Here is the rewritten content in a provocative and controversial manner:
“Telkom’s ‘FutureMakers’ scam: How a billion-dollar company is bleeding the blood of South Africa’s entrepreneurs”
While the world is still trying to wrap its head around the notion of “social entrepreneurship,” Telkom is quietly raking in the cash by exploiting the vulnerability of South Africa’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
According to a statement, Telkom’s “FutureMakers” program has helped local SMEs generate a paltry R339 million from their procurement and innovation initiatives. Meanwhile, the same program has been quietly funneling millions of rands into Telkom’s coffers.
The truth is, Telkom’s “FutureMakers” program is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to suck the life out of South Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The company’s “investments” in SMEs are nothing more than a clever marketing ploy to disguise its true intentions: to consolidate its grip on the country’s telecommunications market.
But the numbers don’t lie. According to Telkom’s own statistics, the company’s investments in SMEs have resulted in a whopping R191 million in revenue. That’s right, folks, Telkom is raking in millions of rands from the sweat and toil of South Africa’s entrepreneurs, while the country’s economy remains in shambles.
And let’s not forget the so-called “beneficiaries” of Telkom’s “FutureMakers” program. We’re talking about businesses like Mmapaseka Academy, an ICT training business in Kimberley, in the Northern Cape. Telkom FutureMakers on-boarded Mmapaseka as a beneficiary of the Telkom Tech Accelerator program in 2022, and it was later awarded a three-year contract with BCX to run learnership programs for 49 learners.
But what’s the real story behind this “success” story? Was it Telkom’s benevolent largesse that propelled Mmapaseka Academy to success, or was it simply a clever marketing ploy to promote Telkom’s own brand?
The truth is, Telkom’s “FutureMakers” program is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to exploit the vulnerability of South Africa’s entrepreneurs. It’s a scam, plain and simple. And it’s time for South Africans to wake up and smell the coffee.
Telkom’s “FutureMakers” program is a slap in the face to the very entrepreneurs it claims to support. It’s a thinly veiled attempt to bleed the blood out of South Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and it’s time for South Africans to take action.
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