Elvis Sekhaolelo, founder and CEO of eKasi Entrepreneurs, has spent years working to solve the specific access gap facing township-based businesses. His core advice hasn’t changed with time: funding alone won’t fix a township business, a real market fit, professionalism and a genuine network matter just as much.
Why has township entrepreneurship become such a policy focus?
“If you want to find more black people, more black entrepreneurs, you’re going to find them in the townships,” former Gauteng Premier David Makhura has said. That reality has driven both government initiatives (like the Township Economy Revitalisation Strategy and Tshepo 1 Million) and private-sector investment from companies like Mastercard and Airbnb, aimed specifically at closing the resource and skills gap that continues to hold back many township-based entrepreneurs.
How has township business actually changed over the past decade?
Sekhaolelo describes a real shift: “Ten years ago township-based businesses were not as formalised as they are now, and they were not as innovative. They were mostly only trading businesses that resold products produced by other nations.” The shift toward original products and formalised operations, rather than pure resale, represents genuine progress in the sector’s maturity, not just more businesses opening.
What does township entrepreneurship actually need most?
Sekhaolelo is consistent on this: access to proper training and development, and access to markets, top his list of what needs addressing for real growth. Funding gets most of the public attention, but in his view it isn’t the binding constraint for most township businesses.
What’s Sekhaolelo’s actual advice for a township business trying to scale?
“It’s not all about looking for funding for your business,” he says. His practical checklist: have a specific, defined market for your product rather than a vague target customer, build something the market genuinely needs (whether that market is local or international), and treat professionalism as non-negotiable if you want to compete beyond the township itself, nationally or internationally.
Why does he emphasise networks so heavily?
“They say your network is your net worth,” Sekhaolelo says, and it’s the reason eKasi Entrepreneurs has built its model specifically around connecting township entrepreneurs to multiple overlapping networks rather than a single mentor relationship. The organisation continues this focus today through its Mentorship Circle programme, offering training, coaching and access to market experts across sectors including agriculture, fashion and manufacturing. A similar approach to network-building is explored in how the Township Entrepreneurs Alliance grew from 10,000 to 80,000 businesses.
What’s the biggest remaining gap between township businesses and the formal economy?
Sekhaolelo points specifically to corporate supply chains: getting township businesses genuinely integrated into the procurement chains of big corporations, not just formalised on paper, remains one of the more pivotal unresolved pieces of the puzzle, in his assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Is eKasi Entrepreneurs still active?
Yes, currently running its Mentorship Circle programme across sectors including agriculture, fashion and manufacturing, and actively recruiting accredited facilitators for its network.
Is funding the main thing holding back township businesses?
According to Sekhaolelo, no. Access to training, market access, and building genuine professional networks matter as much or more than funding alone.
How can a township business become more competitive nationally?
By defining a specific market, developing a genuinely needed product, and operating with the same professionalism expected of any business competing outside the township, according to Sekhaolelo.
Originally published in October 2018. Updated September 2026.
