Trade, Industry and Competition on Spaza Shop Support Fund awareness outreach in Welkom

Free State spaza shop owners operating in the Lejweleputswa District Municipality were urged to work as a collective in order to network and leverage on bulk buying. The discussions on these strategies for small businesses emanated from an interactive session on the Spaza Shop Support Fund that took place in Welkom.

According to the Director for Local Economic Development and Tourism at Lejweleputswa District Municipality, Mr Edward Lesenyelo, the strategy for the municipality is to consolidate and put together a database of all small business owners especially spaza shops in order to get them to a point where they can network and form an alliance.

“We have also emphasised the importance of having WhatsApp groups for better communication and organisation within the business network. By creating these WhatsApp groups will give them leverage for bulk buying, to compete effectively and wake up the business community,” said Lesenyelo.

Lesenyelo stressed that being a businessperson requires passion, commitment and constant thinking about the business. He also advised that physically managing ones outlet and employing qualified staff ensure smooth operations, proper planning and management.

“As we discuss the importance of supporting local businesses, especially spaza shops is important to ensure their growth and contribution to the economy. We therefore urge everyone to engage actively in the session to gain valuable information that can assist them to secure a significant portion of the allocated funding,” added Lesenyelo.

Speaking at the same event, the representative of Kutloanong Business Chamber, Mr Itumeleng Mokolutlo said they welcomed the government’s initiative to revive and support local spaza shops owned by the locals.

“Our mandate is to organise businesses in the township and assist them to run them effectively. We also want to lift our local economy and take back our economic power from foreign based businesses. We attended this session to engage with different government departments in the economy sector to assist with other streams of funding and mentorship,” said Mokolutlo.

The national education and awareness campaign is in partnership with the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA) and the National Empowerment Fund (NEF), the agencies of the DSBD and the dtic, respectively, which will be responsible for administering the fund. The campaign is in the form of interactive sessions in which spaza owners across the country will get an opportunity to learn more about how to apply for the fund and which requirements will they be expected to comply with.

Enquiries:
Bongani Lukhele – Director: Media Relations
Tel: (012) 394 1643
Mobile: 079 5083 457
WhatsApp: 074 2998 512
E-mail: BLukhele@thedtic.gov.za

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