Citylife Business

The second iteration of The Top 16 Youth Owned-Brands Awards were launched on Thursday in Sandton and will take place on 15 June 2023.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE BUSINESS Editor-In Chief

His journey started in 2015 when as a masters degree student at the University of Johannesburg, when he got tired of hearing stories that the youth of today are unlike those of 1976. The popular narrative then and even now is that today’s young people are good for nothing, lazy and generally have no sense of urgency about anything in life.

In contrast those of 1976 are painted as not only resourceful, self-defining and purposeful in life but were everything that the youth of today are not. One singular thing they did that gets celebrated every year is that they changed the course of the struggle for freedom when they protested against the Apartheid government for introducing Afrikaans as a language of instruction at black schools in South Africa.

That is when entrepreneur Pat Mahlangu posted on social media young people who were not only successful entrepreneurs, but had built successful brands from the ground up. He picked 15 brands owned and started by the youth.

“That social media post became so successful that the idea of starting the awards to honour youth owned brands was planted in my head. That is when I founded Pat on Brands in 2016, which became the driving force behind these awards dedicated to honouring and recognising young people who start brands from nothing and build them up in South Africa.” The marketing entrepreneur told a group of young entrepreneurs who gathered at a Sandton restaurant on Thursday, February 2, 2023.

Some of those who gathered included last year’s winners, including  celebrated jeans designer Tshepo Mohlala, the media and other young entrepreneurs.  Mahlangu and his team took the gathered young business people through the journey of success that idea that came into his head in the corridors of the academy in 2015, has travelled so far.

In a way, the awards he founded and which will run for the second year this year, with their first iteration having taken place successfully in 2022, are a classic example of how to start a brand that grows and connects with the market.

Since these awards were implemented last year, they attracted 486 youth owned brands that entered to be considered for recognition and achieved more than R4.5 million worth of media exposure.

“Our criteria for qualifying is that the brand must have been started and owned by a young person, a South African citizen or someone with a permanent citizenship in South Africa, aged 18 years to 35 years. The awards however became so popular that we had even 40 year olds attempting unsuccessfully to enter for the awards. And also the brand must be in existence for at least a period of one year. Those entering must have a presence in the market, either in the form of a website and must be nominated by the market itself, and that is the community in which it operates,” explained Mahlangu. The judges sift through these nominees and then the market again goes through a voting process. After that the voted brands are sent back to the judges who sift through again, eventually picking their Top 16 shortlisted brands.

The good news to brands owned by the youth is that the highly anticipated Top 16 Youth Owned-Brands Awards are back for their second year and are anticipated to be bigger and better than last year.  The Top 16 Youth Owned-Brands Awards launched on the 2nd of February 2023 at Solo Restaurant in Sandton with the multi-faceted Pamela Manga as the host.  She gave a good account of herself and some will say with no surprise as she herself has built a strong personality brand on social media and TV in the past few years with accolades behind her name..

These spectacular awards aim to recognise the excellence, innovation, and hard work of South African youth-owned brands. The event will be a two-day exhibition taking place on the 14th and 15th of June 2023. The main event is set to take place on the evening of the 15th of June 2023. 

These awards come in the context of a huge social issue currently affecting young people in the country. The youth unemployment rate in South Africa continues to be a constant issue. These brands try to bridge the gap through the opportunities they have created for themselves. The future of South Africa is in the good hands of the youth that works tirelessly on their crafts, while creating jobs for other young people.. 

The Head chairperson of the jury and Digital Director of Tiger Brands Sadika Fakir supports the youth initiative and mentions the importance of empowering the youth, “With 60% of South Africa’s population being under 25 years old, now more than ever do we have to amplify the importance of Youth Owned Businesses and entrepreneurship. Business and entrepreneurship within the youth is no longer just a nice to have or “just a side hustle”. Youth Owned businesses are a necessity to empower, remain relevant and provide new career opportunities to the future generations. The youth start up today is destined to be the listed blue chip of tomorrow as long as we support them!”

The awards consist of 16 categories from different perimeters of the economy.  The categories range from Top Travel and Tourism Brand, Top Education Brand to Top Personality and influencer. Some of last year’s winners include Tshepo Jeans for overall Top Brand, Bathu for Top Footwear Brand, and Pamela Mtanga for Top Personality and Influencer. Last year’s awards consisted of only 15 categories. The 16th category was announced at the launch as the Top Health and Wellness Brand. 

Mahlangu mentions the significance of these awards, “This is the second year of the Top 16 Youth-Owned Brands Awards and we are planning for it to be the best one yet. What started off as an online portal for celebrating brands turned into what the youth-owned brands awards are right now. We celebrate the youth and commend them for being able to create opportunities in situations that seem impossible”.  

The Top 16 Youth-Owned Brands Awards is set to take place on the 15th of June 2023, the day before one of the most memorable moments in the history of South Africa. Young people are the future, and this event not only recognises that, but also commemorates the youth that fought for our freedom before.