Mohamed Ameen Dabhelia – 2016/03/13
Entrepreneurs are vital to South Africa if the country is to create jobs of a diversified nature, produce new products, services, or improve technology.
History has shown that almost all leading economies of the world developed on the back of entrepreneurial and innovative attempts.
The Economist states that: “America gets more than half of its economic growth from industries that barely existed a decade ago.”
Chairperson of the Township Business Development of South Africa (TBDSA) Ml Abbas Mkhize said that the level of entrepreneurship is one of the lowest in the world and continues to decline.
“South Africa is ranked 27th out of 59 countries in the primary measure of entrepreneurship used by the global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM).”
In 2012, almost 4400 small businesses closed down due to the lack of funding.
In the State of the Province Address, Gauteng Premier David Makhura stressed the need to revitalize the township economy by supporting the development of township enterprises.
Makhura emphasized that township entrepreneurs are capable of producing goods and services to satisfy the demand of the population in townships and sell excess goods to other provinces and cross-border markets.
Mama Rose who chairs the South African Spaza and Tuck Shop Association (SASTA) said by 2030, 90% of the 11 million jobs created will come from small and micro enterprises.
“We need to understand the power we have as a collective, this is the time to grow as we are still in the grass roots of development, it is vital that we do not exclude our youth during this time.”
She added that bulk buying and banking among all ‘spaza’ shop owners can be done through SASTA as a collective, with the primary focus on youth development and grooming future entrepreneurs.
“We are promoting unity and together we can make it happen.” – Chairperson of SASTA Mama Rose
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