ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT PAVES WAY 

May 2024.

Moloko Poopedi, an enterprising business owner hailing from Brits, stands among a cohort of nine aspiring entrepreneurs from the Madibeng Local Municipality who have recently graduated from an enterprise development programme. This milestone marks a significant stride in advancing the growth and empowerment of small and medium enterprises within the region.

To further support these SMMEs’ sustainability, graduating participants have also been granted seed funding.

Poopedi, owner of Walk by Faith Multimedia, a company specialising in multimedia services, expressed her goals for the future, “Our future goals include acquiring large format printers, an industrial embroidery machine, and a photo lab printing machine to enhance our competitiveness and deliver better quality in large quantities. Thanks to this funding, we will be able to achieve these objectives more easily. It will also help to facilitate the development of an e-commerce platform, increasing sales and creating more employment opportunities for our locals.”

Having commenced in 2021, the programme equipped participants with essential knowledge and skills vital for business success, including networking, capacity building, financial planning and operational efficiency.

“The programme has helped us to build systems that will improve and expand our businesses in a faster and easier manner. We can now manage and market our businesses, sell our products and services, and create invoices and quotations using our cell phones,” added Poopedi.

Despite the completion of the programme in the first quarter of 2024, De Wildt Solar remains committed to the growth of these entrepreneurs and will continue to monitor their progress to ensure their sustainability and long-term success.

“The graduation of these nine entrepreneurs is a testament to our commitment towards fostering entrepreneurship and empowering local communities. Through this programme, we aimed not only to provide essential training and support but also to instill a sense of independence and sustainability within our communities,” concluded Qinisani Siveshe, Community Operations Manager for De Wildt Solar, funders of the programme.