Parow entrepreneur wins R150 000 in national pitching competition

Parow entrepreneur Rashaad Sambaba walked away with a total of R150,000 after clinching the top prizes in the national inter-college entrepreneurship pitching competition.

The competition was presented by Allan Gray Makers, a non-governmental organisation, and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)  in East Rand, Gauteng, and the results were announced on Saturday, September 6. 

Top student entrepreneurs from various South African TVET colleges took to the stage to pitch their businesses to a panel of judges and a live audience during the finals on Friday, September 5, and the results were announced the following day, during the ceremony of the South African National Artisan Awards at a hotel.

There were four categories: Innovative Business Idea, Tech Business, Trade Business, and General Business.

Mr Sambaba, Human Resource Management student at False Bay TVET College, won the General Business category, earning R50 000.

He was also named co-winner of the 2025 TVETpreneur of the Year award, sharing half of the R100 000 prize with Thandi Matsane of Letaba TVET College.

He was also one of the eight inter-college winners who received a R50 000 grant funding from the National Youth Development Agency that aimed to support young TVETpreneurs.

He won with his educational company that offers blended learning for the adult matric programme and short courses for professional development, among other services.

“The prize money will be utilised to scale our business by applying for Umalusi accreditation and to furnish our classrooms, as well as some office equipment,” he said.

This came almost three months after he was named the overall winner in the Existing Business category for his school stationery business, and won prize money of R35,000 from the City of Cape Town in June.

The Allan Gray Makers and the DHET said in a statement that the 2025 national entrepreneurship inter-college finalists were inspiring.

The President of the South African Technical and Vocational Education and Training Students Association, Kgaogelo Chokoe, said the true test of any education system lies in its ability to respond to societal challenges and advance human progress. 

“Given the current state of unemployment and poverty, entrepreneurship cannot be ignored as a long-term solution,” she said.