Masupatsela

SILULO ULUTHO
DIRECTED and EDITED by JEMIMA SPRING
TX 24 August 2009

Silulo Ulutho is a computer training centre and the first internet café in sprawling Khayelitsha on the Cape Flats. The business was started by Luvuyo Rani and his brother, Lonwabo, to supply schools in Khayelitsha with computers. One thing led to another and once they had supplied the computers, they had to train teachers to use them.

Starting Silulo Ulutho without money was hard in the beginning, but Luvuyo believed in his vision and convinced his partners to persist towards their goal. Nandipha Matshoba, Luvuyo’s sister-in-law and business partner, was committed and passionate enough about the business to contribute her income from her full-time job towards paying the staff of Silulo.

Sigqibo Pangabantu is the IT technician and the fourth partner in the business.

The team at Silulo Ulutho is happy that they have been able to impart skills and thereby increase job opportunities of the people who attend their training centre and who use the internet café.

TO LEARN MORE OR TO CONTACT SILULO ULUTHO:
please visit their web site or call Luvuyo Rani on +27 72 261 2472.

TO TURN THEIR GOAL INTO A THRIVING BUSINESS, THESE ARE THE STEPS LUVUYO AND HIS TEAM FOLLOWED:
- took out a loan to purchase the start-up stock to sell to schools
- started a training programme for the teachers who were computer illiterate
- set up the first internet café in Khayelitsha for residents to type their CVs, proposals and do other administrative work
- as they needed different skills, more members joined the team
- used profits from the internet cafe to set up a computer training centre to empower locals to use computers

SCREEN GRABS FROM THE SILULO ULUTHO STORY: