Cinema is set to screen in Khayelitsha, thanks to the passion and drive of a young entrepreneur who loves the township.
|||Cape Town -
Cinema is set to screen in Khayelitsha, thanks to the passion and drive of a young entrepreneur who loves the township.
Buhle Sithela, 20, has enlisted the help of several friends and now they’re putting all their energy into raising funds to see their dream realised.
Sithela is passionate about movies and events management. But due to financial constraints, he had to drop out of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, where he was studying towards a national diploma in events management.
But he’s adamant that setback won’t deter him from success.
Sithela and three friends started a bin-collecting and cleaning service last year, which they hope will ultimately fund his plan for an open-air cinema and movie screenings in Khayelitsha.
“I decided to start the cleaning business because I have no funds for the expensive equipment to do the screenings.
“We charge R50 a bin per month and all of that money goes towards buying materials I need for the project. We will, however, also have some help from the Sunshine Cinema, a company where I’m interning,” he told Weekend Argus.
They kicked off their bin business on Heritage Day last year, hosting a celebration at which they encouraged children from the area to help them collect bins from people’s homes.
They charged R5 a bin on opening day to help boost awareness, while also showing the younger children “one can make a positive change in their lives with just something small”, Sithela said.
He has interned at an events company which hosted open air cinemas around the city during the summer.
“I felt that it was an impressive idea and thought it would be nice for the people of Khayelitsha to experience it,” he said.
He is plans to hold his first pilot screening early next month at the Lookout Hill tourism centre in Khayelitsha.
Sithela and his partner, Abongile Mqwetho, said they hoped their businesses would “bring change and help alleviate poverty in Khayelitsha”.
The young men said many people in their area were unemployed and they hoped to offer opportunities “so that they can also put food on their tables”.
“We want to show people that not being formally educated is not the end of the world.
“Not all families can afford to send their children to university so if you are not so fortunate but have a dream and passion, make it possible.”
Sithela said he hadn’t been to a cinema in four years, so “having a cinema right on my doorstep will encourage me to go and see movies and hopefully others who haven’t even been to the cinema will also enjoy the opportunity”.
The cinema will initially screen movies and documentaries supplied by Encounters Film Festival and the first screening will be free.
asanda.sokanyile@inl.co.za
Saturday Argus