ETP3701
ASSIGNMENT 4 SEMESTER 1 2024
UNIQUE NO.590015
DUE DATE: 22 MAY 2024
, Entrepreneurship IIIA
EPT3701
ASSIGNMENT 4
SEMESTER 1 2024
UNIQUE NO. 590015
DUE DATE: 22 MAY 2024
CASE STUDY
Agripreneur: Ngwamba turns agricultural trash into burning treasure With a passion for
sustainability and innovation, Given Ngwamba transformed adversity into opportunity, creating
Nzilo Charcoal and paving the way for eco-friendly grilling solutions. Years ago, Given
Ngwamba’s garage in Ka-maqhekeza, Mpumalanga was transformed into an impromptu
innovation hub, filled with homemade machines that would ultimately bring his ground-breaking
idea to fruition. He wanted to create coal using agricultural waste such as groundnuts,
sugarcane, macadamia shells, coconut, and waste from mango leaves and banana trees.
The idea came after Ngwamba found himself at a crossroads in 2019 after a failed business
venture left him seeking a new beginning. “We built our own machines and experimented with
different materials. It wasn’t easy, but we were driven by the potential impact. “We’ve gone from
a handful of friends tinkering in a garage to a growing team; employment opportunities in our
community are incredibly rewarding,” he says. Turning waste into wealth The name of
Ngwamba’s business is Nzilo Charcoal, which means “hope” in the local dialect. He sells his
environmentally-friendly briquettes to local retailers like Vleis Paleis Nelspruit and Naas
SuperSpar for R37 per bag who add their markup.
Those who buy directly from Ngwamba pay R50 per bag. At the core of Nzilo Charcoal lies the
principle of agricultural sustainability by repurposing waste into valuable resources for
producing cleaner-burning charcoal. In a meticulous process, Nzilo Charcoal begins by
gathering agricultural waste such as sugarcane husks, corn stalks, and woodchips from nearby
farms. “This waste becomes the fuel for our eco-friendly briquettes,” Ngwamba explains.