Small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) in the Matzikama and Cederberg areas recently had a chance to engage with the National Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) thanks to the latter’s workshops.
On 19 and 20 July a workshop was held in the two municipal areas. Requested by local businesses in these areas, it was aimed at supporting and equipping them with knowledge so that they are better positioned to benefit from opportunities that come during construction work expected to start soon at the Clanwilliam Dam, the department said in a statement.
Several Matzikama entrepreneurs met at the Vredendal South Sports Hall and in the Cederberg the workshop took place at the Cathy Johnson Hall in Clanwilliam.
Very soon the department will start a mega project that will cost over two billion rands when the Clanwilliam Dam is raised so that it can store more water.
The DWS says during the project many opportunities that will benefit small businesses and the unemployed are envisaged.
According to Sipho Banda, the DWS’s Deputy Director for Supply Chain Management, opportunities for locals will include providing services such as various building materials.
However, local businesses were asked to position themselves to receive them whatever opportunities that may come.
Banda said one of the ways in which businesses can position themselves is to make sure that they are registered on the Central Supplier Database (CSD), they update their details all the time in the database and they should not add services that they cannot offer.
At the end of the workshop, local businesses were assisted with registering their businesses on the CSD.
“If your business is not registered on the CSD, unfortunately we cannot do business with your company,” stressed Banda.
