Informal traders get boost for sustainability
ALEXANDRA - Informal traders receive training and equipment from Galxcoc
Some of Alexandra’s informal traders are receiving government support through the Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Galxcoc).
The support, under the Informal Traders’ Upliftment Programme, is part of the National Business Upliftment Strategy of the Department of Small Business in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority.
It was started in 2014 and aims to empower 1 000 traders nationally, including the youth, women and the disabled through business skills training, coaching, mentoring, and infrastructure and the provision of equipment.
Eighteen of Alex’s traders, among them spaza shop operators, attended training at the South West Gauteng College in Soweto to improve their productivity and profitability. They received essential equipment for their operations from Galxcoc and will be supported by the Retail and Wholesale Sector Education and Training Authority to improve their facilities.
Galxcoc’s Nomakhaya Mahlaule said the traders were critical pillars of national economic growth with the potential to create decent jobs while providing products and services in proximity to residents. She said the beneficiaries were carefully selected from among Galxcoc’s members, and others who had good business plans and the potential for growth and sustainability.
She said each participant was provided with a R9 000 grant for equipment to enhance their productivity and sustainability.
One participant, Nickie Medupe, a beneficiary of an ice-making machine commended the support. “I have waited for a long time for the equipment to start the business which is monopolised by garages. I will place mine within the township along my street with a high traffic volume.”
Another beneficiary who has a sandwich business, Mavis Zaba, said the training and the fridge she received will help her stock the perishable products she needs.
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