By: BeeKay

Economic activism involves using economic power for change. This is especially true, when an Activist is on a quest to develop his/her community through their work. The community of Naledi, in Soweto, Gauteng, is fortunate to have an economic activist of their own.

This is exactly what 2019 Activator and economic activist, Tshepiso Mpele is determined to do. He understand economics, and he’s determined to use it for the good of his community. Mpele’s Naledi based project, 93 NEGUS, is determined to encourage businesses to show concern for the communities they serve, and their economic, social, and environmental problems by focusing on people. This allows businesses to build sustainable and long-term relationships with the customers, employees and prospects. Kotler and Sarkar established this idea as an attempt by firms to solve the global problems its future customers and employees care about.

93 NEGUS is an Economic Research and Development company whose main belief is that economic growth and development are direct functions of the level of human capital an economy has, “as a result, our focus lays on Human Capital Development”, explains Mpele. The company operates as a holding company with subsidiaries across economic industries where humans operate. The company has 5 key departments within which its projects/subsidiaries fall, which include Education, Health and Wellness, Technology and Innovation, Heritage, Arts and Entertainment (HAE), and Security, Infrastructure and Law (SIL). “Ultimately, any person (whether natural or juristic) whose operations involve capacitating human labour to dare reach its maximum potential is a potential partner or ally”, says Mpele.

Tshepiso Mpele is the Chief Executive Officer of 93 NEGUS, a holding company based in Naledi, Soweto. Their main beneficiaries are no, or low-fee schools, ordinary individuals, households, informal businesses, youth-owned businesses, formal, established businesses and local government. So far, they have managed to form partnerships with local organisations such as Khauhelo Primary School, FuturisticRoots, Smart Pantsula, For The Youth By The Youth, Koolies (clothing brand), and the local council of Naledi, Soweto.

Mpele says that he started the company because he saw a gap in the market for projects and programmes such as the ones the company undertakes. “I also believe human labour, as an economic Factor of Production, is the most integral piece of the puzzle in achieving economic growth and development. It therefore, makes sense- for me as an economist- to find practical solutions that will get human labour to participate optimally in the formal economy of my habitat” he elaborates. His vision is to see humans live more meaningfully, with the purpose and capacity to make rational economic decisions that benefit them and the communities within which they live. To date, his biggest achievement has been the “seemingly simple yet challenging process of translating an idea to reality, with real-world implications, against all odds”, says Mpele.

Fellow Activators can support and be part of the project by buying some of the several consumer goods and services that are sold by the company and its subsidiaries, volunteering for available volunteer posts, proposing ways in which they can collaborate with the company, sharing various projects with their networks to which the entity may not be known, or like and engage content on social media. So far, the community of Naledi and its entrepreneurs have benefitted greatly from this influential initiative.

The relevant social media handles are as follows:

Facebook: Mpele Tshepiso,

Twitter: @slow_mpele

It is true that the future of South Africa’s economy is in good hands. This is Tshepiso Mpele’s story of influence.