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Ntuthuko Khathi is one young man whose fire

and drive for success is unmatched. It is the

same fire that drove him to start his charcoal

business, Khathi Holdings, which manufactures

and distributes charcoal and braai products. The

company produces lumpwood charcoal using

alien trees.

A

mid depressing unemployment statistics in

South Africa, Ntuthuko decided to put all the

skills learned through his mechanical engineering

diploma to innovate and create his own work. For

him, entrepreneurship is a transformative option to unlock

income generation and empower communities. He says hard

KEEPS BUSINESS

FIRES

BURNING

work is a vehicle for endless opportunities. “Telling the story

of our Khathi Charcoal brand is an ongoing process. Each

day our business grows, shifts and adds new chapters to

the story. The most liberating and powerful realisation is that

trying new things is never a losing solution; even if you fail at

what you tried to accomplish, you still learn so much from the

setbacks,” said Ntuthuko.

Ntuthuko attributes his success to MUT’s student

entrepreneur programmes and the pre-graduation work

readiness programme that he attended while studying

at MUT. He is certain that these interventions steered his

personal and business growth. Khathi Holdings supplies

products to formal and informal business owners such as

butcheries, shisanyamas and lodges around KwaZulu-Natal.

Growing up in rural Jozini, Ntuthuko is fully aware of the many

challenges faced by rural communities and has made it part

of his business vision to empower local communities. All of

his employees are recruited from within the community of

Jozini where his business is located.

The business was started in 2017 and has withstood all

the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It

currently has fifteen permanent staff and three casual staff.

Khathi

Charcoal

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