Limpopo Business 2017-18 edition

OVERVIEW
Development finance
and SMME support
A new strategy for the economies of townships and villages will boost SMMEs.
SECTOR INSIGHT
Shanduka Black Umbrellas
has 20 client businesses in
Lephalale.
• A co-operative is to be
established to do bulk
buying for SMEs and
co-operatives.
A
concerted strategy to strengthen and develop the economies
of the townships and villages of Limpopo has
been launched. Spearheaded by the Limpopo Economic
Development Agency (LEDA), a unit of the Limpopo
Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism
(LEDET), the plan has eight focus areas which include making licences
and permits easier to obtain, that government departments buy from
small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs), indigenous products
are supported and protected, and encouraging small businesses to
support one another through the clustering approach.
LEDET has signed memorandums of understanding with the South
African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and with Productivity South Africa.
These agreements aim to help SMMEs within the province become
more competitive.
Gaining access to markets is crucial for SMMEs and the programme
aims to assist in that regard. Ten SMMEs and 10 co-operatives are
currently being assisted in getting access to the mainstream market.
Agricultural entrepreneurs will benefit from the Agri-park scheme.
A series of meetings around the province began in June 2017,
organised by LEDET. The aim was to hear from owners of small businesses
such as plumbers, panel-beaters, mini-bus taxis, street vendors
and taverns. Among the problems identified are:
• financial products that do not address the needs of entrepreneurs
• dominance of ownership by foreign entrepreneurs
• retail shopping malls crowding
out local traders
• lack of bargaining power of
smaller retailers.
LEDA is to establish a bulkbuying
co-operative. The plan is
to enlist more than 200 members
whose collective buying power
will give them an advantage in
purchasing stock.
An infrastructure project that
will assist SMMEs and co-operatives
is under way near Polokwane
at the Seshego Industrial Park.
The National Department of
Trade and Industry has committed
R21-million to revitalising the
park which will provide trading
and storage space for businesses
of all sizes.
The construction by the provincial
government of market
stalls is aimed at supporting
small-scale farmers and traders.
Market stalls have been erected
at Mopani District and will be
put up in Elias Motsoaledi Local
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