Palesa Mofoti
The Roodepan Business Forum says the Department of Small Business Development’s donation to local SMEs will go a long way in addressing joblessness in the area.
The department led by Deputy Minister of Small Business Development Dipuo Peters donated business equipment to 87 SMMEs as part of the government’s plan to assist informal traders. The donation included farming, sewing, hair salons, and catering equipment. An excited Roodepan Business Forum’s spokesperson, David Kock, said the department has brought much-needed relief as many SMMEs play a crucial role in job creation.
“We are excited about the department’s gesture as this will help struggling small businesses. Many businesses struggle with resources; hence, this will go a long way in addressing unemployment as this small business will create employment for our people,” he added.
According to the Spokesperson, Informal traders are facing many challenges, including funding and education on how to start a business, so programs like this will bring much-needed solutions.
Kock lamented power cuts due to load-shedding, saying it enormously impacts the local economy.
Fifty-seven-year-old Rozane Marajh, who is running a sewing business, said she was also excited. She explained that she had been using an old, dysfunctional sewing machine for a long time.
Marajh, a mother of three children, was diagnosed with gangrene, which led to her amputation.
” I am feeling excited about the equipment, the machine. I am sorry, I am not working in a big space, so people need to give me time when I am sewing their clothes,” She said.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Small Business Development said donating R10 000 worth of equipment to local businesses was part of the Department of Small Business Development’s Informal and Micro Enterprises Development Programme.
“We encourage young people sitting at home doing nothing to think outside the box and do something. I am happy that among the 87, there are young people, men and women, there are senior citizens,” Peters said.
The Deputy Minister announced that 500 SMMEs will benefit from this donation.
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