Keynote Address by the Minister of Small Business Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu, on the occasion of the launch of the Centre for Entrepreneurship at Gert Sibande FET College, Ermelo, Mpumalanga
Programme Director,
The Principal, Gert Sibande FET College,
Senior Government Officials,
Representatives of the Business Community,
Members of the Civil Society,
Members of the Press,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am delighted and honoured to be part of this historic and momentous occasion.
Young people, as future leaders of our country and continent, carry an enormous responsibility on their shoulders. It is important that at the beginning, I remind you of the preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and responsibilities to our nation:
"We, the people of South Africa, recognise the injustices of our past; honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity
Indeed, the critical task that lies ahead for you is to continue to build and develop our country. I wish to commend the leadership of this College for this important partnership which constitutes a critical milestone in our collective efforts to unleash an entrepreneurial revolution in our country.
Indeed, the relevance of any education system lies in its ability to help address societal challenges and to enhance human progress. I am confident that this Centre for Entrepreneurship, which we have the honour to launch today, holds the promise of making an important contribution to the advancement of all our people and the development of our economy.
Given the current state of unemployment and poverty in our country, the question is not whether we should encourage our young people to look in the direction of entrepreneurship, but rather, can we afford not to? We see entrepreneurship as an important long-term response to the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment.
We see small businesses and co-operatives as critical to creating an economy that benefits all. It is through this intervention that we will be able to defeat our socio-economic challenges. Indeed, entrepreneurship holds the key to unlock our country’s economic potential, thus affording us a golden opportunity to launch a sustained onslaught on poverty, unemployment, inequality and underdevelopment.
Entrepreneurship development is a concept so critical yet so much ignored. It contributes to the development and creation of value for the resources we have. It unleashes economic growth and progress. Entrepreneurship promotion is one of the key prerequisites economic growth in any country, and a driving force behind more employment, growth and competitiveness.
Together, we must work towards building a culture of enterpreneurship in the country. We must consciously strive to build a nation of entrepreneurs and not a nation of job-seekers. We are painfully aware that fostering a culture of entrepreneurship is not something that blossoms over a short period of time. It takes a long time to develop and flourish.
The inescapable fact is that the most competitive nations are those that have the highest levels of entrepreneurial activity. That is why the mandate of my department states clearly that we “will lead an integrated approach to the promotion and development of small businesses and co-operatives through a focus on the economic and legislative drivers that stimulate entrepreneurship to contribute to radical economic transformation.”
Together, we can promote and advance entrepreneurship capacity development. The call to action is for all of us to work hard to inculcate a culture of entrepreneurship in the country.
We must pursue a relentless entrepreneurship drive and create an enabling environment that will make it easy for South Africans, particularly the youth, to start and sustain their businesses. We will continue to look up to our partners, especially tertiary institutions, to help us reignite the spirit of entrepreneurship that was so cruelly exterminated by apartheid, but which refused to completely surrender as pockets of entrepreneurial excellence continued to give us hope.
We are encouraged by the figures that show that not only has South Africa experienced an impressive 43% increase in female entrepreneurship in 2012, but South Africans are beginning to show signs of confidence in starting businesses. Notwithstanding this significant growth, a major difficulty continues to be translating the entrepreneurial intent into actual entrepreneurial activity. Promoting an entrepreneurial culture should therefore take the centre stage of our economic development to build and strengthen the emerging confidence. It is, indeed, significant to note that levels of entrepreneurship have increased since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
In the spirit of vukuzenzele, our people must seize the economic opportunities presented by our democracy and freedom to build businesses that will create a better life for themselves and their fellow citizens.
We are proceeding with speed in rolling out the Centres for Entrepreneurship Programme in conjunction with Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. The reason we chose colleges as opposed to universities is the fact that colleges have a practical orientation towards learning. We want our graduates to leave with practical skills.
Programme Director, the Department of Small Business Development is expanding the Centre for Entrepreneurship initiative as a vehicle for building entrepreneurial capacity and to provide an opportunity to individuals to start their own entrepreneurial journey. This is also in line with the commitment to ensure that small businesses progressively increase their contribution to the broader development objectives of the country.
I am confident that this centre will continue to grow and develop entrepreneurs in this area and also serve as a hub for information and training. It is my fervent wish that this centre will open new avenues for currently dormant and potential entrepreneurs. We must promote entrepreneurship as a viable career path as we continue to build a nation of entrepreneurs.
We must inculcate an understanding that starting a business is not something you do because you have run out of options and you find yourself unemployed. Enterpreneurship must be a conscious and solid decision.
This programme must assist in transforming the mind-set and attitudes of many young people. I therefore encourage all faculties to develop opportunities for students at every level, integrate entrepreneurship into the curriculum and build towards a multidisciplinary learning environment.
There is no doubt that the exercise of promoting entrepreneurship development requires a dedicated effort from every one of us. I would like us to take a moment and think about ways to mobilise resources in order to invest in entrepreneurship development and contribute towards efforts aimed at preparing future generations. Working together with tertiary institutions and the private sector, we can change the entrepreneurship landscape in the country.
As I conclude, let me thank all partners for helping us to realise this dream. I have no doubt that their collective wisdom will continue to empower us to respond appropriately to the many complex socio- economic challenges that confront our nation.
I thank you.
