Elmon Tshikhudo
In the Venda village of Itsani outside Thohoyandou in Limpopo there are women who call themselves the Guptas Club – but it has nothing to do with the family who have stolen from the country.
The name is a cheeky dig at the Guptas because they, like the brothers at the centre of the state capture scandal, are making money.
The women are enterprising, running a range of different businesses – from selling vegetables to touting perfumes.
Club member Madovhi Badzhi specialises in selling cooked maize cobs.
“I have managed to buy a bakkie from the proceeds of the sales,” she said.
The group first used to gather at the local drinking hole, but the leader of the club and founding member Mashudu Lorraine Nethonzhe said this was a waste of their time.
“So we started meeting at members’ houses and others joined. Our aim is to help each other accumulate wealth,” Nethonzhe told Scrolla.Africa.
Today, the club that was started in 2019 has 28 active members and they meet over the weekend at members’ houses or go to local resorts. They come together and cook good food, but the conversation remains focused around empowerment and achieving success.
But Nethonzhe was quick to distance the collective from its notorious namesake. She said although they were intrigued by the Guptas they shouldn’t be associated with the bad deeds of this family.
“We emulate their riches and not how they got their money,” she said.
During their meetings they contribute R1,200 each to a fund with the aim of saving enough money and going into business together.
