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Several hundred informal traders have successfully completed the Grow Your Business course, run in conjunction with the City, at Wits University.
FAMILY members of some 400 informal traders, who completed a six-month Grow Your Business course, braved the cold on Sunday to witness their relatives graduate.
An informal trader receives her certificate
Certificates were handed to the traders at a ceremony in the Great Hall at the University of the Witwatersrand on 2 August. As they went up on stage to receive their certificates, some of the traders expressed their joy by dancing and ululating, while others just posed for pictures to capture their moment.
Present to congratulate and wish them well were City officials, including the member of the mayoral committee for economic development, Oupa Monareng; the executive director for economic development, Jason Ngobeni; and the deputy director of the small medium and micro enterprises unit, Xolani Nxumalo.
Monareng congratulated the traders on completing the course. "I believe that you are going to be the best business people in the world, produced by the City of Joburg and mentored by Wits University," he said.
"I am sure the concept is clear ... in this field you have to know that when an opportunity arises, it must be used effectively, so I just want to encourage you to not let go of this wonderful opportunity."
Monareng said the City took the informal trading sector seriously because it contributed a significant percentage to Joburg's economy and growth.
The Grow Your Business course started in 2004, with the City contracting Wits to train traders and improve their business skills. Now in its fifth year, some 2 500 people have passed through the course.
Formal training
"The formal training covered basic fundamentals of small business management such as the main elements of a business plan, budgeting and basic financial management, pricing, marketing, making their business grow, sustaining a small business, legislative imperatives on small businesses, metro legislative requirements, sourcing finance and networking," said Wits Enterprise's short course manager, Dr Johan Swanepoel.
Video
For a video of Oupa Monareng congratulating the traders, click here.
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Wits Enterprise is the commercial arm of the university and is responsible for the Grow Your Business training.
Traders themselves say they have learned a lot and are ready to put their knowledge into action.
Deiudonne Biakuluila, who sells jeans and T-shirts in the CBD, said: "The course was very interesting because when you start a business you have a lot of ideas and when you meet other business people you start sharing ideas so this course was very interesting and it helped us grow."
Sipho Twala from Jabulani Street Traders, said: "I would like to thank the City of Joburg and Wits University for this great opportunity. The knowledge we received from this course was great."
To qualify for the course, participants have to have basic understanding, reading and writing of English as all the classes are conducted in English. Those who are unable to read and write are placed on an adult basic education and training, or Abet, course for a year. Once they have successfully completed that course, they automatically qualify for the Grow Your Business course the following year.
Talking about ensuring that all informal traders know about this programme, Nxumalo - who is directly involved in it - said his department would embark on a massive media campaign informing other traders about it.
"We are going to have road shows in all the regions to ensure that everyone knows about this training."
It did not only help traders expand their knowledge; Wits students who served as facilitators said they had learned a lot from the traders with whom they worked, just as much as their students had learned from them.
Lamont Motlhabani, who is reading construction management for a bachelor of science, received an award for being the best facilitator. "I feel really honoured to be recognised in this way," he said. "I think that all the other facilitators gave their best but maybe my lessons' plan was more understandable."
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