Every June, Youth Month asks South Africans to look at what young people are building, not just what they might one day become. Nedbank’s Youth Employment Service (YES) programme has given hundreds of young South Africans their first foothold in the working world, regardless of their field of study or where they grew up. Since 2019, Nedbank has completed six YES intakes, creating more than 19 000 one-year work opportunities for young people across the country. The majority of participants have been women (63%), from grant-recipient households (85%), and supporting dependents (87%). Between 2019 and 2025, Nedbank invested approximately R1 billion in the YES programme, demonstrating our commitment to creating opportunities that have a lasting impact on the lives of young South Africans. We share a collection of YES Youth success stories, taken together, which show how far that first step can carry someone, into operations management, entrepreneurship, marketing leadership, data analysis, development finance, debt recoveries, and beyond. These are the stories of some of the YES Youth excelling at the bank. From Hammanskraal to Global Tech Leader: When Thabo Lekgwathi joined Nedbank through the YES programme in 2022, he wasn’t looking for a career in technology — he was looking for an opportunity. Like many young South Africans entering the job market, Thabo applied for anything that could open a door. He originally interviewed for a call centre position, but a chance viral moment changed the trajectory of his career and led him into Nedbank Group Technology. Today, he serves as a Microsoft Power Platform Specialist, managing one of the bank’s most important automation and citizen development platforms. “The YES programme was something out of the ordinary,” says Thabo. “What made it special was that it didn’t ask for experience from young people — it gave experience.” What began as a one-year opportunity quickly evolved into a long-term career. That challenge sparked a passion that would define his professional journey. Today, Thabo oversees governance, compliance, security, enablement and adoption of the Microsoft Power Platform at Nedbank. His rapid growth has been remarkable. One of his proudest achievements was implementing Microsoft’s Power Platform Centre of Excellence Starter Kit in 2023. His contributions were recently recognised with the prestigious Nedbank Group Technology Top Achiever Award. Having grown up in the dusty streets of Hammanskraal, he once dreamed of simply travelling across South Africa. Today, his work has taken him around the world, including trips to the United States and upcoming visits to Malaysia, Singapore and Denmark. His advice to young people is simple: “Never stop looking. A job is a job. Sometimes opportunities transform into careers. Mine did. Once you get an opportunity, become an asset they can’t afford to lose.” Lawrence Mphepo — from promotional jobs to Operations Manager Lawrence Mphepo’s path to a corporate career started with a financial setback. While studying towards a BCom in Business and Marketing, money ran short, and he took on promotional jobs to get by, until a partner’s introduction to Nedbank’s YES programme, hosted by Tradeway Promotions, changed his trajectory. The programme taught him how to engage with diverse people and gave him a sense of pride and belonging, while helping him support his family financially. From there, Mphepo moved into brand activation as a promoter supervisor, then into operations, within eight months of signing a permanent contract, he was promoted to Operations Manager, a role he still holds. Today he manages client relationships, ensures sites meet regulatory standards, and helps expand recruitment drives aimed at giving other young people with no experience their first foothold, much as YES once gave him. Nyiko Nkuna — building a business around health, wellness and waste Nyiko Nkuna built two careers at once, in sports health and wellness and in environmental health and safety, after completing his studies. As a YES alumnus sponsored by Nedbank and hosted by ORT SA, he went on to serve as a youth ambassador, help shape the careers of his peers, and earn recognition as one of South Africa’s most innovative young people and one of the continent’s Bright Young Minds. That momentum carried into The Cargo Waste Trolley, his business tackling environmental and sports health and wellness issues both online and on the ground. The venture gives young people practical ways to earn an income, learn financial management, and build digital and real-world skills for their communities, work Nkuna sees as building a legacy for the next generation, much as YES did for him. Warren Mkhize — from final-year jitters to mushroom entrepreneur Warren Mkhize was in his final year at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2018, anxious about finding work, when Nedbank’s YES programme, paired with an entrepreneurship training course, gave him both a job and a push. YES helped him develop interpersonal skills, navigate workplace personalities, and grow out of his shell. That confidence led him to start Mycopro, a business cultivating, producing, and selling oyster mushrooms, using R5,800 from his YES salary plus R2,000 for a second-hand computer. Unable to access loans as a self-funded entrepreneur, Mkhize learned to target high-end markets and diversify, selling growing materials, dried mushrooms, and animal feed made from offcuts. Mycopro now supplies retailers including Quarry and Parklane Super Spar, and trains university teams in mushroom farming. Wendy Mhlongo — from shy teacher’s assistant to Marketing Supervisor Before YES, Wendy Mhlongo worked as a teacher’s assistant and battled shyness and self-doubt. Nedbank’s YES programme placed her at Love Howick as a Marketing Intern, where her dedication saw her become one of just three participants absorbed into a permanent role as Entry-Level Marketing Coordinator. From there she took on email campaigns, events, and analytics, earned a promotion to Marketing Specialist focused on digital and content marketing, and was recently appointed Marketing Supervisor, overseeing her department’s entire marketing function. Along the way she completed a certificate in Fundamental Marketing. Mhlongo’s journey, from a shy teacher’s assistant to a confident marketing leader, is a clear marker of what structured opportunity and mentorship can unlock. Sibusiso
