City youth business project delivers 22 jobs

THE Mbabane Youth Grass Cutting Project has created 22 additional jobs in four months, expanding its workforce to 34 young people while improving the maintenance of public spaces.

Implemented by the Municipal Council of Mbabane through its Local Economic Development (LED) Programme in partnership with the Youth Enterprise Revolving Fund (YERF), the initiative commenced in June and ran through September, combining municipal maintenance services with youth employment and enterprise development.

Both council and YERF signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide E480 000 in loans to 12 young entrepreneurs to establish landscaping businesses, creating an opportunity for local youth to participate in municipal maintenance services while building their own enterprises.

The council’s Economic Development Officer, Winile Dlamini, said the initiative was designed to deliver benefits beyond grass cutting by creating employment and equipping young people with practical business skills.

She said the project had enabled participants to gain “practical work experience, entrepreneurship competencies and valuable business skills,” positioning them to pursue further economic opportunities.

During the four-month implementation period, the 12 participating youth enterprises and operators cleared more than 970 778 square metres of road reserves, public spaces and community areas across Mbabane.

The project expanded from an initial 12 operators to 34 with their assistants, creating 22 additional employment opportunities for local youth.

Dlamini said the expansion demonstrated how municipal services could be linked to youth empowerment, with the programme helping to address unemployment while improving the city’s appearance.

The project covered several locations across the capital, including Somhlolo Road, Sozisa Road, New Checkers Township, Sidwashini North and South, Makholokholo, Sandla Township, Thembelihle, Dalriach, Highlands View, Selection Park, Woodlands and Msunduza, among other areas.

Productivity increased during the implementation period, with August recording the highest output at 504 779 square metres cleared. The workforce stood at 28 operators and assistants that month before growing to 34 in September.

Beyond employment, the programme provided training in basic business management, financial management, municipal procurement processes, and occupational health and safety.

According to Dlamini, these interventions were intended to ensure that beneficiaries could build “sustainable enterprises” rather than depend solely on short-term employment opportunities.

The training covered budgeting, record-keeping, financial accountability, tendering requirements and safe equipment handling, equipping participants with knowledge relevant to operating businesses and competing for future contracts.

Dlamini said loan repayments, which had experienced a somewhat difficult start, were now proceeding smoothly. She explained that beneficiaries initially needed time to understand how the repayment arrangements worked while adjusting to the responsibilities of running businesses as entrepreneurs.