Meet Selenda Rodger Dennis; an Inspiring19 Year-Old Entrepreneur, Business-Founder, Carpenter, Artist and Hopeful Engineer

Tell us your name, age and where you are from.

My name is Selenda Rodger Dennis. I am from Mbabane, originally born in Hlangano. I am 19 years of age and completed my O'Levels last year.

Tell us about yourself.

Well, I am the type of person who loves interacting with people but didn’t have that experience during school. Mostly because I was afraid of criticism as there was a lot of criticism in my school, but in the past year, 2019, as I completed my school years, things changed a bit.

My friends needed my help as I am good with my hands and school work. For my last year for example, for my design and technology project, I almost didn’t submit it as people were asking me to help them instead of me doing my own project. It was kind of tough as the teachers were also in on it but I am glad that I was able to.

I love being and working with people; I find it fun, interesting and relaxing. I love playing sports; I am good at most sports besides swimming as I can’t swim. My favourite sport is basketball even though it isn’t supported much in the country. I am good with my hands, talking, designing things and drawing.

After today, me and my business partners have a few businesses that we would like to start; six in total. When we leave here, we have to go to Mbabane to finish a project for someone who ordered some furniture. It has to be delivered by Sunday so we have to go back to Mbabane and make the coffee table this weekend.

My dream is to go to school and study e-engineering; mechanical engineering to start with. My dream is to explore every field of engineering; I love engineering. Due to the fact it doesn’t have much employment in comparison to other fields, I opted for e-architecture. I love drawing and I am good at it. Hopefully schools will open soon and we will be able to go to school. I applied at Lingokwin but my grades weren’t so good even though I got accepted. If I don’t get the scholarship, it then it means that I am not going to school as my Mom can’t afford it, but I will make a plan which is why I am trying to start these businesses to try and pay for myself.

Two or three months ago, we undertook classes in carpentry; Kwakha Indvodza took us for an apprentice programme where I got to explore, meet people and play around with the tools. One day, I made a TV stand and someone came to me and said they liked my TV stand and wanted to buy it for 1.5. So I decided to call my colleagues and we split the money. Since then, we have been making furniture and designs for people. Now, we are planning to start our own carpentry business making custom furniture, provided the materials. Kwakha Indvodza offered us the opportunity to lend us their tools as we still don’t have the capital to buy our own. For now, we are still using their tools.

We also have another business we would like to start which is to supply beef to the local butcheries in Mbabane, Manzini and beyond. On Monday, we are buying a living cow which we have saved for. We are selling the cow to a lady who said she is interested in doing so. Soon after that, we found a female cow which gave birth. We bought it for E8,000 with the baby which is a great deal. 

We are also planning to open a salon. I am also good with styling hair, not plaiting but styling and haircuts. We are waiting on the land to finish building the salon.

My business partners are friends I made through Kwakha Indvodza. One is 20 and the other is 24.

How has COVID-19 affected you personally?

I don’t have much on the negative but more on the positive side. I used to stay in the house and do nothing for the whole day, watching TV, using my phone. I used to wake up and go to the courts to play basketball but now I can’t play basketball, so I go up to the mountains, relax, listen to music and draw. But then I ran out of drawing material.

Now I am busy with these projects.

I have been able to go to most places in Swaziland which is something I did not do. I barely knew the town I live in, Mbabane, because I did not have many people to interact with. Life hasn’t been easy but I have tried to make the best of it.

COVID-19 helped me to make the best of life as I am enjoying life more than before. Now I can buy things for my sister and mum; a dress, shirt, cologne and a watch. Things I wasn’t able to do, I am now able to do. I can now feed my family instead of me depending on my mother. She is a single mum; my dad deserted us. Despite all that, she has always been there for me. So COVID-19 has really helped me to give back to her what she has given to me.

If you had a message for young Emaswati, what would it be?

Excuse my language, but what I would say is get off your behind and use your brains. If you are sitting in the house, and you are doing nothing, sure, you might want to start businesses. I used to have a lot of business ideas; I still do. But I got off my behind, went outside and did my research.

If you know that you are good at drawing, go and find someone you can draw and who will pay you for it. One lady found me drawing on my doorstep at home and asked me to draw her. I delivered the drawing two days later and she framed it. The day after, another  man came to me with the same request on my way to school. After that happened, I decided to go out there and find people I can do things for. 

Do something with your life. Don’t wait for something to happen to your life but you make it happen. Nothing comes easy and nothing is for mahala or for free. Even the Bible says that God helps those who help themselves. So if you want to see a difference, make the difference; don’t expect someone to make the difference for you.

If you had a message for the UN, what would it be?

Firstly, I would like to thank the UN for the opportunities that she has given us because without the UN, I believe that Kwakha Indvodza would not be in existence now. I’d like to thank you for that.

I’d also love for the UN to add more of these organisations. For instance, Kwakha Indvodza is the only organization that focuses on the male child. Most of the others focus on women and girls which we are not saying is a bad thing, but we also need the help. As much as we are good at work that need hard labour, we also need things like organisations that empower us and teach us how to start a business. I would love them to add more of those.

On another note, when they do add those, actually find us, the young people, who need the help and teach us how to do the work before you start the organization, rather than finding someone who is already qualified and gone through university. That person already has a better chance than us at finding a job. I am not saying it is a bad thing; it is good. Someone you taught, better understands what you need and want than someone who learned somewhere else and comes to work for you.

For instance, at Kwakha Indvodza, there is a guy, Vusi Dlamini, the chapter coordinator and a good friend of mine; there is no one who does the job better than him. He was trained, taught by and worked for Kwakha Indvodza. I would love for the UN to do that as well. Let’s say that the UN teaches me, I will be empowered to start something of my own and inflict the same positive attitude on the next person which will start a trend. The next person will do the same thing all over again and it will reduce the unemployment rate. Not only just in Africa, I would love them to do it all around the world because I do believe that it is not just Africa that needs the help; everyone needs the help. Others might have the resources but don’t know how to use them. Having such an organisation would help them to know how to use them and be empowered.