Development finance and SMME support

Workspaces are available for makers in wood.

Five workshops are to be established in Gauteng to assist 100 artisans with space to work with wood and to give them connections to established businesses who might contract them.

Wine and spirits seller Pernod Ricard is teaming up with the Gauteng Department of Economic Development to try to create 1 000 new jobs through access to machinery and to a virtual showroom where makers can display their creations to prospective online clients. The City of Ekurhuleni Municipality has also donated a warehouse in Thokoza. One of the beneficiaries is

Hosea Matlou (pictured), a self-taught carpenter and woodwork instructor who designs and makes furniture, picture frames and mirrors out of Hosea Studios.

Pernod Ricard ran a campaign (Phakamisa ispirit) over the festive season to raise money for artisans to attend

SETA-accredited courses covering business management, manufacturing, technology and accounting.

Equipment manufacturer Smith Capital Equipment has received a grant from Isuzu Motors SA to help it make a cherry picker. The company, which makes a range of aerial platforms, is receiving the money as part of the motor company’s enterprise development programme.

In a drive to spur economic development in Gauteng’s townships, a Township Economic Development Bill will do away with restrictive bylaws. At the same time, taxi ranks are going to be rezoned and developed to allow for the growth of retail outlets and services such as mechanics and panel-beaters.

Gauteng has 14 registered co-operative banking institutions serving over 16 000 member-owners, with over R100-million in savings and R150-million in assets. The township market of about 250 000 township households holds enormous potential for collective buying.

The Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA) is linking large companies with small businesses at Special Economic

Zones (SEZs). The aim is to create a pipeline for SMMEs and to entrench localisation in sectors such as the automotive industry.

The Incubation Centre at Nissan’s assembly plant in Rosslyn north of Pretoria hosts eight new businesses at a time. They receive support through subsidised rental and mentorship and training. The Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC), a subsidiary of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA), manages the centre.

About half of South Africa’s formal SMMEs operate in Gauteng and more than half are in the wholesale and retail sector and the accommodation sector. The next most popular sectors are community, social and personal services.

The Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) is a subsidiary of the DSBD and gives non-financial support to entrepreneurs through training, assistance with filling in forms, marketing and creating business plans. It helps small businesses draft applications for loan finance. Several of Seda’s technology incubators are in Gauteng. ■

ONLINE RESOURCES

Gauteng Growth and Development Agency: www.ggda.co.za National Empowerment Fund: www.nefcorp.co.za Small Enterprise Development Agency: www.seda.co.za SECTOR INSIGHT Isuzu Motors SA is supporting a local equipment manufacturer.