(b)(i) During the current financial year, the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) has assisted 83 informal business from eThekwini Municipality through the IMDEP programme. These informal businesses were mainly from Kwamashu. These IMEDP interventions assisted informal businesses with tool of trades depending on the business needs e.g, generators, baking ovens, catering equipment etc. The support provided by DSBD has managed to assist small businesses to compete with established business in terms of productivity, employment and to boost confidence to our beneficiaries.
The Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) assisted with non-financial support and mentorship and post disbursement to measure impact on these businesses. The Department is also work closely with the Province, District, and municipalities to ensure that there is adequate support for small business.
The Department has further developed an informal Trader support programme which is aimed at supporting informal and micro businesses following the July 2021 unrest. In this programme each entrepreneur is provided with R3000 (once off grant) to help informal traders who lost their business after the unrest. This programme is currently ongoing and has received 7 410 applications across the country, with total disbursements made to 3 356 Informal Traders worth R10.07 million.
(b)(ii) The DSBD has assisted various businesses under the Township and rural Entrepreneurship Programme (TREP). TREP is made up of various interventions / schemes:
Further support has been provided under the Small Enterprise Manufacturing Support Programme (SEMSP), which is being implemented by the DSBD’s agency – Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa).
MS STELLA TEMBISA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS, MP MINISTER OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT