‘They have forgotten we exist’: Limpopo entrepreneurs frustrated ahead of November polls

A prominent business forum representing small, micro, and macro businesses in Limpopo has weighed in on the upcoming local government elections, saying it will be happy to see the back of some councillors elected in the November 2021 polls.

Forum of Limpopo Entrepreneurs (Fole) secretary Siviko Mabunda highlighted the struggles for business owners in the province.

“It is like they don’t care about us. Yes, they have forgotten we exist,” Mabunda told The Citizen during a recent trip to the area.

The trip is part of The Citizen’s travels across the length and breadth of the country to explore the lives, struggles, successes and frustrations of everyday South Africans ahead of this year’s local government elections.

Mabunda said running a small business often comes with high failure rates and structural vulnerabilities such as poor revenue collection, failure to attract proper investment, and chronic cash-flow problems.

Land of opportunities

According to Mabunda, Limpopo is the fruit basket of the country and a tourism destination of choice for both domestic and international visitors. The province is also well positioned for cross-border trade as the gateway to the Southern African Development Community (SADC), with traffic passing through the Beitbridge Border Post to sub-Saharan Africa.

“Apart from having rich agricultural soil, Limpopo is also blessed with rich mineral resources from mines in Phalaborwa, Mogalakwena, Musina, Burgersfort, Northam, Thabazimbi and Lephalale. Because of this, small businesses and the local economy can easily thrive here,” he said.

But Mabunda said opportunities have been missed under what he described as a self-serving government.

“Despite all this, government plays its cards very close to its chest. When they receive funding to bankroll small businesses, they keep it to themselves.

“When they pass annual budgets, they don’t invite us. When they allocate funds, a huge chunk always goes to businesses with strong ties to chief executive officers.

“When business opportunities come, they rather front tenders in the name of their political juntas instead of distributing the wealth of this country to all who live in it.

“So we are sick and tired of being used as their doormat. We are saying good riddance to the leadership that was elected under President Cyril Ramaphosa and good luck to the incoming government,” said Mabunda angrily.

High-risk investment

He claimed investors often view small businesses in the province as high-risk ventures, making it difficult to secure loans without established credit records.

“This becomes harsh for new entrants as they often start small with the hope of growing big, only if creditors believe in their business plans. Slow payments from large corporate clients and government bodies sometimes strain liquidity, leading to acute cash-flow crises.”

The forum demanded that the new administrations, to be appointed after the elections, provide:

• A supportive ecosystem from government
• Funding from government
• Business bailouts when struggling
• Help to draw up sound business plans
• Training in business management and financial accounting
• Regular engagements between government and the small and micro businesses in Limpopo

One man’s bread is another man’s poison

A prominent businessman in Ga-Malekana-Kutullo on the R555 between Steelpoort in Burgersfort and Jane Furse in Sekhukhune told The Citizen that a thriving retail destination does not always automatically benefit people far and wide.

The R555 is a busy route mostly used by heavy-duty trucks transporting platinum group metals (PGMs). The town sits within the mineral-rich Bushveld Complex. PGMs include platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, and iridium, plus associated metals such as gold, copper, nickel, and cobalt, with key operations including Marula Platinum Mine, Modikwa Platinum Mine, Two Rivers Mine, and Mototolo Mine.

Businessman Evans Maboa said a new shopping complex, opened two months ago and about 3km from his farm, has disrupted his business.

“I am a farmer. I farm all types of fruits and vegetables. I make almost nothing at the end of the day to put food on the table for my family. This is so because instead of making laws for big retailers to stock from local farmers, the government allows them to buy from well-known suppliers, leaving local farmers without customers.

“Sometimes I wish this shopping complex had never opened here in my village,” said Maboa, with tears rolling down his cheeks.

‘Stop making empty promises’

Tshepo Khushomba Molewa, a businessman who owns a retail shop in Thabazimbi, west of Limpopo, said that although he was doing better for his family, he was gravely worried that almost every street in Thabazimbi is lined with job-seekers every morning.

“Both young and old, they wake up in the early hours to seek jobs from motorists. Some are young tertiary graduates who will do any work to put bread on the table.

“I am worried that while they line up for jobs, volunteers from different political parties embark on aggressive door-to-door campaigns, promising them heaven and earth if they vote for them.

“My only wish is that those campaigning must stop making empty promises and create jobs,” he said.

Funding

Northam street vendor Amanda Maeko said she needed funding.

“When we go to their offices in Northam, all they do is send us from pillar to post. They can even refer you to the Department of Economic Development in Polokwane for help, knowing very well that we don’t have money.

“All I am pleading for from the incoming government after November is a government that has the interests of small businesses such as mine at heart,” she said.

Pay full price, support local

Last month, Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba hosted a special Heritage and Tourism Month luncheon honouring about 280 women who operate the famous 24-hour Tshakhuma Fruit Market along the R524 Punda Maria road in Makhado, Vhembe District.

The premier criticised customers who demand free top-ups or discounts (basela) from local vendors but pay full price without question at large supermarket franchises like Shoprite and Pick n Pay. She urged travellers and locals to pay full price to support these women’s dignity and livelihoods.

Traders, Ramathuba said, face rising stock and fuel costs as they have to travel farther to source produce from local farms.

A major form of indirect support championed by Ramathuba is the strict enforcement of the 30-day payment policy for government suppliers.

Under her administration, Limpopo ranked first nationally for timely payment of supplier invoices.

Ramathuba emphasised that paying small businesses on time was non-negotiable to sustain livelihoods, prevent cash-flow failures and build trust.

The total proposed investment for the new Limpopo Sustainable Livelihoods Fund is R60 million.

Under the initiative – targeting youth, women, and persons with disabilities aged 18 to 40 – the premier said individual businesses and project proposals are eligible for up to R3 million in funding.

The fund prioritises job-creating enterprises in agriculture and agro-processing, infrastructure development, tourism, the green economy, and digital industries.