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Limpopo Business 2019-20 edition

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The 2019/20 edition of Limpopo Business is the 11th issue of this highly successful publication that, since its launch in 2007, has established itself as the premier business and investment guide for the Limpopo Province. Limpopo has several investment and business opportunities. In addition to the regular articles providing insight into each of the key economic sectors of the province, there are special features on various Special Economic Zones (SEZs) which aim to drive industrialization in the province and the initiatives which are further enhancing the tourism offering in Limpopo. News related to mining, agriculture, transport and logistics, education and development finance is carried in overviews of the main economic sectors in the province. To complement the extensive local, national and international distribution of the print edition, the full content can also be viewed online at www.globalafricanetwork.com Updated information on the Limpopo is also available through our monthly e-newsletter, which you can subscribe to at https://www.globalafricanetwork.com/subscribe/, in addition to our complementary business-to-business titles that cover all nine provinces as well as our flagship South African Business.

INTERVIEW Koenie

INTERVIEW Koenie Slabbert BIOGRAPHY Koenie Slabbert began his career as an apprentice in tool, jig and die-making. Promotion to Supervisor inspired him to sign up for training at his own expense. Courses at the Production Management Institute of South Africa led to a Higher Diploma in Production Management and a BSc Honours through the PMI/ University of Hertfordshire. A Master’s Degree in Operations Management followed. Before joining Seda, Koenie was an industrial engineer at Limac. He has been Provincial Manager from June 2007. Technology Incubation Centres are spurring growth Koenie Slabbert details how the Small Enterprise Development Agency in Limpopo is helping small businesses. What is the key business proposition of Seda Limpopo? The Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) is an agency of the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) which provides non-financial support to small enterprises and co-operatives. Seda has by far the biggest network of offices in the country. Limpopo has five branches, one in each municipal districts and three co-location points. Seda has presence in some townships and rural areas and has programmes targeting youth and women from all sectors. Seda Limpopo supports three Technology Incubation Centres affording start-ups a well-equipped and protected environment in which to develop and grow for a period of three years. Incubation has been proven to reduce the failure rate in the first few years of small enterprises’ cycle. Seda interventions involve exploring possible new revenue streams, improving competitiveness and productivity in the business. Are there particular economic sectors in which you specialise? Seda assists all types of business and cuts across a number of sectors that are key to job creation. These include: agriculture and agroprocessing, manufacturing, engineering, renewable energy and services (ICT and tourism). Seda has also prioritised small enterprises and co-operatives owned by youth, women, people with disabilities and people in townships and rural areas. What are the challenges and opportunities for small businesses in Limpopo? One of the challenges is access to markets; another is access to funding. There are great opportunities in exporting of primary produce and value-adding through agro-processing initiatives. Manufacturing and technology and ICT initiatives are other areas of potential. Do the branches deal with different kinds of business support depending on where they are located? It is very important for Seda to ensure that its branches provide a series of packaged products and services to assist businesses in various phases of operation. The dynamics of the economic imperatives will differ from LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2019/20 76

INTERVIEW region to region, but Seda has four phases of business development as offered to its clients: Seda Business Talk provides practical answers and guidance to potential entrepreneurs wanting to start their own business and get it right the first time. Assistance includes: business advice and information; small enterprise training and seminars; business registration. Seda Business Start provides businesses with instruments and techniques to plan their operations for a better chance of success. Focus is placed on: business planning counselling and support; business incubation; facilitation of access to finance; basic business skills and training; introduction to co-operatives course. Seda Business Build focusses on clients who want to sustain and strengthen their businesses. Assistance provided: technical support; networking and business linkages; capacity-building systems and mentorship; tender advice/procurement; export orientation; technology transfer; starting and managing a co-operative. Seda Business Grow focusses on clients who wants to grow their business and expand nationally and internationally. Assistance provided: export development; business systems development; co-operative support; growth strategies; technology transfer. What are Seda’s key programmes? • The Export Development Programme develops export-ready small enterprises that are globally competitive and able to grow markets • The Seda Technology Programme seeks to stimulate economic growth and development through technology transfer, increasing the access to and use of technologies and offering technical support • The Co-operatives and Community Public Private Partnership Programme promotes the establishment and growth of viable co-operatives and collectively-owned enterprises • The EMPRETEC Programme is an integrated capacity-building programme of UNCTAD targeting SMEs and entrepreneurial skills. What is the Seda Technology Programme? The Seda Technology Programme (STP) is a division of Seda which focuses on sustainable enterprise development through technology business incubation, monitoring, evaluation, improvement of service and product quality and standards, and technology-transfer-funding services and support. STP seeks to make it easier for small enterprises to gain access to technology and technical support, while improving their sustainability and international competitiveness. STP is a programme of the Department of Small Business Development. The Incubation Unit is designed to strengthen technology commercialisation and harness the entrepreneurship of the technology community in South Africa. The Technology Transfer Unit promotes and facilitates the transfer of technology that is appropriate, effective and competitive to small enterprises. The unit offers the following services: grant funding for the acquisition of technology, such as equipment and machinery, to facilitate technology transfer; improving access to technology information by small enterprises; improving access to technology-transfer funding through structured referrals to the funding institutions; linking inventors/universities or science councils with small enterprises or entrepreneurs with matching needs. The key mandate of the Quality and Standards Unit is to ensure that small businesses have access to Quality Improvement Programmes that can give small enterprises a sound foundation to be competitive and sustainable. The unit offers: management systems development, implementation; product testing and product certification; product design and packaging; SMME management systems auditing. Does Seda have programmes to assist women and youth in business? We have capacity-building programmes focusing on women. 77 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2019/20

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