Township-focused initiative the Township Entrepreneur Agency (TEA) recently hosted its annual Kasi Tech Summit, bringing together 400 township entrepreneurs at East Bank Hall in Alexandra on 30 September.
Held under the theme “Tech and AI Skills for Kasi Entrepreneurs”, the summit aimed to encourage township businesses to adopt AI tools and adapt to emerging technologies.
“The purpose of the initiative is to provide entrepreneurs with training, educate them, give them access to market and development – and to show people what tools such as Microsoft Copilot, Azure, OneDrive and Microsoft Teams can actually do for their businesses if they use them correctly,” said Bulelani Balabala, CEO and founder of TEA.
“We're not doing oral training; we're doing demonstrations,” added Balabala. “We're trying to unpack how you use these tools for the growth of the business.”
Sibusiso Tyatya, senior technical specialist at Microsoft South Africa, demonstrated how Microsoft 365 Copilot can be used across various business functions, including meetings, e-mail, documents and other business applications. The demonstration provided an end-to-end view of how organisations and entrepreneurs can use technology to create value.
“The opportunity with AI is to create something that can grow and serve different generations and markets,” Tyatya said. “Technology should lead the business. It should help you do more, rather than be something you fear will eliminate your business.”
A panel discussion on technology-driven business development was facilitated by Sibusiso Molimi. The panel featured Morekolodi Salema, founder and CEO of ManSalema Enterprise, an AI-powered public safety ecosystem that connects security companies through intelligent technology; Keletso Lekwakwe, founder of PasswordKid, a child-safety technology company transforming school pick-ups through secure digital identity and verification; and Brian Magwaza, director of Njinjicom, an internet service provider.
Opening the discussion, Molimi asked the panellists how township entrepreneurs could gain access to technology in the same way as businesses in urban areas.
“We need to get the township entrepreneurs to own the technology. We need to establish sovereignty in terms of all these developments that require IT and AI, to keep them local,” said Magwaza.
The panellists also urged businesses to understand where their data is being stored and what information they are providing to technology platforms.
“You must be very sceptical about where you are putting your data,” said Lekwakwe, adding that businesses need to understand where their information is stored and what data they are putting into each system.
The initiative is supported by several corporate partners, including Microsoft and Telkom FutureMakers.
According to Balabala, the initiative has reached a total of 134 620 micro-enterprises and provided grant funding to more than 600 of them.
The commercial company began operating in 2006 as Intercessor Army Franchising, while TEA's township-focused work began in 2015.
The organisation also plans to revive its programme aimed at young people in universities and township high schools. Previously known as T-Schools, the programme is expected to return next year under the name “Hustle”, with a focus on entrepreneurship, careers and practical skills.
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