Praise to NAFCOC for developing small enterprises
Let’s give local business a helping hand
Kathorus MAIL has nothing but praise for the newly-launched National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NAFCOC), which is an Ekurhuleni premier family business platform, for developing small enterprises in the townships.
We also hail the men and women at NAFCOC who made this entrepreneurial platform – the first of its kind since the establishment of the first black business chamber of commerce in the early 1970s – possible.
NAFCOC’s head in Ekurhuleni, George Ratswana, and his exco believe the establishment of a new business platform for fledging entrepreneurs in the townships marks a new era for the development of small local businesses.
Its achievement in establishing the platform to unite local township businesses around Kathorus under the NAFCOC banner is a step in the right direction and in line with the government’s township business development blue-print and strategy.
Ratswana, a firm supporter and believer in the development of small businesses in the townships, added that the NAFCOC platform to partner with small traders should be seen as a worthwhile exercise.
He added that NAFCOC’s objective was aimed at helping improve the way emerging entrepreneurs conduct business, and attract clients and revenue to grow their business.
According to the NAFCOC exco in Ekurhuleni, their objective is to formalise as many township industries as possible. This, Ratswana says, is to raise their competitiveness to the same levels enjoyed by their business counterparts in more formalised industries.
A few of the local small business entrepreneurs, who attended the launch of the platform two months ago, added they strongly believe it will help inspire them as fledging entrepreneurs and positively elevate their business image.
“What we’re doing as NAFCOC in Ekurhuleni is to lay the foundation of a database of local entrepreneurs, who the authorities definitely could use for small business projects,” Ratswana explained.
The reality is that small businesses will need to be linked to thousands of potential clients in our townships.
We promised the community of Kathorus when we launched Kathorus MAIL almost 22 years ago, that as the local community newspaper we would always be prepared to avail ourselves as the relevant media platform to assist fledging local entrepreneurs to peg their enterprises – no matter how small – on the pages of this newspaper at affordable costs.
For the first time since NAFCOC was established in the early 1970s, never have so many township emerging local entrepreneurs had it so good. Kathorus MAIL is now going to make it possible for hundreds of small township enterprises around Kathorus to be part of the untapped township economy that could change the lives of local communities.
Small businesses will now be able to trade their products and services to their local communities on a public platform. This platform will be their local media from which their potential clients will be able to view, admire and purchase these products and services.
Of course, the success of this project to grow small businesses will be conducted in conjunction with the support of NAFCOC and its expertise in township business and services.
And it is the proverbial light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel theory on which hundreds of small township businesses still have to continue to hang their hope for a better future for their fledging enterprises.
Perhaps it is about time that the Gauteng Provincial Government should activate the Township Economic Act as promised by former Gauteng Premier David Makhura and Economic Development MEC Parks Tau, and Members of the Executive Council, who on September 1, 2022, unveiled the Ntirhisano Service Delivery Outreach Programme to accelerate the implementation of the Township Economic Development Act.
The Township Development Act was signed into law by Makhura.
The Act sought to open up new procurement and market opportunities for township businesses and create financing facilities for township-based enterprises.Its about time.
