Commemorating Youth Month under the theme "Accelerating youth economic emancipation for a sustainable future"
A start-up contributes towards a greener world
Every crisis brings new opportunities. The Covid-19 pandemic was a global disaster, but it did lead to the emergence of new inventions, and businesses of all sizes increasingly began to embrace technology.
Nonhlanhla Mhlongo was a mathematics teacher when the pandemic started. She found that sanitising children's hands and desks was taking up a great deal of teaching and learning time. She thought things over, and Khwezi Innovations was born.
Founded in October 2020, Khwezi Innovations is developing a biodegradable, 2-in-1, glove-like hand sanitiser that dries on the hands and remains effective for an hour. The glove peels off and dissolves in water in a matter of minutes, leaving no waste behind.
The company, based in Pretoria, contributes to a greener world by addressing three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely, good health and well-being (SDG 3), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6) and climate action (SDG 13).
Mhlongo and project co-founder Sinakekelo Buthelezi work together to identify problems related to climate change and sustainability and then to devise innovative and easy-to-use solutions.
In 2021, they reached the Boost Up pitch competition finals and were chosen to represent South Africa in Europe, Finland. When they returned, the Technology Innovation Agency, an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), funded a technical feasibility study for them that was conducted by the Nelson Mandela University.
Khwezi Innovations, remarks Mhlongo, is a company that works on green living innovation.
"We basically identify climate change and sustainability issues and then collaborate as a team and with other innovators to co-create innovative solutions to these challenges," she explains.
Mhlongo wishes that all South Africans would work together to combat climate change and biodiversity loss, as she is doing with Khwezi Innovations.
The company has grown from strength to strength, winning many awards. Mhlongo herself was an Africa's Rising Star Awards finalist in 2022, and in May 2023 won second place in the Showcasing Southern Africa Entrepreneurial Talent event, hosted by the Innovation Bridge Portal.
The portal, an initiative of the Department of Science and Innovation, is supported by the Department of Small Business Development, in partnership with the World Bank Group, Thinkroom and national counterparts in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia.
It has enabled young entrepreneurs to receive tailored solutions to help with the early stages of developing their business. The young people complete online training and receive practical support from mentors to prepare to pitch their start-ups.
Mhlongo was selected to participate in the 2023 Biodiversity Partners Program, an innovative biodiversity acceleration and learning programme, and won an award for the most innovative business solution from Africa Beyond 4IR in June 2023.
She has just been accepted to participate in the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs Lesotho, Eswatini and South Africa (AWE LESA) 2023 Program, which will run from July to November 2023. An initiative of the United States’ Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the program aims to promote economic growth and prosperity and empowers women to build better futures for their families and communities.
"At Khwezi Innovations, we believe it is critical that we collaborate and ensure that we are fully equipped to work effectively now that we are in the 4th industrial revolution", says the young innovator.
