Government officials, key private and public sector stakeholders, media and the winning young entrepreneurs from the far corners of South Africa gathered at a glittering celebration of The 2017 Step Up 2 a Start Up Youth Entrepreneurship Awards, which took place at the Southern Sun Hotel in Arcadia. The awards are a culmination of a 5-month entrepreneurship development programme and competition for secondary school learners, made possible by key sponsors Standard Bank, Sasol and the MTN Foundation, amongst others. With input from industry leaders and experts, the Top 9 entrepreneurial teams who demonstrated the most innovative social or environmental business model were selected through a national competition and 3-stage adjudication process. Speaking to Teboho Mafodi at the event was Minister of Small Business Development - Lindiwe Zulu, Standard Bank Senior Marketing Manager in Retail Banking - Thisile Mtyeku, Primestars GM - Nkosinathi Moshoana, and Standard Bank Step Up 2 a Start Up influencers. www.cliffcentral.com