OVERVIEW Tourism Visitors are encouraged to “Travel Differently”. SECTOR INSIGHT Rural tourism is showing potential. The Premier Splendid Inn, Bloemfontein. New markets are being targeted through programmes such as “Travelling Differently”. The aim is to appeal to people who have previously been excluded from experiences such as game drives, bird watching, fishing, hiking and camping. The “Free State CampOut Experience” was launched in November 2021 at Maria Moroka Nature reserve, the first of a series of events hosted in various provincial resorts to further encourage eco-tourism among city dwellers. Free State tourism authorities are reaching out to neighbouring provinces and the Kingdom of Lesotho to coordinate a regional strategy for tourist products. Other participants include the North West Province, Fezile Dabi District Municipality and the National Department of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries. Another thrust is rural tourism, which is targeted as a subsector with great growth potential. Products such as the Bothobapelo Country Lodge and the Dinkoeng Tented Camp and Adventure based in Monontsha in QwaQwa are examples of what can be achieved with investment and commitment. Heritage is another sector with possiblities. A Heroes’ Park is to be constructed at Thaba Nchu and Tumahole with statues of Oliver Tambo and Fidel Castro. A museum and statue at Brandfort to commemorate Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is planned. Other sites with potential that are the subject of upgrades include the Thaba Nchu Airfield and the Phakisa Raceway in Welkom. ONLINE RESOURCES Bloemfontein Tourism: www.bloemfonteintourism.co.za Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs: www.destea.gov.za Free State Gambling, Liquor and Tourism Authority: www.gla.fs.gov.za The global pandemic closed down the tourism sector and it will take some time to recover. The provincial government provided some relief by earmarking tourism venues as sites for quarantine. Bloemfontein’s newest hotel is the 88-room Premier Splendid Inn. Built on the site of the old Stanville Inn, the property has been converted into a R95-million hotel with conference facilities over five floors. Protea Hotels has four properties in the Free State, two in Bloemfontein, one in Harrismith and the Protea Hotel Clarens. The Tsogo Group’s properties include the four-star Southern Sun Bloemfontein and the SUN1 Bloemfontein. Tsogo Sun Gaming runs the Goldfields Casino in Welkom. The City Lodge Bloemfontein has 151 rooms, and there is a Road Lodge at the airport. The Rantsoareng Group operates exclusively in the Free State and has three properties, the biggest of which is the President Hotel in Bloemfontein. Sun International runs the Lesotho Sun and the Maseru Sun in neighbouring Lesotho. In Bloemfontein, the Windmill Casino and Entertainment Centre offers slot machines and gaming tables, plus conference facilities. The fourstar Willow Lodge has 80 rooms. The Naledi Sun Hotel and Casino is about 65km from Bloemfontein. The Golden Gate Highlands National Park in the Maluti Mountains is one of South Africa’s great parks. ■ FREE STATE BUSINESS 2023 36
Development finance and SMME support OVERVIEW Skilled mentorship pays off for SMMEs. Seed funding and investment are critical in helping small, medium and micro-enterprises get started, but sometimes good advice over an extended period can be just as valuable. Tehilaa Golden CC, a clothing manufacturer, more than doubled its annual turnover to R11-million with the support of the SAB Foundation’s 18-month Tholoana Enterprise Programme. Tholoana offers skilled mentorship, business development tools and training, access to peer networks and finance. Founder Cherilyn Lucena (pictured) also expanded her workforce from 46 to 135. The programme invests in entrepreneurs, particularly women, youth, people in rural areas and persons with disabilities. The SAB Foundation reports that as many as 80% of small businesses fail within their first five years in South Africa. The SAB Foundation has provided over R8-million in grant funding and business support to 70 entrepreneurs in the Free State. Collective turnover has grown exponentially since the programme began in 2018. The Yes4Youth programme is a business-led collaboration that aims to get young people into work. The Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) is collaborating with Standard Bank on the Yes4Youth initiative, in which 60 unemployed youth were offered their first job opportunity in 2021. The idea is to introduce young people to the world of work and to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship. DESTEA assists an average of 800 enterprises annually. The Industrialisation Support Incentive Programme paid out R10-million in 2021/22 to 30 enterprises (13 women-owned, six youth-owned). Support ranged from rental subsidies and the provision of equipment to set-up costs for emerging and established manufacturers. A 172ha business park in Sasolburg designed to incubate black industrialists is a joint venture between the National Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) and Sasol. There are five buildings on the site, training is provided, and companies have access to Sasol’s diverse supply chains. The dtic’s Enterprise Investment Programme (EIP) is successfully supporting Extractive Technologies, a company in the electro-technical ONLINE RESOURCES Free State Development Corporation: www.fdc.co.za National Department of Small Business Development: www.dsbd.gov.za Small Enterprise Development Agency: www.seda.org.za SECTOR INSIGHT Yes4Youth is having a positive effect. sector. This is a focus area of national policy and the targeted company used its grant to create additional employment for youth in the Sasolburg area. The National Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) has several programmes to assist SMMEs and co-operatives. These include: • The Black Business Supplier Development Programme, a cost-sharing grant to promote competitiveness • The Co-operative Incentive Scheme, a 100% grant. The Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) is a subsidiary of the DSDB and supports entrepreneurs. Seda focusses on training and administrative support. The major banks all have SMME offerings. Standard Bank runs a Community Investment Fund and Nedbank offers an enterprise development product for businesses with turnovers up to R35-million. ■ 37 FREE STATE BUSINESS 2023
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