Hot Cares in Cape Town

HOT 102.7FM, playTSOGO & Humanitarian Empowerment Fund Drive Sustainable Female-Led Entrepreneurship

The focus of this project is to support and fund sustainable female-led entrepreneurship, with these salons held up as beacons of hope in communities crying out for investment and a vote of confidence in their ability to generate jobs and sustain themselves.

“What we liked about this story was its sustainability, because these are the types of projects where Hot Cares believes it can add the most value,” said Lloyd Madurai, Managing Director of HOT 102.7FM. “On top of that, we’ve got the perfect partners in playTSOGO and the Humanitarian Empowerment Fund, and we love the good they are looking to do, which blends so nicely with how Hot Cares seeks to make a meaningful difference to the lives of those around us.”

Johannesburg, .. March 2024 – Johannesburg-based commercial radio station HOT 102.7FM

has partnered with playTSOGO to change the lives of two hairdressers in Cape Town, through its Hot Cares initiative and a programme conceptualized by the Humanitarian Empowerment Fund.

PlayTSOGO is the Tsogo Sun group’s online gaming platform and through Hot Cares identified the opportunity to help drive meaningful change in the Western Cape by contributing to the ‘Home-Based Salons’ programme.

The two salons – owned and run by Noluvuyo Khanjwa in Wallacedene and Vanessa Marais in Bishop Lavis – have been fully kitted-out and the two hairdressers will also receive training and business coaching, with the ultimate goal that they will “pay it forward” down the line.

Aside from the equipment and product needed to run these salons, they will also serve as much-needed training centres and safe houses for others. It’s something Marais, in particular, is proud of, having worked in the industry for over 30 years and lost her original salon in a divorce.

“I know what a lot of women are going through and I see it on their faces when they sit down in my salon, particularly with regards to abuse at home. So, this is such a big thing and will play a huge role in these women finding a way to transform their lives,” said Marais.

PlayTSOGO General Manager, Feron Somiah – accompanied from Johannesburg by members of the Hot Cares and HOT 102.7FM News teams – was on hand to cut the red ribbons and declare the two salons open for business.

“Community development is so important to us and we’re so excited to help get this project off the ground,” said Somiah. “We feel this will be the catalyst to drive an economy in this community, and that’s pretty exciting. We’ve helped someone learn to fish – we haven’t just given them the fishing rod, and that, in its simplest form, is what we’ve done here.”

“People want to see success stories in the community,” said Humanitarian Empowerment Fund Founder, Clete Stevis. “That’s what inspires, more than the preaching and telling people what they are doing wrong. It’s to show lives that have been changed.”

Hot Cares is a non-profit company and strives to make a meaningful difference to the lives of those around it, dedicating its efforts to providing much-needed assistance to those who find themselves in difficult circumstances, with a focus on four key areas: humanitarian and welfare, medical, educational, and animal welfare.