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Summit brings life to local businesses

The initial idea of the summit was to have key topics each day with various stakeholders leading to the last day of the summit engaging with attendees and providing solutions to their encountered challenges.

Residents gathered at the Orlando Communal Hall to take part in the Rise Again Soweto SMMEs and the Province to Province Business Summit Week.

The second annual business summit which was hosted by local entrepreneur and founder of the programme, Lindiwe Radebe was mainly aimed at assisting local business owners with unregistered businesses and those who want to successfully register their businesses.

“The summit’s end goal is to recruit and revive residents with unregistered businesses and those with valid but non-operational companies.

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Local business owners gathered at Orlando East Communal Hall to gain insight during the program.

“We wanted local business owners in Soweto and the surrounding area to gather and discuss ways in which we can revive township businesses.

“Because to be honest, most businesses that are currently running are not owned by local people and this comes as a result of lack of business funding,” Radebe said.

She added that they aim to look back at the obstacles that business owners have encountered in the past and how to find ways in which they can overcome them and have their businesses up and running, especially spaza shops.

“We wanted all the businesses in the area to come back like in the olden days and everyone with good business ideas that can relive our townships to come forward so that we can boost our local economy,” added Radebe.

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The initial idea of the summit was to have key topics each day with various stakeholders leading to the last day of the summit engaging with attendees and providing solutions to their encountered challenges.

Local business owners gathered at Orlando East Communal Hall to gain insight during the program.

”While planning the summit, we came across a lot of challenges which includes miscommunication with some of the residents who politicised the whole summit. This affected the number of attendees who took part but we are grateful to those who managed to come and join us. We have also elected a committee that will facilitate other events we will be hosting in future.”

Some of the stakeholders that were part of the summit include Absa who enlightened attendees on the type of business support and accounts they can offer as well as SARS offering information on the importance of compliance.

The founder of the summit, Lindiwe Radebe addressing the attendees.

One of the attendees and Ward Committee Member for Ward 31, Kathleen Moticoa who is also one the newly elected committee members said the summit was really insightful regardless of the turnout.

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“Instead of fighting with foreign nationals who own businesses in our areas without having knowledge ourselves on how to run successful business, such events teach us how to have discipline and knowledge on running a successful business.

“Next time a summit like this one takes place, some of us will be attesting on the information and knowledge,” Moticoa said.

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