For many South Africans, entrepreneurship begins with a single idea. For Bulelani Balabala township entrepreneurship developer, Group CEO of Intercessor Army Franchising, and founder of the Township Entrepreneurs Agency (TEA) the journey began with survival, community support, and a determination to change the story of township enterprise from the inside out.
Raised by a single mother in Tembisa, Bulelani’s earliest lessons came from watching her strength and endurance. “People say ‘single mother.’ I say hero,” he often reflects. That resilience became the foundation of his own drive as he stepped into business at a young age.
From a Printed T-Shirt to a Business Dream
The spark came unexpectedly. A friend returned home from school wearing a T-shirt printed with his name. In the township, that kind of personalised item was rare. For Bulelani, it planted a seed: I could build a business of my own.
But his path took a sharp turn when he was pulled out of school after Grade 9 and enrolled in a Further Education and Training (FET) college due to financial limitations. He completed introductory N courses at Giyani West College, but funding dried up, leaving him to navigate adulthood earlier than expected.
He missed out on the teenage rites of passage no matric dance, no school traditions but he gained something else, urgency. Responsibility. Hustle.
A Garage, No Internet, and the Birth of Tenacity
The next move was bold opening an internet café in his mother’s garage.
He negotiated for space among pots, boxes, and stored household items. His mother agreed, but there was an obstacle he couldn’t ignore there was no ADSL infrastructure in the township.
When he applied for ADSL, the Telkom consultant told him he was the first person in his entire area to ever request it.
It took more than 24 months to install because Telkom had to build new infrastructure from scratch. And yet, he persisted calling every two weeks for updates and learning telecom terms long before he understood what they meant.
Still, the business struggled. For seven to eight years, revenue stayed between R180 and R380 per month, while expenses were close to R4,000. The gap was suffocating, but he refused to shut down.
Then unexpectedly, in June of one year, the business jumped to R30,000 a turning point that kept the doors open.
He hired his first employee shortly afterwards.
A New Chapter at Raizcorp
In his 12th year as an entrepreneur, Bulelani was accepted into Raizcorp, one of South Africa’s leading business incubators. It was there that he learned about systems, processes, sales, marketing, pricing, and the importance of understanding one’s market.
One exercise required participants to write down their dream salaries. His was R30,000 the second lowest in the room. Later, he discovered that this salary reflected precisely the market he could serve at the time and this clarity transformed his approach.
Becoming a Printing Broker
At that point, he still didn’t own printing machines. So, he partnered with a local print shop in Tembisa. They provided samples, Bulelani acted as a broker. He sold certificates, banners, and branded materials.
Bulelani also shifted the way he networked. Instead of viewing Raizcorp classmates as peers, he saw them as potential clients. Every session became an opportunity to sell, build relationships, and understand what bigger businesses needed. The strategy paid off and his sales quadrupled.
Building a Printing Powerhouse
With consistent growth, he purchased printing machines and expanded into a 480m² production facility. The business was named Intercessor Army Franchising, inspired by his church upbringing,
Intercessor standing in the gap
Army discipline, skill, precision
Franchising thinking globally despite starting in Tembisa
The brand grew and so did demand.
The Birth of TEA
In 2015, friends in Tembisa began asking him how he built his business. Their curiosity sparked a passion project, the Township Entrepreneurs Agency (TEA).
The idea was simple gather 10 or 20 entrepreneurs once a month to share ideas and learn from one another.
But when the first informal meetup took place on 11 July 2015, 61 people showed up.
What started as a gathering grew into a movement. TEA became a bridge between township entrepreneurs, corporates, and government.
Today, TEA has:
• existed for 10 years
• directly supported over 100,000 entrepreneurs nationwide
• expanded across provinces
• facilitated more than R11 million in grant funding for township SMMEs
Selling the Printing Business to Focus on TEA
Three and a half years ago, Bulelani sold his printing company’s equipment and client book, but kept the legal name. He did this to fully dedicate himself to TEA as it gained momentum and national importance.
The Harsh Reality of Township Enterprise
Bulelani advocates for townships because he has lived the challenges firsthand. The data supports what he has always known.
• 95% of township businesses operate from home
• 60% struggle with internet connectivity
• 90% want card machines but don’t know where to start
Courier companies refused to enter Tembisa.
Job applicants preferred low-paying jobs at other companies over higher-paying jobs in local township businesses because of stigma.
Infrastructure, perception, and systemic inequities remain major barriers.
This is why TEA exists.
A Message to Entrepreneurs
Bulelani’s advice to small businesses comes from hard-earned experience. He encourages entrepreneurs to start where they are with what they have, reminding them never to undermine humble beginnings. He believes the “small business” label should describe infrastructure, not mindset, because a founder can think big even when the company is still small. He also urges entrepreneurs to learn to pitch at the level they aspire to, preparing themselves for rooms where budgets reach into the billions. Above all, he says talk is cheap, numbers don’t lie, and success requires relentless execution.
A Challenge to Corporates and Government
Bulelani’s call is direct, South Africa must move beyond talking about township economies and start actively investing in them. He argues that intentional, high-impact programmes strengthen supply chains, stimulate local economies, build long-term talent pipelines, and ultimately reinforce national economic resilience. Townships, he insists, are not charity cases they are vibrant economic ecosystems waiting to be unlocked.
From a garage with no internet to creating a national platform that has reached more than 100,000 entrepreneurs, Bulelani Balabala is changing the narrative of township enterprise. He does so not as an outsider, but as someone who rose from the very streets he now empowers. He often says he is not self-made, but community-made, and through transforming himself, he has helped transform thousands.
The Township Entrepreneurs Agency (TEA) has also revealed the finalists for the 2025 Township Economy Awards & Summit, celebrating the talent and innovation reshaping South Africa’s township economy. Set for 20–22 November 2025 in Tembisa under the theme “An Inclusive Economic Future,” the event will honour entrepreneurs who are driving real community transformation. As Bulelani Balabala notes, these finalists are changing what the township economy represents, proving that the businesses once seen as marginal are rapidly becoming part of South Africa’s new mainstream.
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