Growing up in the dusty streets of Kwa-Thema Township in the East of Johannesburg was never easy, but Luyanda Ngwenya always wanted more out of life. With her father falling into early retirement at 33 due to illness and her mother being the sole breadwinner, life was often a hand-to-mouth affair. But through hard work and determination, Luyanda maintained good grades right up to matric, and thanks to the support of Zimele she is a now an independent woman running a sustainable optometry business.
“It is fulfilling to see how I have made my parents proud by how far I have come,” says Luyanda. “I first found out about Zimele through my spiritual father and Pastor. In the first year of my business, Zimele kickstarted my dreams by loaning me the money I needed to purchase critical equipment needed for my business.
In the third year of my business Zimele assigned a business mentor to advise on all matters relating to business growth and development. Now Luyanda owns and operated a full-fledged optometry business that not only helps other see clearly, but helps Luyanda see her own dreams come true.
Her business is called ICU Eye Care and provides primary eye care services and education to disadvantaged individuals with no access to medical aid. It does this by providing flexible and affordable payment options. In addition to ever-day optometry, Luyanda also provides service industry workers with an ‘Optometrist in a Container’ to help meet their everyday ocular safety needs.
Luyanda’s business also manages to give back and sees itself as a ‘Sustainable Social Enterprise’. By working closely with the private and public sectors, ICU Eye Care is able to provide quality eye care to previously disadvantaged school children – reducing failure rate and increases academic performance.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of Anglo American’s enterprise development arm, Zimele. Now that her business is flourishing, Luyanda can work towards fulfilling her dream of becoming a major player in the field of eye care.
“Zimele has become a catalyst for young entrepreneurs, growing the economy of alleviating poverty,” says Luyanda. “In a world where the youth is despised and rejected, Zimele has given them a chance to make their dreams come true and build a better future for themselves and the country.”
Luyanda believes there is an abundance of young people in South Africa with brilliant business ideas. “All they need is someone to listen and support them in making their businesses come to life,” she says. “South Africa needs more big businesses like Anglo American to continue supporting young entrepreneurs. Ultimately, this reduces unemployment and ensures that less people go to bed hungry. Thank you Zimele, you have truly shown how mining can make a difference.”