The West Coast College in Vredenburg handed over equipment to the first group of local entrepreneurs who completed their first phase of the business incubation programme offered by the Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator (CfERI).
The equipment was purchased from the funding received from local corporate Duferco Steel Processing. The funding is earmarked to support the development of local Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMMEs) within the area and the region.
The entrepreneurs who were recipients of the funding include Feziwe Ngxumza, owner of Sibakhulu Food Services who received a fridge and deep fryer, Amy Green, owner of Bespoke Janey who received a liquid silicone mould and Rayven Kekana, owner of RVK Unlimited who received a compressor.
Themba Ndaba, the Vredenburg Campus Manager, emphasised the college’s role in developing entrepreneurship and capacitating SMMEs to contribute to the growth of the local economy and job creation.
He said: “With the support from stakeholders such as Duferco we can continue to build the capacity of our region’s entrepreneurs and in so doing not just assist the development of the local economy, but also support the provincial and ultimately the national economy.”
Similar sentiments were reiterated by Lecinda Thomas, Senior Procurement Manager, and Dirk Coetzee, Finance Manager, who furthered explained the commitment of Duferco Steel Processing in the upliftment of the community by supporting projects such as the Business Incubation Programme.
The entrepreneurs expressed appreciation to the college and Duferco as this equipment will improve the business operations, the quality of products and services offered. They believe that this will assist in increasing turnover and contributing to the creation of jobs.
