“Partnering for entrepreneurial success” is the theme of this year’s two-day Enterprise Development Conference held at Gallagher Estate in Midrand. This sentiment was echoed by all keynote speakers on the first day, which was jammed-packed with various talks by industry leaders, panel and plenary discussions and a Dragon’s Den-type forum, the Zimele Supplier’s Den.
Anglo American, Khanyisile Kweyama, Executive Director of Anglo American in South Africa looked at the importance of creating sustainable jobs beyond mining. She also announced the launch of the exciting Sebenza Fund, a partnership between Anglo American’s enterprise development arm, Zimele, and the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA), which aims to ultimately create 8,000 jobs and 1,600 businesses by 2015
Importantly, the Fund is designed to create meaningful and sustainable employment in poverty nodes and areas characterised by high unemployment throughout South Africa.
Founder and CEO of Bidvest Group Limited, Brian Joffe, spoke to the factors that drive Bidvest’s success - from autonomy and an entrepreneurial approach, to decentralised businesses and management. His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is “put in the hard work.”
Stoned Cherrie Founder, Nkensani Nkosi, underlined the important role that enterprise development initiatives can play in ensuring the success of small businesses, while Acting Managing Director of Zimele, Dr Lia Vangelatos, pointed to the Zimele model as a benchmark for funding models worldwide.
A panel discussion debated issues around the development of black industrialists, a key priority for government and the Department of Trade and Industry (Dti). This was followed by a presentation by Vivian Reddy and Charles Wyeth of Sasol Chemcity, who gave insight into on a benchmark study conducted by Sasol Chemcity on the state of enterprise development best practice in South Africa.
A presentation by Anglo American’s Chief Executive, Mark Cutifani, looked at South Africa’s developmental potential and the role of mining in creating a sustainable future.
The first day closed with the Zimele Supplier’s Den, where three entrepreneurs got to pitch their potential new business ideas to the audience and a panel of experts. The winning entrepreneur was Mmachidi Thobejane of LeanerGreenerFleet (Pty) Ltd, who scored the highest against a pre-conceived set of criteria. She walked off with R15,000 sponsored by Barloworld.