Pretoria – The Department of Small Business Development has reached 985 people through an initiative that is aimed at training informal traders in business in the country.
The project’s goal is to identify, train, mentor and provide infrastructure support to 1 000 informal traders, including capacity building for Informal Trader Organisations, in all nine provinces over a period of 18 months.
On Tuesday, Small Business Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu awarded certificates to 91 informal traders in the Free State who have successfully completed the business training.
“In addition to the National Informal Business Upliftment Strategy, R50 million has been allocated for the roll-out of the Shared Economic Infrastructure Facility (SEIF), which seeks to ensure that informal businesses are treated with dignity,” Minister Zulu said.
She said her department was concerned that some of the trading places, where municipalities collect rentals for stalls had no toilets or they were not properly maintained.
“Government, in particular, local government, needs to ensure that it updates its by-laws (including informal trader organizations in the process), educate traders and enforce by-laws without making life difficult for informal traders,” Minister Zulu said.
The Department of Small Business Development will work with provincial governments, metros, municipalities, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the National House of Traditional Leaders to review the by-laws that may have an effect or undermine the growth of township and rural economies.
“At the same time, we will work with municipalities to ensure that we strengthen Local Economic Development (LED) offices as they are the coalface of delivery for township and village economic development,” she said.
Informal traders who received certificates were offered training on entrepreneurship through a partnership between the Department of Small Business Development, the provincial department and the Wholesale and Retail SETA.
They were trained in introduction to entrepreneurship; advertising and promotion; customer care and service; basic financial management; purchasing skills as well as on legal issues.
Minister Zulu said the training represents a comprehensive package of skills that every businessperson needs to have.
“This is the ammunition you need to win in the business battlefield. You have been armed to be true cadres for radical economic transformation,” she said. - SAnews.gov.za
