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Mbuyiselo Ngwendu had been looking for a job for seven years before he heard about the youth employment organisation Harambee.
The 27-year-old from Sebokeng, in the Vaal, matriculated in 2006 and couldn’t fulfil his dream of studying marketing.
As he was about to lose hope, Ngwendu was told about the Harambee youth employment accelerator and contacted the organisation.
A few months later he was called for assessments and now he’s a happy employee and student.
“I have been working for Enterprise Room for two years now. They’re even helping me with my studies. I’m studying IT because I saw a need for that role,” he said.
“Joining Harambee gave me hope that there is a better life out there. It took me from the streets were I saw crime and drugs.”
He said the organisation changed his life.
“I come from a poor family and no one was working at the time. It was me, my mother and two siblings”.
Ngwendu believes there are many opportunities out there and young people need to have patience.
Harambee is an organisation that connects youth between 18 and 34 to entry-level employment.
The company, founded in 2010, has offices in major cities across the country – including Pretoria and Port Elizabeth.
“We’ve performed a million assessments on 200 000 candidates, and have managed to place 25 000 so far,” said client services executive, Lebo Nke.
About 1100 of these candidates were placed in small to medium enterprises, and the rest in industries such as retail, hospitality, tourism, financial services, insurance and banking.
Harambee also provides bridging courses for its candidates. They are taught how to put together a CV, about working in the different fields, confidence building and teamwork.
