Rustenburg, December 2022 – Global Entrepreneurship Week is a worldwide celebration of entrepreneurship that takes place annually in the second week of November, during which the international spotlight falls on the potential for entrepreneurs to contribute to economic growth. In this spirit, Impala Rustenburg is celebrating the intake of another 40 mine-community SMMEs, who have embarked on a 12-month development journey. This intensive, year-long Enterprise and Supplier Development programme is funded by Impala Rustenburg and aims to equip SMMEs in the mine communities with the skills and tools to grow their businesses and realise their potential.
Impala Rustenburg CE Mark Munroe says, “Entrepreneurs are the future of our country. With unemployment continuing to rise, entrepreneurship is one of the most sustainable ways for young people to create jobs – not just for themselves but for others in our communities. According to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the youth in South Africa have the highest levels of perceived entrepreneurial competence across four indicators – self-efficacy, opportunity alertness, risk-willingness, and access to a role model. It is incumbent on corporate South Africa to be that role model and to nurture entrepreneurial competence.”
Impala Rustenburg’s Enterprise and Supplier Development Programme forms part of the company’s socio-economic development plan, which assists mine-community SMME owners to formalise their businesses. Since November 2019, more than 400 SMMEs have benefitted from Impala Rustenburg’s Enterprise and Supplier Development initiatives. These include a five-day workshop, where a significant number of SMMEs are given important information to help them develop their businesses, after which candidates are selected and invited to attend the 12-month training programme to further develop their business skills.
Earlier this year, mine-community SMMEs began their 12-month training programme through Classic Oriental Consultancy and Accuracy Group. During the programme business owners receive training in the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, compliance and governance, as well as financial management and marketing.
Impala Rustenburg’s support of the local business community expanded this year to include the development of an Economic Inclusion Centre, which now provides SMMEs with a range of business facilities, services and an information hub from which to access valuable insights to assist them in making their businesses more profitable.
Munroe concludes, “Corporate South Africa has a duty and a responsibility to ensure that small business owners – particularly the youth – have the resources to be successful, to grow their businesses, to become employers, and to contribute to the growth of the economy. At Impala Rustenburg, we take this responsibility to heart, and we are deeply invested in our programmes that assist SMMEs to grow into sustainable enterprises.”