The Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe says South Africa needs more innovative and entrepreneurial business women who can make a meaningful contributiontothe creation of jobs in the country in order to realise the objectives set in the country's National Development Plan (NDP). Deputy Minster Thabethe was speaking at the Technology for Business in Women (TWIB) Conference hosted jointly by the Department of Small Business and the Mpumalanga Department of Economic Development and Tourism at the Church on the Hill Conference Centre in Nelspruit, today.
The theme of the conference, which was attended by more than 250 business women from across the country, is a precursor to the prestigious TWIB Awards taking place at the same venue tonight. Speaking on the theme: Women Entrepreneurs Making an Economic Impact through Innovative Technologies, Thabethe said government's focus on the development of the Small Medium and Micro Enterprises was an acknowledgement of the critical role that the sector will play in achieving Vision 2030 to reduce unemployment to 6% in 2030.
"The reality is that SMMEs are critical to the economy of the country, and are an important link in creating much needed employment. But for the country's goals to be achieved, we need innovative people, especially women, to lead, create employment and produce goods and services. Instead of expecting government to create jobs or to be employed in the private sector, we need to become entrepreneurs and create jobs for ourselves. We need to become masters of our own destinies," said Thabethe.
She added that techno-savvy business women who arefinalists in the TWIB Awards and will be honoured tonight are leading the way in proving what being innovative in business means. The women were selected for their innovative application of technology in their businesses in order to improve the quality of their products and services, enhance the competitiveness of their businesses, increase production, and create more employment.
"The TWIB programme, now in its 16th year, has emerged as one of the most important instruments that are unlocking constraints to enterprise innovation and growth, as well as global competitiveness. The programme aims to fast-track the skills development of women in business to enable them to embrace appropriate technologies that are needed to catapult their business into the mainstream of the economy," said Thabethe.
Thabethe added that government was revolutionising its entrepreneurship drive to ensure that small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) play their rightful and critical role in taking the country forward towards achieving the NDP goals. She emphasised that women will be in the centre of this revolution because they are economic drivers and there will be no economic growth that will occur without them.
The MEC for Economic Development and Tourism in Mpumalanga, Mr Skhumbuzo Eric Kholwane also emphasised that South Africa needs entrepreneurs who embrace technology.
"We want more women, especially those in rural areas to be aware of the benefits of technological interventions as they strive to grow their respective small enterprises into big businesses," said Kholwane.
He added that strong engagement was required to look into the high failure rate of small businesses
"We cannot afford to have small businesses that collapse within a year. Something is not right. It might be that our support to the sector is not adequate. We have to engage on these matters so that we remove the barriers. We cannot continue as if it’s normal," said Kholwane.
Enquiries:
Noko Manyelo (Department of Small Business Development)
Tel: 012 394 9966
Cell: 074 716 1730
E-mail: NManyelo@dsbd.gov.za
Thomas Msiza (Mpumalanga Department of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism)
Tel: 013 766 4328
Cell: 079 500 0137
E-mail: TMsiza@mpg.gov.za
