Since attending trade export missions, a local wine farmer is now exporting to five countries in Europe and five in Asia. Vernon Henn, managing director of Thandi Wines in the Western Cape, says the business was started in 1999 and was largely supported by Vinfruco, a large winery business. “The plan was for Thandi Wines… [Continue Reading]
Telecommunications equipment manufacturer Seemahale Telecoms is making massive strides in bridging the digital divide in Africa, with its latest product – the continent’s first smartphone – set to provide the local market with an affordable, but high quality mobile device. The first smartphone manufactured in Africa, has the potential to create thousands of jobs in… [Continue Reading]
Youth-owned businesses are failing to take advantage of the opportunity to secure up to R50 million in funding from the recently launched Gro-e Youth Scheme, a partnership between the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the Small Enter-prise Finance Agency (Sefa) and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). The initiative aims to provide funding and support services… [Continue Reading]
A Limpopo business owner was able to complete a big contract as a result of R600 000 in funding from the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (Sefa) A product of a merger between the South African Micro Apex Fund, Khula Enterprise Finance Limited and the small business division of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Sefa provides… [Continue Reading]
A loan of R23,3 million from the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) helped a business owner realise his dream of building the rural town’s first shopping centre and in the process provide jobs to 115 people. The NEF is seeks to assist black businesses with both financial and non financial support. Sibongile Mdyesha says the idea to… [Continue Reading]
Bonie Sithebe holds the title “Fun, Fearless and Female” – one she is immensely proud of. Rightly so, as she is currently making waves in an industry that is still largely male-dominated. Sithebe is an up-and-coming film director who started Durban Motion Pictures with her scriptwriter husband, Philani Sithebe, eight years ago. “It started as… [Continue Reading]
Award-winning transport solutions company, WhereIsMyTransport (WIMT) owes much of its success to Microsoft SA’s BizSpark programme thanks to three years’ worth of free software valued at US$ 360 000. The programme – recently expanded through a partnership between the software giant and government – offers small technology businesses technical support, business training, incubation and acceleration… [Continue Reading]
A black-owned laboratory that provides testing services for clients in the water resources industry increased its analysis output by 100%, thanks to an intervention by the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda). Seda assisted the laboratory, Mpumamanzi Laboratory Ser-vice, to secure a Technology Transfer Fund incentive for new equipment to increase the laboratory’s daily sample testing… [Continue Reading]
Perceptions of others are the most disabling aspect of being deaf or disabled. “That is why our focus at Deaf Hands at Work is to turn ‘disAbility’ into ‘thisAbility’,” says Charles Nyakurwa. Nyakurwa is an entrepreneur with infectious enthusiasm for empowering the disabled and breaking stereotypes they face. Growing up in Zimbabwe with a deaf… [Continue Reading]
Since joining the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) trade missions, a family-owned business has managed to globalise its business and is now exporting to 23 countries. Tammy Fry Kelly, international marketing director of the Fry Food Group, and daughter of founders Wally and Debbie Fry, says her parents started the business in 1991. “My… [Continue Reading]
