New dawn for entrepreneurs in Cornubia and Blackburn
About 80 small business owners have been identified as potential beneficiaries.
ENTREPRENEURS in the Cornubia and Blackburn communities may get assistance to grow their businesses.
This is the next step in Tongaat Hulett Development’s investment in the R25-billion Cornubia development, a new residential, commercial and industrial node 15 kilometers south of Durban’s King Shaka Airport.
“The development started off as a partnership between Durban’s eThekwini Municipality and Tongaat Hulett Developments, but it has since been adopted by Cabinet as a national priority project, bringing all spheres of government together as partners,” said Bongani Gumede, Corporate Director of Tongaat Hulett Developments.
According to Robynne Erwin, Director of SMME Diagnostics, about 80 small business owners have been identified and assessments will take place during October to get a better understanding of the needs of the community. They also aim to identify individual business owners who may benefit from programs the incubator may offer.
Erwin said a large numbers of small business owners are currently operating in the area, but most of them merely at a survival level. These include construction companies, tuck shops, crèches and other service providers working hard to try and meet the needs of the community.
The entrepreneurs often lack even high school education, let alone computer skills he said.
Apart from business development, skills training is also needed, for example in the construction industry, Erwin says. “Many of the people learn on the job, but they also have to learn how to do costing, for example. A lot has to be done to empower them for the bargaining process. One needs to provide skills while respecting the skills they have and what they do with it.”
Related articles:
Cornubia relocations have started
Development stained by race allegations
