Deputy minister uplifts informal traders
THE DEPUTY Minister of Small Business Development, Dipuo Peters, handed over business equipment to 87 informal traders in Kimberley this week.
The handover, which was specifically for informal traders in the Sol Plaatje municipal area, took place at the AFM Roepersfontein church in Pescodia.
The initiative forms part of the department’s Informal Micro Enterprises Development Programme (IMEDP).
The IMEDP is a 100% grant that seeks to grow informal and micro enterprises to their full potential by assisting in improving their competitiveness and sustainability.
The programme targets SMMES that are owned by women, youth and people with disabilities in townships and rural areas of South Africa.
A total of 35 of the 87 informal traders that benefited from this week’s handover are from Pescodia. They had participated in a Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) intervention course in November last year.
Peters clarified that the initiative is not part of an “election campaign” but a government programme.
She motivated the beneficiaries to take themselves and their businesses seriously by referring to themselves as “business owners”.
She also expressed her enthusiasm for the programme to be rolled out in Roodepan.
Peters said she hoped the beneficiaries would be able to grow their businesses.
She urged the beneficiaries to continue to apply for the funds while they are available.
Peters urged the beneficiaries to work hard in order to grow their business and earn a regular salary, instead of eating into their business.
A spokesperson for the Pescodia
Business Forum, David Kock, expressed appreciation for the support provided by the programme and the relationship they have built with the government.
He said the relationship is something to believe in, as the community had lost hope in what the government is doing for them.
The beneficiaries were from various sectors, such as the construction, farming, catering, decorating and beauty sectors.
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