BUSINESS
Entrepreneur Feature
Small Businesses
E T E P M O C T S U M With Retailers Dr Mazwai
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oor management and lack of proper market research are some of the constraints faced by the small and medium enterprises in South Africa, according to Dr Thami Mazwai, Director for the Centre for Small Business and Medium Enterprise Development (CSBD) at the University of Johannesburg. The CSBD, based at the Soweto Campus, was launched in 2006 and aimed at addressing the current low levels of technical business and entrepreneurial skills in the community. Mazwai joined the CSBD in 2008 and since then the centre has trained more than 2 500 students in general business. To qualify for training, a candidate must have run a business for at least two years. In his exclusive interview with Spotong, Mazwai said continuous research and marketing is important in order to stay in the business and compete at the highest level within the market. “Once you get into business you must be ready for competition and you’ve got to be creative. Sometimes the market can be very brutal and you have to fight to stay in the market and compete.” Mazwai further states that it is possible for small traders in townships, such as spaza shops, taverns, hair salons and other community enterprises, to compete with established retailers and supermarkets.
Dr Thami Mazwai is very enthusiastic about SMME’s and he heads the UJ’s CSBD.
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He advises that traders must do more research and find out what it is that the market wants that the retailers don’t sell. He also appealed to local entrepreneurs to make use of all business development agencies
