Ngubeni’s new game show to help entrepreneurs
SABC2’S Game Plan is touted as being more than just your average game show. Hosted by renowned TV personality Mzwandile Ngubeni, the show is an entrepreneurship and educational studio-based, reality TV game show aimed at teaching contestants and viewers business 101.
“It’s a fun, entrepreneur, game show that gets South Africans educated about the small-business world through fun and exciting games. It’s one that can be watched by all those – both young and old – who are interested in starting a business.
“We touch on topics, such as registering your business and identifying a gap in the market, that can assist you in lingo that you think you know,” said Ngubeni.
Being a business person, Ngubeni said the show had come at the right time for him.
“My business, Mazothe Media, is three years old and the lessons of the past two years I get to relive on the show.
“All shows I have presented are in line with my purpose statement – I create work that will inspire, educate and entertain. Game Plan does that,” Ngubeni said.
The show, which airs at 11am on Thursdays, is aimed at educating the previously disadvantaged about the basics of entrepreneurship and starting a successful business.
It teaches viewers that the fundamental function of a good business is to provide a product or service that caters for the particular needs of a specific target market through various types of games, themes and quizzes on the show.
Each week, six contestants are grouped into two teams of three, competing against each other for the title of South Africa’s Game Plan Champion. The selection of contestants is done through social media, different incubators, word-of-mouth in various communities, and by approaching tertiary institutions.
The teams battle it out through each round of true-or-false and multiple-choice questions, and go on to pitch a business idea to judges, Lebo Gunguluza, Chipo Mushwana and Andy Khumalo who offer advice. Thereafter winners of each episode are invited back to battle against each other.
Ngubeni said that through the show he had learnt that entrepreneurship was not as easy as it might seem.
“Seeing contestants freeze in pitching to our judges reminds us that all our business ideas sound great when we are sitting with our friends around the table, until you have to pitch them to future investors,” he said.
With economic emancipation as its core objective, Game Plan is a platform that is fun and engaging.
“Entrepreneurship is trending at the moment. Relevance to the viewer makes or breaks your product. In SA, the government has turned its focus to economic development in the townships. This means our people must take an interest in how they can better their lives by starting businesses that will benefit their communities and their families,” Ngubeni said. Game Plan airs on SABC2 at 11am on Thursdays.