Home-grown businessman develops a portable power station

Anybody needing a dose of optimism should look no further than Vincent Mosebe, a 25-year-old entrepreneur from Vrygrond in Cape Town.

The home-grown businessman has developed a portable power station that addresses some of the problems he knew as a child growing up in a township. His 10 AH (amp hour) solar-powered mini device allows users to charge devices such as lights and cell phones with a minimum of fuss in under-resourced communities where grid power is often unavailable, either due to expense or inaccessibility. Mosebe’s device is made mostly from recycled material and can even charge larger devices like laptops and cameras. 

Mosebe’s success comes largely from his personal insight into the hardships endured by township communities, particularly poverty and power supply. His own room was burnt in a fire that ravaged Vrygrond in 2020 during the Covid pandemic; he suffered burns and lost most of his possessions. In a media interview he said the incident made him acutely aware of energy poverty, an insight that no doubt contributed to the birth of Mosebe Enterprise.

He and his business partners are now lighting up the emerging business sector, culminating in an invitation to exhibit at the recent Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Cape Town.

Dubbed Tsepho (the power of hope), the portable power station even looks set for further development and upgraded models; Mosebe says Tsepho 2 would feature a bug-repellant UV light to help with pest control. “Our next goal is to extend the products further into African countries that struggle with Malaria cases. Additionally, there are two more ranges with extended power capabilities to power up a single power socket that can power up a fridge or microwave,” he says.

Mosebe’s story illustrates why South Africa can and should succeed, no matter the challenges we seem to invent for ourselves. Every obstacle comes with the opportunity to find a solution, and move things along. Given the right circumstances adversity can breed innovation, time and again.

With more government support South Africa could reap a rich harvest of business excellence and ingenuity. 

John Lawson
CEO of the Cape Chamber of Commerce & Industry