Dear Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development,

My name is Makwena Manamela, a social entrepreneur from Limpopo.

It remains my biggest concern that many promising young people, artists, innovators and entrepreneurs lack access to immediate facilities to create and make. Through the assistance of Arts and Culture Trust Building Blocks, my private company Deft Multimedia Heads PTY Ltd has developed a working business plan that could be improved to help solve this problem. Socially Deft NPC was born as a result, to handle these types of small business improvement projects, with the creative sector, innovation and general entrepreneurship as priorities.

The aim is to build affordable centres or structures that are equipped to encourage collaborations and development of original rural ideas, innovation, talent and businesses. The target market will be predominantly young people, but not discriminatory of adults who still have knowledge to pass. In these hubs, people across all sectors can spend time doing what they like doing and the centres will then assist in marketing and selling the creations nationally and internationally via digital platforms and regional galleries/ hub where works will be professionally displayed to generate income and increase the standard of living, as well as household income. More importantly, the hubs will become self sustainable as they will be generating income, instead of relying only on corporate handouts and government funding.

These hubs will play a significant role in dealing with high unemployment rates and incubating graduates and rural women who are currently seating at home without income. The centres could also be utilised for exhibitions, workshops and as furnished workspace where communities can access fully funded or subsidised connectivity and various networks, more importantly serve as meeting venues for engagements that will lead to visible change and improvement of previously disadvantaged and neglected communities.