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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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