Cape Town - Vuvuzela, the braying trumpet which has become an ubiquitous symbol of South African soccer, will in future be fully trademarked to prevent its inventor being ripped off, SABMiller said on Wednesday.

The beer company will give entrepreneur Neil van Schalkwyk legal and mentoring aid.

Spokesperson Michael Farr said, given the overwhelming popularity of the vuvuzela, SAB-Miller was keen that everybody should know the product was created by a South African, and that his labour be respected.

"To that end, we are assisting Neil with his legal costs in order to protect his product, so that he avoids the risk of anyone capitalising on his business unfairly," said Farr.

He said SABMiller would also be mentoring Van Schalkwyk throughout the anticipated growth of his business, touting the Cape-based entrepreneur as the first small black business to benefit from South Africa's World Cup bid victory.

Van Schalkwyk's business, Masincedane Sport, was "kickstarted" by a project called SAB KickStart, run by the South African Breweries.

Van Schalkwyk won the SAB KickStart Award in 2001, and has not looked back.

The SAB KickStart is a project aimed at inculcating a culture of entrepreneurship among young people between the ages of 18 and 35 by promoting business awareness through training.

It also provides grants as start-up capital, and offer mentorship and assistance during the setting up phase of the businesses.