By Ms Thami Nqayi, Manager: Corporate Services, SACCI
The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI), together with Absa, brought its Entrepreneur Empowerment Summit to Rustenburg, North West, continuing a programme focused on connecting entrepreneurs with practical support, opportunities and networks.
Speaking at the summit, SACCI Manager: Corporate Services, Ms Thami Nqayi, welcomed entrepreneurs, business leaders, government representatives, development partners and members of the business community to the latest engagement in the SACCI–Absa programme.
She said the gathering was an important reminder of the role entrepreneurs play in South Africa’s economy.
“South Africa’s future will not only be built in boardrooms—it will be built by entrepreneurs,” she said.
For many of the businesses represented at the summit, the road to building a sustainable enterprise has not been easy. Entrepreneurs continue to operate against a backdrop of rising costs, changing markets and wider economic pressures.
Despite these challenges, businesses continue to open their doors, employ people and look for ways to grow.
According to Nqayi, that resilience needs to be matched with meaningful support.
Taking support to entrepreneurs
The SACCI–Absa partnership has taken the Entrepreneur Empowerment programme to different parts of the country, engaging entrepreneurs in communities including Thohoyandou, Empangeni, Pietermaritzburg and Klerksdorp.
Rustenburg is the latest stop in that journey.
The engagements have highlighted a consistent challenge facing small businesses: access.
Entrepreneurs need access to finance, procurement opportunities, markets and business networks. Providing information is important, but it is only part of the solution.
The purpose of programmes such as the Entrepreneur Empowerment Summit is to bring entrepreneurs into the room with organisations and institutions that can help them navigate these opportunities.
Strengthening the North West SMME ecosystem
The Rustenburg summit also follows commitments made during previous engagements in the North West.
SACCI has previously engaged with district mayors, local leadership, business representatives and entrepreneurs in the province, with a common concern emerging around the need for a stronger SMME support ecosystem.
The Rustenburg engagement is part of putting those commitments into practice.
For Nqayi, stronger collaboration between business, government and other stakeholders is essential if the province is to create an environment in which more small businesses can grow.
The same principle applies nationally.
South Africa’s challenges around poverty, inequality and unemployment are too large for any one sector to address on its own.
The role of the chamber
Another important message from the summit was the value of businesses becoming part of the chamber movement.
Nqayi encouraged entrepreneurs to engage with their local chambers and make use of the networks available to them.
Being part of a chamber gives businesses an opportunity to connect with other enterprises, build relationships and become part of a wider business network.
“No entrepreneur should build alone,” she said.
For SACCI, strengthening this network remains an important part of supporting businesses at local and national level.
Connecting local businesses to the mining economy
Rustenburg also provides a significant opportunity to discuss the relationship between SMMEs and the mining economy.
As one of South Africa’s important mining regions, the North West has a substantial economic base around which local businesses can develop.
SACCI continues to engage around opportunities relating to enterprise development, supplier development, skills development and support for junior mining businesses.
The focus is on ensuring that businesses operating in mining communities are able to participate in the economy around them.
As Nqayi noted, communities should not simply live alongside economic activity. Local businesses need opportunities to participate in it.
Continued collaboration
The summit brought together representatives from business and government, including the Department of Small Business Development, SARS, CIPC and the dtic.
Nqayi also highlighted ongoing discussions between SACCI and government around outreach programmes aimed at strengthening support for entrepreneurs across the country.
These relationships are important because entrepreneurs often have to navigate a range of institutions and requirements as they establish and grow their businesses.
Greater collaboration between these institutions can help make that process more accessible.
Looking ahead
The work does not end when the summit concludes.
The objective is to continue building connections between entrepreneurs, chambers, financial institutions, government and larger businesses, while creating more opportunities for SMMEs to participate in the economy.
Nqayi thanked Absa for its continued investment in South Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, as well as the government partners and local leadership in the North West for their participation.
She also acknowledged the entrepreneurs who attended the summit.
“You are the reason we do this work,” she said.
The Rustenburg summit forms part of SACCI’s broader commitment to supporting entrepreneurs and strengthening the business ecosystem across South Africa.
For the entrepreneurs who attended, the message was straightforward: build, connect, keep learning and make use of the networks and opportunities available to you.
The strength of South Africa’s economy will depend, in no small part, on the strength of the businesses being built today.
This article is based on the address delivered by Ms Thami Nqayi, Manager: Corporate Services at SACCI, at the Absa–SACCI Entrepreneur Empowerment Summit in Rustenburg, North West.