South African kids find their inner Donald Trump

Also, the apartheid-era education system - for blacks and whites - emphasized conformist thinking. "The system didn't encourage creativity and independent thought," which are key to an entrepreneurial culture, says John Orford, a University of Cape Town business school professor.

Furthermore, blacks were often denied basic education. In 1996, one-quarter of South African black adults had no education at all, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, which pegged education as a key concern in South Africa.

The survey - headed by a group at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. - found in 2003 that only 4.3 percent of South African adults were part of a business that was less than 3.5 years old. The 31-country average was 8.8 percent. Entrepreneurship leaders included Uganda, Venezuela, Argentina, and Chile. In South Africa's neighboring Uganda, 29.3 percent were involved in new firms.

Uganda's success suggests that the African communal ethic - ubuntu - needn't be a barrier to the individualistic entrepreneurial culture. Ubuntu dictates that people who get rich share much of their money with family and friends. This can be crucial in times of communal need, but it can also make individual saving and investing difficult.

Furthermore, "it doesn't necessarily encourage the very American notion of the individual rising star," says Margie Worthington-Smith, head of the South African Institute for Entrepreneurship in Cape Town. In fact, among blacks, some rising stars are criticized for being uppity.

But such traditions are being challenged by the American-style curriculum now in Grades 1 through 9. Soon it will be available in 10th and 11th grade.

Back in Mr. Rheeder's mixed-race classroom, talk turns to resources needed for the hot-dog stand. Five boys get into a heated debate over what will power their hot-dog warmer - electricity, gas, or wood fire. "But if we're in a rural area, we won't have electricity," insists Matthew Mokobori, a black kid. "Good point," concedes Sanish Sampath, an Indian.

Entrepreneurship Day may be eight months away, but these boys are already planning. Maybe they'll sell miniburgers, which were a hit last year. Or maybe they'll set up a video-game booth stocked with GameBoys.

"You have to sell something different - not the shaving cream pies and stuff everyone else sells," declares Matthew in a confident tone that might impress even The Donald. He's not sure what he'll be peddling, but he knows his first step: "I'll do some market research to find out what people want - and how much they would pay for it."

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