Female entrepreneur left in the lurch after winning award

A young Bloemfontein female entrepreneur claims she has been left high and dry by the Free State department of economic, small business development, tourism and environmental affairs (Destea) after winning the CEGE Business Development Programme in 2017.

Palesa Motsumi, founder of Sematsatsa Library Gallery, said she has not received a cent of the R70 000 she was promised by the department after she won the competition.

The art gallery works with black visual artists to expose them to both local and international art buyers.

“In June 2017, we were informed that there was to be a business youth bootcamp at Phillip Sanders, just outside of Bloemfontein. It was to take place the entire weekend during the Youth Day weekend,” Motsumi said.

“During that weekend, we were informed that a few stakeholders were going to listen to our pitches and decide whether to give us the funding for our new ideas or existing businesses.

“I was reluctant to pitch my business so I pitched a brand new idea, which won.”

Motsumi said for more than a year she was sent from pillar to post and told that her paperwork had to be resubmitted because it was lost – and nothing was done.

“My service providers grew tired and, as a result, I am in dire debt based on promises made by the department,” Motsumi said.

Destea spokesperson Kgotso Tau said that he would engage with his colleagues in the department to establish who the complainant was.

Yet an internal memorandum from Destea seen by Saturday Citizen confirmed Sematsatsa Library Enterprise was indeed a participant in the CEGE Business Development Programme which was initiated by the office of the premier with the aim to capacitate Free State businesses owned by young people.

“The manager of Sematsatsa Library also attended the CEGE bootcamp on Youth Day, June 16, at Phillip Sanders. The bootcamp was organised by CEGE in partnership with Destea, MTN and Transport Seta.

“Their pitch won as the concept and the investment they asked for was for rental of gallery space with shop fittings (including office furniture). Since then, they hosted two pop-up exhibitions at Mimosa Mall and ZAR Lab, which was upon the advice of the CEGE team during the business assessment session,” read the memo.

Motsumi told Saturday Citizen that she had pitched to open up a small gallery in the heart of Bloemfontein where she was to expose the talent of the city and also bring international and local artists to the gallery.

“I positioned myself in this regard and kept following up with the department who at this time had not responded about the funding that they had promised.

“I asked to have something in writing about the funding and Mphoko Matsie, who had now joined the department as a staff member, informed me that she would send it via e-mail, but to no avail.

“In my business proposal, I had asked for R50 000 for rental and fittings.

“I lost my rental space due to delays in payment, I lost my opportunity in setting up shop and had artists’ work who were waiting for my indication to begin curating their shows and making sales,” said a distraught Motsumi.

She claims that when she went back to ask about the funding in September 2017, Matsie informed her that “I was asking too many questions and should not feel entitled to the money promised to me by the department”.

– gcinan@citizen.co.za

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