Shoprite helps deaf man realise his dream, offers career opportunity
FINDING employment is a struggle for several young people but for deaf South Africans the challenges are much greater. Sibonelo Ndwandwe, who works at a Shoprite store in Amanzimtoti, was unemployed until he was accepted in Shoprite’s Learnership programme for deaf people.
Ndwandwe, 35, completed the supermarket’s Decade of the Deaf programme and joined the Shoprite team. He also began saving towards his dream of helping his mother Sphiwe start her own tuckshop and crèche. Shoprite said in a recent statement that when the retailer heard about Ndwandwe’s dream, the company decided to help him by donating a retrofitted shipping container to his mother to help her kickstart her business. Last Christmas Shoprite announced its plans to donate the container and this month it was delivered to his mother’s home in Nongoma.
At the recent handover Ndwandwe said, “Shoprite’s donation gives my mother a sense of freedom. She is able to run her own business and generate her own income. Once her crèche opens she will give many children from Nongoma a safe place to stay while their parents work.”
Shoprite, which is the largest private sector employer in South Africa, employing more than 140 000 people, said that it had over the past nine years, provided more than 850 deaf and hard-of-hearing people with the opportunity to complete an NQF Level 2 qualification. “Following a competency evaluation, those who qualify are guaranteed employment within the group. This retail skills development gives more people access to employment in the retail industry.”