“Innovation has been a driving force for me; rural areas deserve to become hubs of digital transformation, not just big cities like Johannesburg or Cape Town.”
Cwenga Songelwa
Introduction
In this conversation, Joyce Chiamaka Nwezeh speaks with Cwenga Songelwa, a finalist recognized for her innovative work in rural connectivity through T-Net Africa, a telecommunications franchise under TechSeeds.
The discussion explores her journey from public administration to entrepreneurship, her deep commitment to rural development, and the impact she continues to make in her community.
Cwenga Songelwa
My name is Cwenga Songelwa. I have worked previously in different ministries and governments for over 15 years. And you know, you join those ministries thinking that you’ll be there forever. And I think there was a tough time in my life where the contract was terminated. And I took a leap of faith to now venture into business.
After doing my research, because I’m more involved in rural community objects, I did my research in my rural community in the Eastern Cape, and I saw the need of connectivity in the area itself. And I approached a few telecommunications companies within Johannesburg at the time because I was based in Johannesburg. And good doors opened for me, and I was able to start my business on the 1st of November, 2024. The name of the business is called T-Net Africa.
T-Net Africa falls under the umbrella of TechSeeds, which is a telecommunications business. But T-Net on its own is a franchise. So I took the leap of faith and got into a space that I was not really familiar with. But I knew that because of the love and the desire of the people within my community—uplifting them and telling them that we need to be tech-savvy in everything that we do—that’s when I started T-Net Africa. And I am turning a year in the business.
And as much as I’m turning a year, there have been—I’ve partnered—my main stakeholders I deal with are the Department of Education all over the Eastern Cape, because the services that I offer from printing, laminating, courier service, leasing of printers, internet solutions, it’s what schools need. And it has shocked me as well. I’m so shocked that I’m turning one because it felt like two months ago when I started.
Besides that, I’ve studied as well. I hold an honours degree in Public Administration. And I also do a lot of philanthropy work. I serve in one of the foundations that is old and I proudly love, called the Naba Acheson Mugaitobi Foundation, where I also lead in that particular foundation, the Women Economic Development Committee.
Two months ago, I was approached by one foundation within the Eastern Cape called Davile Foundation, and they nominated me as their secretary. So I think coming back from Johannesburg and having to restart my life in the rural Eastern Cape has opened a lot of amazing opportunities for me. So that is all. Thank you very much.
What inspired you to pursue a career in a sector like tech? And what was that moment, that pivotal moment that made you say, “Okay, no more politics, let me do this.”
Cwenga Songelwa
As I said, I’m from the rural Eastern Cape as well. And my inspiration on its own came from witnessing how limited access and reliable connectivity continues to exclude many rural areas—in particular within the Eastern Cape. And I do believe that with innovation and digital transformation, we’re able to connect. You may be somewhere, I don’t know where you are; you may be in America or London, and the bundles—we call it the bundles—and we’re able to connect.
One of the things that has motivated me was making a difference within my community where I come from. You know, it’s always good to come and service the people and to give opportunities to young people. In my business, I’ve employed roughly people that are less than 35 years, training them into innovation and what drives them.
And I think innovation has been a driving force for me and that’s why I’ve decided to open the business in Rumbu in particular and leave Johannesburg.
What meaningful contribution or impact have you made, particularly in driving change and uplifting others?
Through T-Net Africa, I’ve been able to create employment opportunities for young rural towns, especially the youth. And we’ve connected local schools. As I’ve said previously, my main stakeholders are the Department of Education because I believe that with all the matriculants now busy writing their exams, as soon as they are done writing, some may pass and may not be able to go to varsity.
So I always ensure that I give those young children an opportunity to come and serve as learnerships in my business. One of them works for me now, got accepted at CPUT in Cape Town. And I was telling her, “Are you ready now to go to Cape Town?” because she’s from the rural areas. So I’ve been grooming her. When she came to my business at the time, she was unable to type. She was unable to do anything. And I sit fondly here and proud that I’ve made a significant difference in her life. She will now go to CPUT, and she will always remember me.
Beyond business itself, I use the platform to mentor young women, encourage them to pursue leadership. My greatest impact within the area has been to demonstrate that rural areas need to become a hub of innovation. It should not only be in Johannesburg or Cape Town when you need to go where you get these opportunities. And when given the right tools, I do believe that rural children and young women would be able to conquer anything they need to conquer.
What’s your growth strategy to ensure sustainability and minimize risk in what you do?
My growth as T-Net Africa, honestly, is to bring more partnerships, to be innovative within the community, and to keep on expanding within the rural Eastern Cape, ensuring sustainability that would allow a network for infrastructure in terms of ICT and innovation. Most importantly, I continue to build trust with the communities that I work around and to also be a go-to person—that if things fall, you may pass your matric, but it does not mean it’s the end of the world when an institution has not accepted you.
We are open to take you and train you, and we even assist matriculants for free. I use my own Wi-Fi in my business on Saturdays and say, “Look, everyone must go to school.” I am for education. I’ve studied myself in difficult times. And I believe that such things would bring a lot of social impact.
I’ve built good customer loyalty within the clients that I service within my unit. And as one of my greatest mentors normally says, it’s better to have five quality clients rather than having 100 people who are going to confuse you.
That’s the impact I plan to bring within the Eastern Cape as a whole. And also, I am not only planning to see myself here in the small rural area of Kumbu—I want to expand. I want to expand to Botswana, I want to expand to Namibia. I want T-Net Africa to be a brand that is known. I started from not being a tech-savvy person. I’m an administration management person. But if you put your mind to it, everything is possible. Thank you.
