photo shows Patson mentoring students at a fellow student’s business. This young man built a wonderful structure next to a very busy road and opened a “restaurant” & take-away business. However he is facing challenges and Patson used this opportunity to present a workshop, asking for input from the others to suggest ways to improve this business. The suggestions were varied and interesting! The session ended with the business owner serving lunch to all at a reduced price! This included barbequed chicken feet – a popular delicacy for many South Africans.

February News

A number of years ago a friend of mine, who pastors a church in a community where alcohol abuse is rife, made the following comment; “January is panel-beating month for us”. He then explained that so many people in the community fall apart during the Christmas/New Year holiday time, spending too much, drinking too much etc. that January is then spent putting people together again (hence “panel-beating”). At Themba Training January is also a bit of a “panel-beating” time for us. Many of our students, who own micro-businesses, spend too much money in December. Numbers participate in the traditional annual “trek” to the Eastern Cape where families expect them to entertain and buy gifts. They then return to Cape Town with no money, and spend the next month trying to sell to people who are in exactly the same situation as they are.

During January the decline in numbers of regular traders and their little shops is obvious when driving around the townships where we operate. The only ones occupying their usual spots are the fruit & veg traders. The requests for money can be overwhelming and January remains a challenging month for the Micro MBA training side of our project. We have received a new intake of students at our facility at Mfesane, Old Crossroads and once again Patson will entertain many with his unique style of teaching!

At our Bellville premises Malibongwe has continued with the PC classes. We are starting the year with 2 classes doing the Introduction to PC course. We have been supported by Global BPO and Jana Loock ,in particular, has been an absolute blessing. She has put together a very professional, high-class training manual and we are so grateful for her support.

We have now (hopefully) submitted the final forms for Themba Training to be a fully accredited SASETTA training provider. Lionel is itching to start his Security Training classes. Please pray with us that this last hurdle will be crossed in record time!

Finally – Malibongwe became a dad! Liam (little boy, weighed 3.6kg) was born 23 January. Hopefully he will be as good looking as his mom!