Mini Storewatch storewatch The new Lifestyle store opened for trading in early July, and the official opening took place with key dignitaries on 25 July 2014. From humble beginnings… Justice Lekwankwa has been an established businessman in the Limpopo Province for the past twenty years. He started out from extremely humble beginnings as a herdsman, and through his willingness, drive and discipline, was able to rise above his circumstances and become a respected business and community leader. Lekwankwa now has several ventures, including a bakery, general dealership, tyre fitment centre, building material supplier and a wholesale maize depot as his core business. The maize depot also offered groceries as a sideline, which Lekwankwa has now transformed into a fully fledged supermarket under the Lifestyle brand. “I chose the Lifestyle brand when I attended the opening of Kgoales Lifestyle Supermarket in the Mphahlele Village in December. I decided I wanted to be part of the Lifestyle Franchise as I was impressed with the professional look of the store and the pamphlets. I am very happy today and look forward to the great partnership.” Manny Gouveia, Franchise Manager for the ICC Group, Franchise Division, enjoyed another proud moment in Lifestyle’s journey. “Lekwankwa approached me at the beginning of the year and since then we have been hard at work clearing the site and transforming the space into a wellstocked, well-priced, professional looking supermarket. We hope that Lifestyle Jane Furse becomes the people’s shop of choice for all items.” The ICC Group were all in attendance at the opening, having given support and guidance to Lekwankwa since he decided to take his store to the next level by joining the Lifestyle fold. The Lifestyle Jane Furse opening had an excellent turnout with many members of the community of Jane Furse enjoying the festivities of the day together with the local radio station. Key community leaders were also in attendance, as well as members of the local business forum and local society club, elders of the church and suppliers such as Tiger Brands, Premier Milling and Entyce Beverages. 28 wholesalebusiness Issue 4, 2014 Gert Scheepers, ICC’s CEO, welcomes new Lifestyle Franchisee member Mr Justice Lekwankwa. Established businessman opens up Lifestyle Franchise in Jane Furse Businessman Justice Lekwankwa elected to become ICC’s latest Franchisee member, opening up his Lifestyle Supermarket in the town of Jane Furse in the Limpopo Province Jane Furse is located in the Sekhukhune District Municipality and has a population of 6 533. The town is surrounded by the villages of Ga-Molepane, Ga-Moretsele, Madibong, Mamone, Marulaneng, Mokwete and Riverside. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ICC’s next Young Community Shaper Kefilwe Bopape was crowned as the next Young Community Shaper (YCS) for 2014 and received a R60 000 cheque at a Gala Dinner held at Monte Casino on the 29 July 2014. This year’s awards were in honour of Nelson Mandela whose spirit epitomises the essence of the Young Community Shaper Awards. His wise words: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” were clearly echoed in each of the nine YCS finalist’s projects. These individuals realised they can make a difference in their communities and selflessly seek to transfer their skills and educate the youth through various projects, for no financial gain. The winner, Bopape (23), is based in Hammanskraal in Gauteng and runs her ‘Life After Matric’ project. She saw her community faced with unemployment, teenage pregnancy and crime as a result of dropping out of school and felt the need to do her part in helping to educate the youth. Her project is focused on assisting the youth with training and specifically helps them identify their talents and possible career paths. Most importantly, Bopape guides her learners on various tertiary education options and through the project, they are able to attend open days and apply for bursaries to their identified institutions. “So far my project has helped over 20 students secure bursaries and move onto studying careers at universities and higher educational institutions. I know we are a long way from where we want to be, but we are determined and will continue to make a difference, one learner at a time.” The awards, now in their fourteenth year, have over the years given youth such as Bopape an opportunity to highlight their projects to all the sponsors involved in YCS. These individuals, who are selflessly running these initiatives are then able to gain valuable support needed to grow into sustainable community projects that will benefit more and more people. Gert Scheepers, CEO of the ICC Group congratulated the finalists, saying, “I am in awe of these youth and the magnitude of what they do for no financial reward. Every year we find candidates from the rural The annual Young Community Shaper awards, sponsored by The Independent Cash & Carry Group (ICC) and SABC’s Shift programme, seeks to identify, acknowledge and celebrate students that are actively involved in developing, building and empowering their communities areas that qualify for YCS and our wish is for more and more youth to harness the power of their dreams and help make a better South Africa. I also want to thank our Member companies and loyal suppliers who contribute to this worthy cause.” “I am overwhelmed with excitement at winning this award,” says Bopape. “My next step is to go back to my team so we can put a plan and budget together to assist next year’s grade 12 learners. We can help them choose their preferred career paths and guide them to the best educational institutions to help them elevate their lives and reach their full potential.” The YCS runner up was Gauteng based Motsamai Thaba who received a cheque for R30 000 for his Spread the Love Project. The remaining five finalists each received a cheque for R10 000 to plough back into their projects, ensuring they can grow and make a difference in the lives they touch. The sponsors were so impressed with the calibre of finalists that they decided to add another ten thousand rand to each of the finalists’ winnings. The ICC Group and member companies responsible for making YCS possible are Bibi Cash & Carry, Numain Distributors, Big Save, Savemore, Pricechain, Overland Cash & Carry and Raimondi’s Trading Company. Major other sponsors that are involved include SABC, Unilever, Rainbow, Premier Foods, Nestlé, Tiger Brands, Entyce Beverages, Snackworks and Colgate. Gert Scheepers (back), CEO of the ICC group with the nine YCS finalists from left to right: Thembile Nqabeni, Neo Mokone, Mmathabo Taukobong, Kefilwe Bopape (YCS 2014 Winner), Motsamai Thaba (YCS 2014 Runner Up), Ben Mabusela, Thato Leeuw, Selaelo Morukhuladi and Skhumbuzo Ngubane. wholesalebusiness Issue 4, 2014 29