Durban University of Technology (DUT) alumna, Ntobeko Mafu, has been selected as a delegate to attend the prestigious Asia World Model United Nations (AWMUN) Offline Conference in Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Thailand, from 27 to 30 May 2023.
The dynamic go-getter is a 22-year-old farmer, and author of her book called, Letters to whoever needs to hear this: notes from me. She is also a motivational speaker and founder from Edendale in Pietermaritzburg, who owns a business called Madam Clucks A lot Poultry.
Madam Clucks A lot Poultry rears broiler chickens and supplies them to the people who live in local communities and surrounding areas.
She realised food security is a big instigator of a lot of things, saying that people need to not be hungry and that is when she realised she needed to start her own business.
She spoke of how DUT had helped her to be the entrepreneur that she is. She went through extensive training programmes, through the innobiz DUT Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation as well as receiving funding from them.
“If you are a DUT student and you don’t visit the innovation hub, I don’t know what you are doing at DUT because they literally taught me how start and pitch a business, how to do my books, explaining that it does require a lot of one’s time and focus,” she said.
Additionally, DUT recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with University of Applied Sciences, Aschaffenburg in Germany. Mr Ernst Schulten who is the Director of the International Office at the University of Applied Sciences, Aschaffenburg conducted a two-day SAP 4HANA workshop to the DUT entrepreneurs. The main aim of the workshop was to raise awareness to student entrepreneurs and to learn how to integrate and manage business functions – such as finance, human resources, procurement, sales, manufacturing, and service in real time. This is how she met Mr Schulten. She expressed her special thanks to the Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement, Professor Keolebogile Motaung for playing a pivotal role in signing of the MOU.
“I have been accepted into an international programme called the Asia World Model United Nations which is a simulation of the United Nations meeting between selected youth from all over the world,” she said jubilantly.
She stressed that after hearing of her being selected, the cost factors were a worry; however that was easily resolved.
“I had to get sponsorship for registration and flights so Mr Schulten has kindly sponsored my flights to and from Bangkok. During the conference, I will be speaking mainly on agriculture and food insecurity. In this way I will not only gain international insight into my business idea but I will also gain exposure, public speaking, debating, and writing skills (because at some point we present a proposal) and obtain an international certificate,” she said excitedly.
Schulten was impressed by her business acumen, saying that he wants to hand out scholarships to young, African talents in the future, as he had also been instrumental in privately financing the work of other entrepreneurs that has been through DUT innobiz, Ms Zime Nxumalo, 20-year old blockchain entrepreneur from Zime Wezwe Creatives and Mr Mphiliseni Manqele, a 19-year-old upcoming artist and talented painter from Umbumbulu.
“I met Ntobeko Mafu in Pietermaritzburg last summer and she and her business really impressed me much so I spontaneously decided to sponsor her the trip to Bangkok,” he said.
Schulten added, that he would like to invest in the chicken farm for the long term, but sees the temporary load shedding as a serious threat to the businesses in South Africa. Corresponding discussions about more investments in the chicken farm will continue at the end of 2024. In the meantime, Mafu should also have received her own power generator. If not, an investment here would also make sense,” he concluded.
DUT’s Prof Motaung was euphoric to learn that Mafu will be attending the Asia World Model United Nations (AWMUN) Offline Conference in Thailand. She expressed how exhilarating it is to see an MOU now in place between DUT and the University of Applied Sciences, Aschaffenburg in Germany; a feat she is immensely proud of being instrumental in making happen.
Prof Motaung also expressed how wonderful it is to see Mafu growing in leaps and bounds from a student to an entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker, and now on her way to becoming an international role ambassador for DUT.
She further thanked NYDA and Mr Schulten for the support given to innobiz, which also plays a vital role in providing vast training programmes through the innobiz DUT Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, under the helm of innobiz Manager, Ms Nontokozo Ngcobo.
More Information about Mr Ernst Schulten and his team, go to https://www.th-ab.de/hochschule/organisation/organisationseinheiten/international-office. For information pertaining to the international exchange study applications, go to: www.th-ab.de/en/
Pictured: Student entrepreneur, Ms Nontobeko Mafu with her sponsor Mr Ernst Schulten who is the Director of the International Office at the University of Applied Sciences, Aschaffenburg.
Pictured: Nontobeko Mafu. Photo by: Khulasane Tshayile.
Excerpts from https://omny.fm/shows/power-podcasts/the-power-hustle-madame-clucks-a-lot-poultry-ntobe and Waheeda Peters
