LOUIS TRICHARDT – The list of speakers for the Soutpansberg Entrepreneurs week has been finalised and it promises to be two very interesting and entertaining days.

On 8 August Mr Cyril Ramaphosa will officially open the Entrepreneurs week. Mr Ramaphosa is regarded as one of the most important leaders in South Africa and has become a prominent member in the business community. He played a crucial role in negotiations with South Africa's former government to bring about a peaceful conclusion to apartheid and direct the country towards its first democratic elections in April 1994. He is a determined socialist who believes that South Africa's new political democracy must be accompanied by economic democracy.

Mr Ramaphosa matriculated at Mphaphuli High School in Venda in 1971, and in 1988 he obtained his law degree. In 1991 Cyril Ramaphosa was elected ANC General Secretary. However, after South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994, he left politics for the world of business.

His address will be followed by what promises to be a touching speech by Alison, entitled "I have life". In December 1994, Alison was brutally attacked, abducted and raped and left for dead in the bushes on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth. A year after her attack she gave her first talk. She has received many awards such as the Femina Magazine's Woman of Courage Award in 1995.

The fact that she survived has been acclaimed as a medical miracle, but the fact that she has chosen not to be bitter, but to learn from her experience and share her lessons with as many people as she can is more of a miracle.

Popular cricket player, Pat Symcox, will treat the audience at 13:30 on Thursday, 8 August. He is one of South Africa's most remarkable sport success stories. He is well known as someone who is prepared to speak his mind, and made his international cricket debut at age 33, in 1993 when South Africa played against Sri Lanka.

Symcox became a fixed player in the national squad, primarily for his ability as a limited-overs player. He had to work hard to maintain his fitness levels in order to keep up with his younger colleagues in the field, but his determination often surprised a batsman running between wickets.

The last speaker on the first day of the Entrepreneurs week is Quinton Coetzee. Quinton believes that each person has a deep-seated instinct to survive. His powerful presentation takes the audience on a journey into the fascinating world of the San Bushman Tribe. He compares their tribal behaviour, instincts and hunting skills to that of the business sector and illustrates that everyone has dormant business skills, which need to be utilized.

On Friday, August 9, Dr David Molapo is the opening speaker. Dr Molapo is one of our foremost management consultants, an educationalist and a well-known motivational speaker, who uses a combination of humour and fantastic stage presence to capture any audience with his message of hope.

At the age of thirteen, David was imprisoned for his political activities. It was there that he began his amazing journey of changing his life, which led him to become the successful businessman, leader, husband and father he is today.

At 11:00 the same day, Dr Gustav Gous will take the stage. Dr Gous is a life-long student and teacher at the University of Life, whose business is "TRANSFORTAIN-MENT". "I don't teach information, I facilitate personal transformation in an entertaining manner," he says.

He is an entrepreneur rendering service as management consultant, counsellor, businessman and academic, both nationally and internationally. His motivational message to one and all is that good customer service implies firstly to be a go-giver and then a go-getter.

The last slot in the programme belongs to a couple of residents of the Soutpansberg who would like to preserve some of the region's diverse culture in book form. The Soutpansberg Stories Trust was founded to compile stories about the region and eventually publish these in book form. More information about the trust and its goals will be discussed during the session.

Tickets for the various speaker sessions are available from all outlets of Multi Agencies. The number to contact is (015) 516 5723.