Over 100 KwaZulu-Natal entrepreneurs and SMMEs converged at the Durban leg of Proudly South African’s provincial business forums, which was hosted at the Southern Sun Elangeni on Monday, 20 February 2023.

The provincial free-to-attend forums are designed to empower and equip small businesses and entrepreneurs for success and sustainability. They gather entities that are essential to the growth of the local businesses in terms of their compliance with regulations, legislation and other business processes, as well as expose them to financial and non-financial opportunities available to them in both the public and private sectors.

Entities that were present at the Durban leg of the business forum included:

• The Department of Trade Industry and Competition (the dtic) represented by Sihle Dlamini,
• The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) represented by Moipone Masha,
• South African Revenue Service (SARS) represented by Nivesh Laljith,
• Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA) represented by Thula Mkhwanazi,
• Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) represented by Sibonelo Mchunu,
• KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Environmental Affairs represented by Zamo Ndovela, as well as
• Trade and Industry KwaZulu-Natal (TiKZN) represented by Queen Mkhize

Said Proudly SA’s Chief Marketing Officer, Happy Ngidi, “For Proudly South African, it is vital to armour businesses with the necessary tools to survive the harsh economic times in South Africa. Therefore, we host business forums to drive localisation and ensure that it significantly transforms local KZN businesses for the better and helps create much-needed jobs for the people of KwaZulu Natal.

Cyril Mthenjwa who is a photographer and videographer for @Ra_Cyril in Durban, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of the business forum. “As owners of start-ups, we are thankful for this platform not only to learn about the various developmental programs, but also to lobby these entities to be mindful of the apartheid-era challenges we’ve inherited that sometimes make it difficult to adhere to certain criteria,” he said.

The turnout of the forum clearly illustrates the positive entrepreneurial spirit present within the KZN province, which will eventually go a long way in lowering the levels of unemployment and poverty within the province and contribute to boosting the country’s economy.

For the latest information on Proudly SA visit www.proudlysa.co.za or follow them across all social media platforms.

ENDS

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