Alex entrepreneurs get their time in the spotlight

Alex entrepreneurs had the opportunity to showcase their products to the community.

Organised by the Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s commemoration of Global Entrepreneurs’ Week (GEW), the three-day event was held at Alex Mall where 40 entrepreneurs set up stalls to showcase their wares.

Sihle Mlambo, youth and project coordinator at Galxcoc, said they were excited to have hosted the township’s first event under the Global Entrepreneurs’ Week umbrella.

“Our mandate is to advocate and lobby on behalf of local small and medium-sized enterprises… as a business chamber in Alex, we are the best people to come up with an initiative like this one so that we can facilitate an event that speaks to local entrepreneurs and SMMEs,” Mlambo said.

The objective of the event was to create one global ecosystem where investors, policymakers, researchers and support organisations can work hand-in-hand.

“We have had requests from young entrepreneurs regarding exhibitions here at the mall. We did not want to isolate the opportunity, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to combine these events and hold it during GEW.”

Mlambo said that there was an overflow of people who were interested in showcasing their products. “We had a target of 40 exhibitors and could not accommodate everybody. We wished it could have been more, but we have limited space and resources so it was impossible to accommodate everyone.”

Marketing manager for Alex Mall, Nathi Dlomo, said he was excited that the mall had hosted the event. “Today is not about the mall, but about the community. We are about uplifting businesses in and around Alex, so this was the perfect opportunity for everyone to get involved,” Dlomo said.

He said while going around looking at some of the products, he saw a couple of concepts that he would definitely use. “I will be having a birthday party for my daughter pretty soon, so I have a good mind of working with some of the entrepreneurs who will help in making it a perfect party.”

He said he hopes the event will grow in the coming years, and added that it was a perfect opportunity for locals to get involved and find out what was happening in the community.

Sculptor, Kenny Moyo, said the event was a way for people to find out that businesses like theirs exist in the township. “Since I started the business with my brother in 2005, there have not been many people from the community supporting us. I think this is because people did not know that we offer such a service,” Moyo said.

He said most of their products are sold to shops in neighbouring suburbs. “Being here, people showed an interest in our sculptures. This is great for the township’s tourism industry, it gets our name out there and I think tourists will visit Alex.”

City of Johannesburg’s citizen relationship management stakeholder, Fofo Pooe, said they have been working with the Alex chamber for over 10 years and their role was for the City to get involved and support local businesses. “We have a lot of SMMEs on our database, so when events like these happen, we send them out to the entrepreneurs so they know about it.”

He said events like these were important as they develop local entrepreneurs and provide platforms to showcase their products to get their brands out there.

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