Tshepiso Malema: From Ivory Park to Gamer’s Territory.
On 15th July 2022, the GIBS Entrepreneurship Development Academy, powered by ProfitShare Partners, Matshepo Koape hosted Tshepiso Malema in an inspiring Slaying in Your Lane fireside chat.
An executive director of Ivory Unite FM, a community radio station in his childhood home, Ivory Park, Malema is a young social entrepreneur who has been lauded from as far afield as Washington in the USA for his work that encourages communities to take action on the well-known saying by Mahatma Ghandi: “Be the change you want to see in the world”.
In the densely populated residential suburb of Midrand in the Gauteng province, Ivory Park is always in his heart, and today Malema tries to be to others what he wished he’d had in his life as a youngster.
“I have been an entrepreneur since I was at school,” Malema notes, doing everything from entering competitions to selling blocks of ice. Now in his second year of studying BIT Information Systems at the University of Pretoria, his passion has always been to work with youth. “I am,” he states, “still young myself, so I focus on what young people are going through in various situations.”
What is success?
One of his greatest lessons so far has been to change his perception of what success is. “We get a picture of success being a luxurious lifestyle,” he says, “until you start working with others and realise that true success is impacting someone’s life positively.”
It’s this empowerment that Malema first saw when he came into contact with a PlayStation and games, something the youngster from Ivory Park had never seen. Even today, he says, many young people in South Africa have not come across electronic devices and life-changing technology.
From winning a laptop around that time, Malema’s journey has been swift and magnificent: Now 19 years old and nominated as Africa’s Most Promising Founder of the Year by FOYA Awards and the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans 2022, his gaming chain Gamer’s Territory brings the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) to young people in townships.
Avoid the pitfalls, maintain the passion
Highlighting his humble beginnings – one young man and a laptop – Malema says: “Don’t fall into the trap of waiting for funding. Start with where you are and what you have. You can start without funding, but once you take off, funding is required to maintain your business.”
From ticking off at least half of the “musts” in his 10-year plan already, this inspiring young innopreneur will take you through what is required for the difficult – but achievable – journey from the dusty tech-deprived streets of Ivory Park to leading a generation of passionate gamers and would-be business owners to seek their own success.
You’ll want to watch this interview for a new and impressive look at South Africa’s youth and their potential, and – particularly the young Tshepiso Malema, whose mantra is: “You can become a successful entrepreneur, no matter what age you are, no matter what educational qualification you have.”
Click here to watch the recording.
