MAMELODI-EAST, TSHWANE
GAUTENG
Mother of Melodies
“Mamelodi” is the name derived from the Sepedi word with the prefix being “ma” meaning mother, and the suffix “melodi” meaning melody.
Located 20km east of the Tshwane Central Business District, Mamelodi is home to over 60,160 households. It is the home of the Premier soccer league team, Mamelodi Sundowns football club and just as the name suggests, it is a place rich in culture and “vibe”. Although Mamelodi is a place where many nurture dreams, it is taking strain due to the rapid growth in its population. This results in a heightened demand for resources and furthermore, makes livelihood opportunities infrequent. These challenges have, however, not disheartened Mamelodi dwellers – they continue to strive to find opportunities in sectors less explored.
Resilience amidst the rubble – rebuilding small businesses
The recent looting of malls in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng has threatened the survival of hundreds of small businesses. In response to this crisis, Ranyaka in collaboration with the Nedbank Proud of my Town programme has launched a relief and recovery intervention to...
Creating opportunities and turning them into profit
"I kid you not, I knew I was something special when at just six years, I announced in front of my whole family that I was going to be a breadwinner," chuckles Samuel Moobeng, one of most diverse entrepreneurs in Mamelodi. His business, Moobeng Trading and Projects...
Why aren’t we doing enough?
This is the question that was asked during a gender-based violence (GBV) round table discussion held at Ebukhosini Training Centre in Mamelodi township in Tshwane, Gauteng on 30 April 2021. The majority of the group were men. This scene played out in an...
Join online – build on the ground
Introducing the Proud of our Towns Facebook Groups “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success.”The world of social media did not yet exist when Henry Ford spoke these wise words. But many decades later, they still...
Building a dream – one brick at a time
It is difficult to imagine anyone starting a business amidst a pandemic and to say that 2020 was filled with numerous twists, turns and uncertainties, would be an understatement. So, imagine starting a business during this time – and not just any business, but a...
It’s not enough to be compassionate, we must build
The unfolding story of Gugu Makhubu "I knew this is who I was going to become. This is me. I love helping people. I want people to become better versions of themselves. I want them to reach greater heights, do more and be more,” says Gugu Makhubu, Founder of Vuguma...