The purpose of the roadshow was to empower Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) from eMalahleni as well as individuals who benefited from the programmes initiated to support small businesses.
The session allowed entrepreneurs to communicate with municipal representatives with concerns that they encountered regarding economic development.
Nkangala District Municipality provided various information and solutions to community members as numerous sector departments were available to assist such as the National Youth Development Agency (Nyda), National Empowerment Fund (NEF), Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), and more provided beneficiaries with a tool of trade where they see the need.
Nkangala District Municipality Acting Executive Mayor Clr Eva Makhabane expressed that she was happy with the turnout of the event, “As this is our first LED (Local Economic Development Roadshow). I would like to encourage more business owners to participate in the roadshow next year. During the roadshow, most entrepreneurs raised the issue of funding courses. Most participants feel that when they apply for funding, there are a lot of red tapes that are purposely there to prevent them from accessing funds. I am happy that Seda was present and will be able to assist going forward. Our plan as Nkangala District is to support the beneficiaries holistically and have the sector departments on board to assist the government in terms of curbing unemployment and poverty,” said Clr Eva Makhabane.
Mpho Magudulela from the National Empowerment Fund assured beneficiaries that there is no such thing as red tapes, but rather a method used to assure legitimacy during the funding process.
They further expressed that NEF has funded a lot of businesses and will continue to do so, “When an application has been declined, there is usually a valid reason why that is. Most errors that lead to the decline in funding are fixable. We advise entrepreneurs to check their applications and contact us for rectification, afterwards they should resubmit their application along with the decline letter,” Mr Magudulela said.
Mr Magudulela further added that beneficiaries should be patient with the requirement process and try by all means to meet them as they are a necessity.
Phumlani Radebe from Seda spoke about the role Seda plays in bridging the gap between applicants and funders by providing necessary assistance where needed, “What we do as Seda is that we groom applicants to a level where he/she is ready. For instance, if there are documents required for starting a business, we provide that service on your behalf, if not, we appoint a skilled service provider in that field and Seda will cover the cost on behalf of applicants. We aim to eliminate the red tapes by all means possible and provide a service that will help beneficiaries reach their goals,” he said.
The Local Economic Development Roadshow was established from the challenges of the inadequate dissemination of relevant information regarding the support of SMMEs, Cooperatives and Informal Traders.
The LED aims to afford an opportunity to discuss initiatives and plans to assist SMMEs − Nkangala District Municipality.
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