Stellenbosch University (SU), in collaboration with the CoCreate Hub (the hub) in Stellenbosch, recently celebrated local entrepreneurs and business owners.
This is according to Renee Hector, the deputy-director of the SU’s division of social impact (DSI).
The celebration of excellence event was hosted on 26 July at the hub and formed part of a series of events commemorating Mandela Day, stated Hector.
“With this event, we also wish to facilitate intentional relationships between Stellenbosch University (SU) staff and students, our local businesses and our municipality in order to expand the concept of community,” said Renee Hector, the deputy-director at SU’s division of social impact, at a recent celebration of excellence event hosted at the CoCreate Hub in Stellenbosch. PHOTO: Aiden Louw
Over 40 people attended the event, according to Chevaan Peterson, the manager of knowledge information systems and marketing at the DSI. A total of eight different businesses, artists and speakers were presented at the event.
Outside speakers like Daniel Maloba from LaunchLab, a company that offers assistance to students who want to be entrepreneurs, gave motivational talks on the day.
The contributions of local entrepreneurs who work at the hub were celebrated at the event, according to Maloba.
“[The event] was about bringing the local businesses, the students, and the staff in one place […] and sharing expertise and knowledge, and learning from communities,” said Hector.
Manual Jardine (left) and Phillip Vermuelen (right), the ‘Just Friends Duo’, performed at the CoCreate Hub on 26 July as part of Stellenbosch University’s (SU) celebration of excellence. The event was centred around celebrating local entrepreneurs but also provided a platform for local artists to perform, according to Renee Hector, the deputy-director at SU’s division of social impact, who organised the event. VIDEO: Aiden Louw
Why this celebration space?
The hub represents 42 different businesses, according to Marli Goussard, the co-founder of the Hub. The entrepreneurs are identified through product showcases, which are hosted in the halls of different Stellenbosch areas, she said.
“Supply chain inclusion is the main dream behind [the hub],” explained Goussard. She told MatieMedia about her hope to replicate spaces like the hub in more communities. “There are hundreds of communities around the country that need something like this […] There’s this beautiful partnership between academia, local government [and] civil society.”
For now, the front space of the building will be turned into a coffee shop and more products from local entrepreneurs will be placed throughout the hub, said Goussard.
“I want the [CoCreate Hub] to be a place where everyone feels welcome, regardless of where you come from […] the colour of your skin […] your orientation […] We want it to be a place where we can engage with interesting conversations, where we connect with each other,” said Marli Goussard (left), co-founder of the CoCreate Hub in Stellenbosch, standing next to Susan Yallop (right), the hub’s manager. PHOTO: Aiden Louw
CoCreate’s community
“I started my business to fund my studies,” said Wardah Cassiem, a second-year education student at SU and the owner of Wadi’s Kitchen, a stall located at the hub.
“What sets [the hub] aside is that you are not supporting a big giant – you are putting food on the table for the next person. You are supporting job creation, which is so important, especially after Covid,” she said.
Nabeelah Cassiem, owner of Creamy Creations, started her business with the hub a year ago, she stated. Cassiem found success at the hub and now employs two people and owns a second business, Waffle hub, she said.
“It has become a beautiful hub where everyone can come and be as a family and support one another and where you feel at home all the time,” said Cassiem.