Global-public-private partnership boost Gauteng SMMEs

Gauteng small businesses awarded certificates of merit after they completed a yearlong PLATO mentorship programme sanctioned by the Belgian chamber of commerce

A partnership between Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP), Standard Bank, Voka (East Flanders Chamber of Commerce), the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Gauteng Municipalities, have successfully empowered 140 SMMEs through the Plato Mentorship programme 2011/12 period. The thriving SMMEs will be awarded certificates of merit at an event to be held on Thursday 30 August 2012, at the Riverside Hotel in Vereeniging.

Plato is an international mentorship programme which was started by the Belgian Chamber of Commerce (Voka) in 1988. The programme has already been implemented successfully in several European countries, with more focus put on the economically depressed Eastern European countries. The Gauteng Economic Development Department through its partners and GEP launched the Gauteng Plato Mentorship programme in 2010.

Plato’s mission is to provide SMMEs with a platform to learn through different experts of business and to establish a support network where ideas, business challenges and other issues relating to SMME growth could be exchanged. To date the Gauteng Plato programme has had 254 SMMEs trained since the launch, and 148 SMMEs are already on the third phase (Plato III) of the programme ending next year (2013).

The Global Public Private Partnership (GPPP) had various roles that ensured the successful implementation of the programme. GEP is the major funder of the programme and provided to most development support interventions to SMMEs, with Voka’s responsibility including the transferring of the Plato methodology to Gauteng and training mentors, and SMMEs. The Standard Bank provided with no charge, mentors from their corporate offices sharing their expertise on the financial management of businesses. And the Local Economic Development managers of municipalities were trained to become mentors and coordinated training to mentees from respective municipalities where SMMEs reside, and the JCCI was responsible for the overall management of the project.

Chief Executive Officer of GEP, Ms. Pilisiwe Twala-Tau, says: “ GEP’s partnership with the Gauteng Plato programme is based on the mandate of GEP, to increase the capacity of SMMEs so that they are able to meaningfully participate in the economic mainstream. “Some of the challenges faced by the small business sector includes, not knowing where to go for assistance, not knowing how to do business with their stakeholders and how to accesses markets, and Plato is one such programme that closes those gaps through mentorship and coaching”, highlighted Twala-Tau.

One of the Plato II mentees, Timothy Mashego owner of MEA appliances which manufactures 20 litre polymer plastic urns for Hart says: “The Plato mentorship programme made a huge impact to the growth of my business, it is through the learning’s received from the mentorship programme that i was able to sign a three year contract with Hart Homeware to supply them with urns”.

The new Gauteng MEC for Economic Development Nkosiphendule Kholisile will deliver a key note address at the award ceremony.

For more information contact:

Tello May
Tel: 011 085 2001
Cell: 083 608 3376
Email: tmay@gep.co.za

Odirile Ramasodi
Tel: 011 085 2001
Cell:  082 398 6807
Email: oramasodi@gep.co.za