More South Africans need to take up opportunities presented through the R500 million Spaza Shop Fund to help revatilise township and rural economies.
This was said by Ms Siziwe Zulu, the Spaza Shop Project Manager at the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) who was addressing spaza shop owners at the Taung Depot Hall in the North West.
The meeting was part of a national outreach and educational campaign aimed at empowering aspirant and current Spaza Shop entrepreneurs with information on how to access government support through this initiative.
The Spaza Shop educational awareness campaign is currently being rolled out across the country, through a partnership between the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), National Empowerment Fund (NEF) and Small Enterprise Development Finance Agency (SEDFA).
Zulu says the fund allocation is R100 000 for each applicant, *which is a blend of grant and loan*. Non-financial support through skills development training will be provided .
“The fund’s goal is to reposition township spaza stores as competitive and sustainable businesses that can generate jobs, support local suppliers, and contribute to the overall economy. To make this happen, we encourage you to apply for and get support with business refurbishment and wholesale aggregation. Businesses will also receive financial and non-financial help in the form of technical skills, regulatory compliance assistance, and capacity building,” she said.
She urged South Africans to take back the economic power that they have held through Spaza Shops.
“We encourage those who have not registered to contact us as we can assist them through non financial support in preparation for other spaza funding programs. The main aim is to afford spaza owners an opportunity to learn more about how to apply for the fund and which requirements will they be expected to comply with,” she added.
For further enquiries contact:
Phumzile Kotane
Media Relations
Tel: (012) 394 1147
Mobile: 071 462 8246
E-mail: PKotane@@thedtic.gov.za
Issued by: The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic)
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