Question NW2507 to the Minister of Small Business Development
31 August 2023 - NW2507
Mathulelwa, Ms B to ask the Minister of Small Business Development
In light of how small businesses and/or co-operatives are struggling to access funding from her department, what total number of businesses did she develop in her hometown since the start of her term of office?”
Reply:
My Hometown is Mthatha, in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality, since the 1st August 2021 I have been advised that;
The Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa) funded 5901 Small Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) in King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality (KSD) to the value of R79.5 million. This financial support helped create and sustain 4963 jobs. In terms of developmental impact, sefa’s disbursements to businesses owned by black entrepreneurs were R79.5 million, women-owned businesses received disbursements to the value of R28.5 million, the youth owned businesses received R19.5 million in disbursements and those based in the rural areas received R49.5 million over the same period. And this covers small business in both Mqanduli and Mthatha my hometown.
The Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) service delivery is geared on a provincial focus with District Municipalities as it’s networks for reach and access of services. From 2021 when I was appointed as the Minister of the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) to date, Seda Eastern Cape (EC) supported 8516 SMMEs and Co-operatives of which 1706 are residents of OR Tambo District Municipality. These numbers pertain to non-financial support provided to SMMEs and Co-operatives by Seda EC and exclude support provided by various other ecosystem stakeholders.
Seda’s impact is not only based in the Minister’s hometown but rather regional. For the 2023 financial year in the Eastern Cape, the Seda Technology Programme currently supports fourteen (14) Incubators in the Eastern Cape. Twenty-seven (27) clients were funded through the Technology Transfer Assistance Programme at a total cost of R14 296 665.00. Furthermore, five (5) clients were supported with quality and standards interventions at a total cost of R237 103.97.
Annexure 1
The attached annexure illustrates Seda’s financial and non-financial support in the Eastern Cape Province:
Seda Eastern Cape clients
Newly Approved Incubators
Quality and Standards Beneficiaries
Technology Transfer Assistance Beneficiaries
