TourismUNESCO has listed
TourismUNESCO has listed the foundation site of the ANC.Adventure and breathtaking landscapes go hand-in-hand.The Wesleyan Mission Church in Waaihoek, Bloemfontein, siteof the formation of the South African Native National Congress(SANNC) in 1912, was named in 2024 as a World Heritage Siteby UNESCO. The SANNC later became the African NationalCongress (ANC), the party of South Africa’s first democratically electedpresident, Nelson Mandela.The Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreationstarted the process to nominate the Waaihoek site in 2019 followingconsultations between the department, the Mangaung MetroMunicipality and UNESCO.Heritage is a particular focus of the department and research hasbegun on previously neglected aspects of the history of the Anglo-Boer War to include facts about black participation and suffering inthe conflict. A Heroes’ Park is to be constructed at Thaba Nchu andTumahole with statues of Oliver Tambo and Fidel Castro. A museumand statue at Brandfort to commemorate Winnie Madikizela-Mandelais planned.New markets are being targeted through programmes such as“Travelling Differently”. The aim is to appeal to people who havepreviously been excluded from experiences such as game drives, birdwatching, fishing, hiking and camping.Another thrust is rural tourism, a subsector with great growthpotential. Products such as the Bothobapelo Country Lodge andthe Dinkoeng Tented Camp and Adventure based in Monontsha inQwaQwa are examples of what can be achieved with investmentand commitment. Other sites with potential that are the subject ofupgrades include the Thaba Nchu Airfield and the Phakisa Racewayin Welkom.Bloemfontein’s newest hotel is the 88-room Premier SplendidInn. Built on the site of the old Stanville Inn, the property has beenconverted into a R95-million hotel with conference facilities overfive floors.In 2022, Tsogo Sun Hotels again adopted the Southern Sun brand.ONLINE RESOURCESVredefort Dome Tourism Association: vredefortdomeinfo@gmail.comFree State Gambling, Liquor and Tourism Authority: www.gla.fs.gov.zaSECTOR INSIGHTClarens is popularwith artists.In the Free State it runs theSouthern Sun Bloemfonteinand the SUN1 Bloemfontein.Tsogo Sun Gaming owns theGoldfields Casino in Welkom.The City Lodge Bloemfontein has151 rooms, and there is a RoadLodge at the airport.The Rantsoareng Groupoperates exclusively in the FreeState and has three properties,the biggest of which is thePresident Hotel in Bloemfontein.Also in Bloemfontein,the Windmill Casino andEntertainment Centre run bySun International offers slotmachines and gaming tables,plus conference facilities.Protea Hotels by Marriott hasfour properties in the Free State,two in Bloemfontein, one inHarrismith and the Protea HotelClarens. Clarens, in the foothills ofthe Maluti Mountains and nearthe Golden Gate National Park,is a popular tourist destinationand a magnet for artists. Thetown was formed in the sameyear of the ANC’s first congressand was named for the townin Switzerland where the exiledPaul Kruger spent his last days. ■FREE STATE BUSINESS 202538PHOTO: FDC
Development financeand SMME supportOVERVIEWColleges are backing startups.Three of the Free State’s Technical Vocational EducationalTraining (TVET) colleges are not only teaching the skills thatentrepreneurs need, they are getting behind students withideas for new businesses.A partnership between the Maluti, Motheo and Goldfields TVETcolleges and the Free State Provincial Government is providing financialand non-financial support to eight youth-owned startups that wonthrough the inaugural Free State Youth Business Pitching competition.The Tosa Campus of the Goldfields TVET College in the townshipof Thabong on the outskirts of Welkom is home to the Centre forEntrepreneurship Rapid Incubator (CFERI), where training in variousartisan skills is accompanied by a syllabus that teaches the skillsnecessary to begin and run a small business. Various colleges aroundSouth Africa have been chosen to hosts such facilities to promotethe idea of entrepreneurship to young people in the context of thecountry’s high rate of unemployment.Nine of the 32 SMMEs supported by the provincial government in2024 were owned by women and 10 were youth-owned. A total ofR28-million was disbursed in the automotive sectors, agroprocessing,logistics, ICT, tourism and wholesale.A drive to promote investment in the province’s industrial parks hasled to the employment of 5 571 people in Botshabelo, 516 in ThabaNchu and 5 070 in Phuthaditjhaba. In addition, 25 SMMEs qualified forrental incentives.The Yes4Youth programme is a business-led collaboration thataims to get young people into work. The Free State Department ofEconomic, Small Business Development, Tourism and EnvironmentalAffairs (DESTEA) is collaborating with Standard Bank on the Yes4Youthinitiative. The idea is to introduce young people to the world of workand to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship.DESTEA assists an average of 800 enterprises annually.Support ranges from rental subsidies and the provisionof equipment to set-up costs for emerging and establishedmanufacturers. A 172ha business park in Sasolburg designed toincubate black industrialists is a joint venture between the NationalDepartment of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) and Sasol.ONLINE RESOURCESFree State Development Corporation: www.fdc.co.zaNational Department of Small Business Development:www.dsbd.gov.zaSmall Enterprise Development and Finance Agency: www.sedfa.org.zaGoldfields TVET College visitsRainbow High School.SECTOR INSIGHTSMMEs in industrial parks payreduced rates.There are five buildings on the site,training is provided, and companieshave access to Sasol’s diversesupply chains.The dtic’s Enterprise InvestmentProgramme (EIP) is successfullysupporting Extractive Technologies,a company in the electro-technicalsector. This is a focus area of nationalpolicy and the targeted companyused its grant to create additionalemployment for youth in theSasolburg area.The National Department ofSmall Business Development(DSBD) has several programmesto assist SMMEs and co-operatives.The Small Enterprise DevelopmentAgency (SEDA) and the SmallEnterprise Finance Agency (SEFA)merged with the CooperativeBanks Development Agency(CBDA) to form the Small EnterpriseDevelopment and Finance Agency(SEDFA) in October 2024. ■39FREE STATE BUSINESS 2025
