Opening Doors for Small Business to enter the next level of the Economy.
Services
Access to Finance
Access to Finance
The primary objective of the Access to Finance Programme is to develop and empower SMMEs and Co-operatives financially in order to avoid failure, and thereafter enable them to access finance from financial institutions. The programme’s secondary objective is to act as a conduit forbanking institutions in South Africa to engage with the Unit in order to provide innovative financial and non-financial assistance to SMMEs and Co-operatives.
Services rendered includes stakeholder engagement with financial development institutions, access to financial literacy skills, start-up capital, bridging finance, equity finance, access grants, operational capital, and ongoing financial advisory services.
Individuals are provided with a technical skill, which they will use to generate income and is a direct intervention to poverty alleviation. Within the selected areas, individuals are trained and then encouraged to form a business entity that will be trading in. The programme also extends to international exhibitions hence markets through sister city relationships where applicable and even outside of the sister cities network.
Services provided are as follows, access to industry skills through soft skills and technical skills, access to markers, access to finance and ongoing mentorship.
Business Development Programmes Strategic Partnerships
Business Development Programmes Strategic Partnerships
The Strategic Partnerships Programme offered by the Unit is aligned with the strategic focus of the National Economic Development Department, which emphasizes the need to increase levels of coordination and coherence to avoid unnecessary duplication of resources and enhance the service offering.
Current strategic partners include ABSA, Productivity SA, SAIBL, Deloitte, First National Bank, International Labour Organization, Centre for Entrepreneurship, ENABLIS, Furntech and Wholesale and Retail Seta.
To develop rural and township SMMEs within EThekwini region through empowerment workshops so that they have access to valuable information. This is to also provide professional advice on business development, business knowledge, skills analyses, the actual business development interventions, mentorship, and business linkages.
The prime aim of this programme is to improve and provide capacity to the cooperatives. This is done to ensure the improvement of the quality of service rendered, sustained income generation, job creation and competitiveness with the aim of better positioning the cooperatives to take advantage of the opportunities emerging in local, provincial and national, African and International markets. The services offered are: amongst SMMEs.
The unit, through structured plans on various information dissemination platforms, hosts a series of business development workshops to the business community in various areas in townships and rural areas. The shared information pertains to business development and marketing tools, business compliance and business finance.
These workshops through impact assessment, have enabled the unit to obtain and understand what other business needs exist within those areas. These are then incorporated into the various programmes for further business development. Furthermore, sector specific workshops are hosted in the different sectors in specific areas.
The Durban Business Fair is the City’s flagship business exhibition that serves as a platform for businesses to showcase their products and services while expanding their network of business contacts.
The annual Durban Business Fair formerly known as the (Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises) SMME Fair, was launched in 1998. Another mandate of the platform is to inculcate a culture of supporting and buying locally produced goods in order to boost the City’s economic growth and create much-needed jobs.
The eThekwini Municipality’s Fashion Development Programme has evolved into a uniquely eThekwini success story – one which has not only shown the incredible creativity within our beautiful City but also exposed our local designers to understand that fashion is, first and foremost, a business.
The fashion development programme which started in 2012 through hosting a fashion showcase aimed at exposing local designers’ garments and products, the Durban Fashion Fair affectionally known as (DFF), began with just six shows and 12 designers. The programme provides development opportunities such internships, training, mentorship, networking sessions and access to market. The programme has also previously provided three months international internship to emerging local designers which was hosted in Italy. A number of designers that are now household names in the industry were groomed from the City’s fashion development programme.
To provide access to market opportunities and in a bid to encourage buy local, the Municipality opened two DFF Emporiums one being located in Umlazi Mega City and another at a Midway Crossing, a shopping destination in Newlands West and a Pop-Up shop located at Pavilion Shopping Centre in the Social Gallery where the public can purchase fashion products made by local businesses in the fashion value chain.
The DFF Emporium items are also available online with nationwide deliveries at www.dffemporium.co.za
The Lions’ Den Programme is a Sister City programme between eThekwini Municipality and the Leeds City Council. The programmme speaks of multiple unit strategic objectives like Access to Finance, capacity building and access to markets. It is also aimed at encouraging sustainable entrepreneurship, innovation and competitiveness amongst entrepreneurs in the eThekwini region. It started in 2006 and was sponsored by Leeds based reputable corporate.
Local SMME benefits from the programme are: huge profiling as finalists and exposure to international Corporate during interviews of screening and monetary awards to winners. Furthermore, finalist are further linked with other business needs interventions and hands-on business mentorship from the international sponsoring Corporates.
EThekwini Municipality has formed partnerships with various cities around the world as strategicinternational interventions. Durban has 13 Global sister cities all partnerships are based on formal co-operation agreements that focus on various areas of intervention including economic development, trade andinvestment promotion.
The unit’s purpose in these sister cities relationships is to facilitate information and knowledge sharing, skills development and trading relationships with the NEPAD/African sister cities and other sister citiesso that the South African SMMEs and Co-operatives will be able to access trade opportunities in the global markets through those sister city relationships.
The partnership result to knowledge exchange, formation of strategic partnership, networking, access to markets, trade relations and learning missions.
Support to Enterprise Through an integrated support service, the Support to Enterprise programme is designed and aimed at facilitating skills development, mentorship, coaching and support to business enterprises. These would range from survivalist, informal business, and formal business including women – owned SMMEs respectively. The programme started in 2002 which is aligned to the IDP and strategic objectives of the Unit. Through this capacity building, the program also enables the beneficiaries to undertake business development training and productivity related programmes that would create a platform for dialogues and networking channels for efficient and effective use of resources to ensure business growth.
Agribusiness provides support to small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in the Agri-Business value chain within eThekwini Municipality. Agri-Business targets co-operatives, medium commercial, emerging farmers, large farmers, and subsistence farmers.
OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF AGRI-BUSINESS:
To incubate start-up and growth entrepreneurs operating in the sustainable food value chain.
To disrupt and aggregate the South African sustainable food value chain by developing previously disadvantaged entrepreneurs that can consistently, sustainable, profitably, produce, process and deliver food; and Establishing an incubator that is dynamic, vibrant, innovative, inclusive, create wealth and legacy.
To grow the economy by improving the productivity of SMME’s in the Agri-Business value chain through customised solutions that reduce barriers to markets through embracing science, innovation and technology whilst increasing their contribution to eThekwini GDP.
KEY SERVICES PROVIDED ARE:
Business Advice Services
Mentorship and Extension advisory services
Business planning and financial management technical advice
Agri-business Department under Business Support, Markets, Tourism and Agri-business Unit is calling for the proposals for the farmers development programme.
Agro-Ecology main focus areas includepromoting food security and household food production, combat climate change, empower marginalized communities’ socio-economically, promote land care rehabilitation and management, contribute to job creation, encourage creativity and innovation in addressing constraints, skills development, youth development and production
The Agro-Ecology section has been divided into seven agro-ecology zones to facilitate the equitable distribution of resources and services taking into account catchments, road access and logistics, farmer association areas.
Northdene Agroecology Research and Development Centre
A production hub is being established at the old Northdene waterworks. This hub will drive innovation and provide material support to implement the polycultural delivery for the Agro-Ecology section. Currently a fish hatchery and broodstock ponds for the Aquaculture programme and nurseries for plant propagation have been developed. It also consists of a seed bank, tissue culture and other laboratories for research processes used by various tertiary institutions.
Newlands-Mashu Permaculture Centre – East zone hub
As the hub for the East agri-zone it continues as a site of Permaculture demonstration and learning. Many volunteers work in the gardens to take produce home as well as distributing to social facilities in the area. A pilot baffle bioreactor unit has been built to process sewage from 83 adjacent homes to produce biogas and nutrient-rich water.
Inchanga – North zone hub
Land with a small house has been acquired alongside the taxi rank for upgrading as a training and operational base for the northern agro-zone horticulturist. The development of demonstration gardens has begun.
Scorpio Place in Mariannridge – Central zone hub
This small but established hub offers on-site training and a demonstration garden. Support is also provided for various value-adding initiatives.
Umbumbulu – South Zone hub
This hub provides a training, packing, and marketing and coordination venue for growers in Wards 96, 98 and 100 to mention a few. Small scale growers are currently receiving direct training, ongoing mentoring and marketing support
Hambanathi Agro-Ecology Hub Used as training and resource centre in the Northern Agricultural Zone where all gardeners can be trained into successful commercial farmers. The Hub also consists of a Rural Aquaculture pond which is been managed by the co-ops in the area
AGRO-ECOLOGY FREE TRACTOR HIRING PROCEDURE AND CONTACT DETAILS
The eThekwini Municipality purchased tractors as part of efforts to address factors that limit emerging farmers progress, through availing the necessary equipment.
The tractors are kept at eThekwini’s seven Agri-Hubs and all farmers need to do is to book in advance using the contact details below:
Tourism Development Programme Community Tourism Organizations (CTOS)
The City has identified Community Tourism Organisations (CTOs) as one of the key instruments for
promoting the development of tourism in local communities as well as facilitating the broader
transformation of tourism in the City. Local communities have a key role in tourism development as they are the focal point for the supply of tourism hospitality services. Furthermore, many of the key cultural, heritage sites historical and adventure venues that are of significance to tourists are found within communities. A CTOs strategy development by the City is underway and its development involves representatives from all the CTOs around the City. The output of the strategy seeks to achieve a common vision, together with an identification of objectives and strategic priorities, an action plan (informed by the CTOs themselves) and a way of monitoring results.
TOURISM ROUTE DEVELOPMENT
The aim is to develop under-utilised areas of historical, cultural and environmental significance as tourist attractions. One such Project is the ongoing development of the Inanda Heritage Route, which was launched in May, 2010.
‘KNOW YOUR CITY’ CAMPAIGN
As part of promoting growth in the domestic market, the City has adopted a ‘Know your City’ Campaign which is aimed at encouraging township tours by locals, as well as tours to other attractions within the City. It is hoped that this will create awareness amongst citizens of tourism products within their City thereby contributing to local socio-economic development.
TOURISM ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
In aligning the Tourism sector businesses with tourists’ visits for maximum economic benefit, the unit
has developed a tourism enterprise development programme. From the identified SMME shortfalls
relevant interventions, are provided to improve the current business status and assist in further
business growth for more tourism benefits at visited routes and destinations.
Established in 2002, the Umkhumbane Entrepreneurial Support Centre (UESC) exists mainly to contribute to the broader development of manufacturing businesses in the eThekwini Municipal area. The incubation programme provides assistance to businesses operating in glass and aluminium, upholstery, footwear, sheet metal, furniture, food and beverage, engineering, glue, hot and cold insulation, as well as hygiene and sanitary products.
A rigorous recruitment process is applied for this programme which includes the signing of a three year lease agreement for the premises at UESC. Special care has been taken in creating a developmental component to the programme through the services of training consultants. The Business Development Programme imparts invaluable skills such as marketing, operations, human resources and finance management skills to business on the programme to ensure their sustainability post the programme.
The programme’s main aim is to raise the profile of women in business whilst continuously striving to address their business needs through the implementation of the Productive Capacity Building Programme which includes mentorship and training.
Since its inception in 2006, the programme has grown into an annual event that culminates in a two-day conference and gala dinner event, the purpose of which is to create opportunities for discussions to take place around the various opportunities and challenges that women in business face on a daily basis.
Further opportunities for networking and the dissemination of information pertinent to women in business exist for institutions and corporate companies alike.
All over the world SMMEs are regarded as vehicles for job creation and as a result, all hurdles that retard their growth, need to be cleared expeditiously. It why the city has opted to grab the bull by its horns and set up a dedicated “SMME Help Desk” that is well resourced to nip in the bud these challenges. The unrelenting failure to pay small businesses within 30 days as prescribed by the city’s procurement policy, is a big elephant in the room that impedes the growth of these much-needed entities
To ensure the sustainable development of emerging contractors and help them improve their CIDB grading designations, the National Construction Incubator located at Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (INK) areas exists partnering with eThekwini Municipality to skill and develop emerging contractors.
The Programme is aimed at promoting the sustainable development of small to medium-sized contractors with a view to upskill and improve their CIDB grading designations over a period of up to three years.
CRITERION OF INK INCUBATOR PROGRAMME
Must reside within INK area
CIDB grades one to five (1– 5)
Historically Disadvantaged Individuals are always encouraged to apply
Informal economy and retail market provide affordable working spaces for informal businesses operating within eThekwini Municipality and has developed regulating policies to ensure compliance and adherence to council approved bylaws.
EThekwini Municipality Informal Economy Policy was reviewed in 2016. Advertisement of vacant informal trading sites in demarcated areas is done quarterly and published in Metro Ezasegagasini which is accessible free from all Municipal Libraries, Sizakala Centres and the Municipality’s website. Non-demarcated applicants can apply anytime using the below contact details.
Contact details per region
Warwick Avenue Office (Durban Central) Area Manager: Nosisa Mbobo
The programme intends to bridge the gap between emerging contractors and business opportunities through various business knowledge and skills analyses, the actual business development interventions, mentorship and business linkages.
The unit also facilitates the soft and technical skills interventions, assisting with sector statutory requirements compliance and national sector regulating bodies like Construction Industry Development Body.
The Department regulates all formal businesses that provide food, entertainment or health facilities and accommodation establishments in terms of the Businesses Act 71 of 1991. The Online Business Licensing Portal was introduced and is smoothly operating to allow easy access and user-friendly platform for processing business license applications.
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