Boost for city entrepreneurs

The recipients of the Long Street kiosk project donations
Entrepreneurs operating from the kiosks in Long Street were given a welcome boost by the provincial government, which handed over a number of small assets and marketing collateral, together with Covid-19 business safety kits. 

Since 2016, the Long Street Kiosks project has offered 10 small and micro enterprises  formal trading spaces within the city centre to provide them with access to new market opportunities. During Covid-19 these businesses have shown great resilience by diversifying their products and selling their products through e-commerce.

The provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism assessed these businesses’ current challenges and needs, and  identified the type of support or intervention needed for each business which included items such as blenders, coffee grinders, fridges and branded marketing materials. 

In some cases, the needs identified resulted in the department connecting the businesses with other organisations such as Productivity South Africa to provide production layout and manufacturing advice; the Small Enterprise Development Agency to assist with marketing and promotional material; and an application to finance equipment; the Cape Peninsula University of Technology to provide a knitting production specialist to support one of the beneficiaries; and with Clotex to onboard the business as part of the SMME Booster Fund programme.

Zaida Abrahams from Zee Zees Halal Foods expressed her thanks for the donation of a stove. “Currently I can do 36 pies at a time, but this allows me to do 100 pies at a time. So my time will be managed more effectively. I can take on bigger orders, and push out more meals, so this will really help me going forward.”

Nokuthula “Teddy” Luthuli from Smoothie On The Go,  received a donation of an industrial blender and refrigerator, adding that “these things that we’re getting today will definitely help us a lot going forward.”