About Gift Lubele
25-year-old young African Climate Entrepreneur
Since 2015, Gift Lubele has founded several companies who all have a sustainability theme. In 2019, Gift worked as a research engineer at one of the leading telecommunications companies in South Africa (Dimension Data). More recently, Mr. Lubele co-founded a digital recycling platform Kudoti, which Fast Company named one of 2020’s most innovative companies in South Africa.
Gift has designed and facilitated international programs—including Leadership for Social Change in Mauritius, in association with YUVA, which trained youth in Mauritius and was twice awarded by the country’s president. He has been named in the Top 20 under 30 Entrepreneurs by Fast Company and 100 most influential Young South Africans, among other honors. He studied in Mauritius at the African Leadership University, completed a design thinking program from the University of Cape Town School of Business in South Africa, and is currently completing his Bachelor of Business Administration at Regenesys Business School in South Africa.
Previous Work
Gift Lubele has spoken to more than 5000 people in 4 continents and 8 countries.
2023 Audi Conversations of Progress with Hildegard Wortmann
February , 2023Panel Speaker: Gift LubeleMr. Gift Lubele joined a panel of South African trailblazers sitting down with Hildegard Wortmann, member of the Board of Management for AUDI AG and member of the Extended Executive Committee for Volkswagen AG in Nelson Mandela’s primary place of residence- Sanctuary Mandela to discuss Electric Cars environmental impact and adoption in South Africa.
2022 MINI Big Love for the Planet Fuse Session
November , 2022Guest Speaker: Gift LubeleWe need big 💚love for the planet 🌍 , we need change markers to step up and we need platforms to enable progressive conversations that are beneficial to the only environment we have.
MINI South Africa has launched the Electric Collective, a platform for change markers to engage, inspire and solve the unsolvable.United Nations Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Symposium 2021
June , 2021Facilitator: Gift LubeleFollow the ECOSYSTEMS - BASED ADAPTATION (EBA) SYMPOSIUM SOUTH AFRICA 2021 to unpack the role (including challenges and opportunities), of EbA in South Africa’s climate change adaptation efforts and, a look back at EbA roots in South Africa, through a current baseline of activity, towards a future where EbA practices effectively support the country to meet its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
2021 ALU Innovate
August, 2021Keynote Speaker: Gift LubeleThis year's event has been tagged “Reinvent & Deliver”- The Entrepreneur's Strategy to Leading in the New Normal. The event was virtual due to COVID-19.
Gift Lubele spoke to the students on the topic of "Resilience- A survival tool for young entrepreneurs as you share briefly on your entrepreneurship journey"2021 Sustainability Summit
August, 2021Guest Speaker: Gift LubeleThe 11th annual Sustainability Summit will be brought to you as a live virtual event, thus offering both exponential global reach and accessibility by easily bringing the content directly to the audience.
Since December 2019, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has quickly spread all over the world. In March 2020, it was declared a global pandemic by the WHO, has affected virtually all countries and territories. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are under threat everywhere, as nations face unprecedented health and economic challenges.
Awards
Honorary and business awards
Gallery
Gift Lubele's Circular Economy Journey
2015: Making clothes out of waste materials
When I was in High school, my friends and I decided to start making clothes from waste materials found in our communities. The idea won the 2015 TeenPreneur Competition.
2016: Plastic bag holding device
This is a plastic bag holding device that lessened the pain you get when holding heavy plastic bags.
2016: Home furniture from Waste (Tyres)
I had partnered with amazing entrepreneurs, together we made chairs, tables, and other useful things out of disposed tyres.
2017: Bags made from recycled billboards (PVC)
Recycling advertising billboards is costly for many brands, in 2017 we made a wide variety of corporate goodies which included bags, Panchos, etc. Through running this business, I managed to pay the first year of tuition fees.
2018: Bicycles for the informal waste reclaimers
For the informal waste re-claimers found in different parts of Africa, Asia and even America, logistics is a huge problem. These individuals carry and pull heavy loads of waste hence I tested the concept of creating a recycling bicycle.
2019: Kudoti (Building global participation in the circular Economy)
Kudoti works across the value chain to build a truly circular economy
We work with companies to improve current supply chains for waste materials, from source to endpoint, as well as build new supply chains to ensure the continuous flow of materials, from waste to resource.