Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams hosts KwaZulu-Natal roadshows to uplift small businesses
In KwaZulu-Natal, businesses were hit hard by rampant looting during the riots in July 2021, which saw over 100 thousand people losing their jobs. Small businesses, especially in the eThekwini Metro were also affected by floods early this year. This happened just as the small business sector was trying to recover from the devastating effects of COVID-19.
Trying to uplift businesses and assist them to recover from the above challenges will be some of the issues that will be discussed when Minister for Small Business Development, Ms Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and Deputy Minister Sidumo Dlamani lead a series of provincial roadshows in the uMgungudlovu, eThekwini and Ugu districts from 25-28 October 2022. They will be joined by the department’s entities, the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa) and the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), as well as other key stakeholders.
The roadshow is expected to run concurrently with the Provincial Partnership Dialogue, and the Small Enterprise Development Agency’s (Seda) 14th Annual. The programme is intended to uplift business owners in the informal sector by providing them with targeted skills development and training, as well as business tools and equipment to assist them to be sustainable and competitive.
In addition, the Minister and Deputy Minister for Small Business Development will be handing over equipment to identified beneficiaries from the Msunduzi, eThekwini and Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipalities alongside with the Mayors, Members of the Mayoral Committees (MMCs) responsible for Local Economic Development and Infrastructure and other SMME key stakeholders.
Media houses are requested to cover the event as follows:
Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams
Date: Tuesday, 25 October 2022
Venue: eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, Durban Exhibition Centre in Walnut Road – Opposite ICC
Time: 09h00 – 14h00
Deputy Minister Sidumo Dlamini
Date: Tuesday, 25 October 2022
Venue: Msunduzi District Municipality, City Hall uMgungundlovu
Time: 10h00 – 14h00
Date: Thursday, 27 October 2022
Venue: Portshepstone Community Hall, Ray Nkonyeni Municipality
Time: 10h00 – 14h00
Seda Annual Stakeholder Forum
Date: Friday, 28 October 2022
Venue: Ugu Sports and Recreation Centre
Time: 08h30 – 15h00
Enquiries: Ms Sendra Mashego on 063 645 6171
