South Africa, March 25 -- Afropreneur, marketer, speaker, and author on the subject, GG Alcock, unpacked the trends shaping the informal economy, why this economy is crucial for businesses and communities, and what it all means for South Africa's growth.

Alcock grew up in a Zulu Village, on the edge of the Tugela River in Msinga in KwaZulu-Natal, literally in a mud hut and like young Zulu kids.

In the late 80s and early 90s, he became a political activist.

"I moved to Johannesburg - Wandonga Zaduma in Zulu because it means a place where the walls thunder because it's a loud scary place," he explains.

While he says he was not qualified for anything, so he never went to university, he did realise he had access to spaces that others did ...