Nelson Mandela Bay entrepreneurs once again demonstrated their appetite for business knowledge and learning at the recent ENGEN Pitch & Polish event sponsored by Engen, Nedbank and Raizcorp.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, the programme has worked with almost 15 000 entrepreneurs since its inception. Workshop delegates and pre-selected contestants are taken through a dynamic pitching workshop by international speaker and world-leading business pitching expert, Justin Cohen. Held in eight cities and towns across South Africa, the winners compete in further rounds with the finals taking place in Johannesburg later this year.

Justin opened the event with an inspirational talk during which he said that no matter what the economic environment, there are problems to solve and wealth to be created. In fact, during tough economic times, there are even more opportunities as there are more problems to solve. He also touched on the need for entrepreneurs to be optimistic. On average, entrepreneurs fail 3.8 times before they succeed. By cultivating a sense of optimism, entrepreneurs can more easily view failures and setbacks as an opportunity to learn and then move on. The workshop followed during which delegates and five pre-selected competitors were taken through eight important aspects of pitching for investment in two parts.

The first half of the workshop ended with the first round of practice pitches by the five contestants. Each was asked to deliver a 30-second pitch as a basepoint to measure against their final competition pitches later in the day. The five contestants were: Unathi Kolanisi who presented her mobile food business; Gcina Manzini who has a property improvement business; Zwelethu Mlonzi who sells homemade fruit juices; Casper Nice who has an innovative washable incontinence wear range; and Evans Zemba who is in the fashion business.

The second half of the workshop was followed by another practice round for the contestants but this time they had a full minute. The key was to incorporate the eight aspects of pitching covered during the first and second rounds of the workshop.

Pitch to win R80 000 in cash for your biz! Running your own business? Want to run your own business? ENGEN Pitch & Polish is the platform you need to launch yourself on to the path of success.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, ENGEN Pitch & Polish is a national entrepreneurial workshop and competition programme that – so far – has helped over 10 000 entrepreneurs improve the way they pitch their businesses to potential investors. As all entrepreneurs know, a perfectly polished pitch is one of the keys to growing and succeeding in business.

The ten-year edition of the programme is being hosted in partnership with Engen Petroleum, Nedbank and Raizcorp, as well as local partners NYDA and iHub.  You can register as a delegate to attend the workshop or – if you feel you have what it takes – you can complete an online entry form to be selected as a contestant.During one exhilarating, fun, exciting and free day, participants undergo comprehensive and interactive entrepreneurial training on how to pitch like a pro!

The session is facilitated by Justin Cohen, best-selling author, international speaker and TV talk-show host.After the training session, contestants pitch their ideas or businesses to the whole audience. This is where things get really interesting, with both Justin and the audience providing feedback on how pitches can be improved.

The regional winners of each leg will have the opportunity to be crowned the ultimate pitch champion at the final glittering round of the competition held in Johannesburg later this year. There are many funders and investors invited to the final and, over the years, finalists (not necessarily the winners) have received millions of rands in investments and hundreds of thousands of rands in grants.

Book your place now for the Port Elizabeth workshop on 13 July. SMS “Pitch” to 43719 (SMSs charged at 50c) or visit www.pitchandpolish.com to complete an entry form, and maybe you will find that R1 million investment you desire. [ends]

Running your own business? Want to run your own business? ENGEN Pitch & Polish is the platform you need to launch yourself on to the path of success.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, ENGEN Pitch & Polish is a national entrepreneurial workshop and competition programme that – so far – has helped over 10 000 entrepreneurs improve the way they pitch their businesses to potential investors. As all entrepreneurs know, a perfectly polished pitch is one of the keys to growing and succeeding in business.

The ten-year edition of the programme is being hosted in partnership with Engen Petroleum, Nedbank and Raizcorp, as well as local partners NYDA and iHub. You can register as a delegate to attend the workshop or – if you feel you have what it takes – you can complete an online entry form to be selected as a contestant.

During one exhilarating, fun, exciting and free day, participants undergo comprehensive and interactive entrepreneurial training on how to pitch like a pro! The session is facilitated by Justin Cohen, best-selling author, international speaker and TV talk-show host. After the training session, contestants pitch their ideas or businesses to the whole audience.

This is where things get really interesting, with both Justin and the audience providing feedback on how pitches can be improved. The regional winners of each leg will have the opportunity to be crowned the ultimate pitch champion at the final glittering round of the competition held in Johannesburg later this year.

There are many funders and investors invited to the final and, over the years, finalists (not necessarily the winners) have received millions of rands in investments and hundreds of thousands of rands in grants. Book your place now for the Port Elizabeth workshop on 13 July.

SMS “Pitch” to 43719 (SMSs charged at 50c) or visit www.pitchandpolish.com to complete an entry form, and maybe you will find that R1 million investment you desire

New e-Book Launch – Long Walk For Nothing by Dominic L Miller

One British man’s extraordinary 765km walk across South Africa in an ostrich costume

Following the release of the humorous new e-book, Long Walk for Nothing (click for Kindle page), Dominic L Miller will be in South Africa for promotional purposes from 17th to 24th September 2016 and available for interview during this time. As well as detailing his experience from start to finish, central to this unique story are the numerous acts of kindness by normal everyday South Africans. The book rightly acknowledges each and every one. The S.A.P.S in particular, contrary to continual headlines regarding brutality and corruption, were more than agreeable in providing lifts to a British fancy-dress fundraiser.

The walk generated continued press coverage throughout, featuring on e.TV national news (click for footage), four appearances on 567 Cape Talk radio station (click for press coverage page) in addition to national and regional newspapers. You have probably read Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk To Freedom. Now you can read about Dominic L Miller’s 765km Long Walk For Nothing from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town in South Africa. That’s 18 marathons in 35 painfully unsupported days while wearing an ostrich costume.

This feel-good story about South Africa has initially been published in e-book format before offering a Print-On-Demand option in the near future. Dominic L Miller lived for a total of nine years in South Africa, so his book paints a positive and accurate picture of modern day South Africa. The reviews the book has received to date attest to this.

Complimentary copies furnished upon request

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Mr Dominic L Miller - Website: https://www.dominiclmiller.com - Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: +31 (0)644329803

Johannesburg - The Spur Soccer Masidlale Programme concluded after 17 weeks instilling essential life skills into young lives and reaching more than 30 000 children within historically disadvantaged areas since its inception in 2005.

Bellavista Creche, an NPO located in Bellavista East was the charity who won the R10 000 prize yesterday at the finals played in Soweto.

What started out as 12 one-day soccer clinics involving 10-12 year olds, has grown into a fully-fledged annual soccer league in the main metropolitan areas of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.

One of Spur’s corporate social investment aims is to use sport to uplift communities. The central venues are selected in historically disadvantaged areas where school sport participation is low. The Masidlale Programme fills this gap.

Each one of the cities had 200 players (100 girls and 100 boys) taking part who come from 10 local schools. The teams are given Spur-branded soccer kits which they can keep. Primary schools that have participated per region were as follows:

Kwa-Zulu Natal

• Zandile
• Emthetweni
• Inkonkoni
• Zwelesithembiso
• Thamela
• Isipingo
• Lindelani
• Mzwilili
• Fundakakhle
• Phila

Winning schools were Zandile (boys) and Inkonkoni (girls).

Port Elizabeth

• Enkwenkwezini
• Elundini
• Dumani
• Elufefeni
• Fumisikoma
• Melisizwe
• Zanoxolo
• Ikhwezelihle
• Mpumalanga
• Siyaphambili

Winning schools were Enkwenkweni (boys) and Elufefeni (girls).

Cape Town

• Lwazi
• Luzuko
• Lehlohonolo
• Ilitha
• Mseki
• Vukukhanya
• Sokhanyo
• Sonwabo
• Vuyane
• Xolani

Winning schools were Sonwabo (boys) and Lwazi (girls).

Johannesburg

• JB Marks
• Julius Sebolayi
• Bonamelo
• Braamfischer
• Nkoni Maruping
• Obed Mosiane
• Moses Kotane
• Mayibuye 
• Khulanolwazi
• Kid Maponya

Winning schools were Julius Sebolai (boys) and Obed Mosiane (girls).

According to Khakhi Diala, Brand Activation Manager of the Spur Group, sport teaches us more than just physical skills; sport is a metaphor for life. That is why Spur has included a life skills programme to run alongside the soccer league.

“Spur Steak Ranches is again proud to have completed a very successful Spur Soccer Masidlale program for the 11th Year now, 800 boys and girls from four provinces duly benefited from the skills development and life skills elements that they went through” We are also proud to have donated R10 000 to a needy charity”, added Khakhi.

Fifty mentors per league met with their groups every two weeks to explore essential skills needed to excel in life. The mentors teach self-esteem, positive behaviour changes and wise decision making. They equip the children beyond the sports field into home and school life. 20 girls and 20 boys are then chosen for further mentoring.

The main prize for the winning team is that they become mascots at PSL games.

To ensure the lessons go further into the schools, Spur has a Masidlale Coaching Programme for the school coaches. These are run by accredited coaching facilitators who train 30 coaches from four provinces.

Interactive Sport is involved with the mentoring programme which extends to the coaches and one teacher per school.

Masidlale means “let’s play” in Xhosa. So the programme’s aim is to change lives through play.

For more information about Spur, feel free to visit their website http://www.spur.co.za/