Cape Town - Faced with the stark reality of unemployment at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, George entrepreneur, Xoliswa Bomvana managed to persevere and her academic tutoring company is now a beacon of hope in the community.
Bomvana, 34, started her tutoring company for Grade R to Grade 7 when she realised a gap in her community, Thembalethu, when parents were struggling with the added pressure of school homework that they had no grasp on.
“I was in a shop queue when I heard two parents discussing how they were struggling to assist their children with the homework and how they did not understand the curriculum. I decided right there and then to assist and said that I could help their children at a fee and they agreed.
“My Outeniqua Dawn Aftercare tutoring company started with just one pupil.
“At the time I had no income as the company I was working for could not renew my contract due to the hard lockdown, but I needed to sustain myself and my family.
“I was the breadwinner as both my parents were ill and at the time my brothers were unemployed as well,” said Bomvana.
Being a qualified ABET practitioner, Bomvana said she had to find ways to fund her studies.
She always desired to become a teacher and when she noticed the challenge that her community faced, it was an ideal opportunity to assist the parents who were front-line workers as well as those who were illiterate and not equipped with the skills to best help their children.
“I started with house calls and as the lockdown eased, my base grew and I was able to use an area at my church after approaching our pastor, but that soon also changed when they needed the area for different use.
“I have now found a class at a crèche where I can teach my group of children along with two staff members,” said Bomvana.
She is also a graduate from the Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development’s youth programme, National Rural Youth Service Corps (Narysec), where she was in a business incubation programme to equip unemployed rural youth with appropriate skills in order to enable them to gain access to economic opportunities.
The recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey showed that South Africa’s overall unemployment rate decreased to 32.9% and the youth unemployment rate decreased to 45.5% in the third quarter of 2022.
Bomvana advice: “To any young person I would tell them to grab the opportunity. It won’t be a waste of time. It will open doors for you not only to be employable, but to reach your own dreams and discover who you are. You will be groomed to fit in your community.”
Her company, currently funded from her own pocket, now caters to 30 pupils and intends on empowering her community.
She has also paid for her staff to get their learners’ licences.
However, a need still exists where she has a dream to acquire a space big enough to teach her pupils in a less cramped environment.
“Currently we have many needs such as stationery as I have to buy stationery weekly because the children’s parents cannot afford it and we also need transport.
My pupils come from various areas in Thembalethu then I have to walk them home to ensure they are safe which poses a big challenge.
“But what I would really like to focus on now is getting a feeding scheme going for these children who come from dire circumstances.
“Their parents aren’t rich, but they are able to cover costs to assist them for academic pursuits and I would like to add that to our programme we run here every day,” said Bomvana.
Anyone wishing to assist or donate to Bomvana’s plea can contact her on 0769704984 or email bomvanaxoliswa@gmail.com.
Cape Times
* The Cape Times’ Big Friday Read is a series of feature articles focusing on the forgotten issues that often disappear in the blur of fast news cycles, and where we also feature the everyday heroes who go out of their way to change the lives of others in their communities.
To nominate a hero or raise a forgotten issue you would like us to feature in our Big Friday Read, email ctnews@inl.co.za