Andile Moshoeshoe
GREATER Kokstad Municipality has started to position itself to ensure that the development of the proposed R200 million Mount Currie Grand Mall becomes more than a landmark retail destination but a catalyst for inclusive economic growth.
In anticipation of the mall’s development, the municipality encouraged young entrepreneurs to establish a Greater Kokstad Business Forum (GKBF), aimed to strengthen the capacity of emerging business owners and equip them with knowledge, networks and commercial acumen required to compete meaningfully in the mainstream economy.
The forum intends to bridge the longstanding divide between established businesses and emerging entrepreneurs, particularly black-owned enterprises that have historically struggled to penetrate large-scale commercial and corporate markets.
With more than 20 entrepreneurs already forming part of the initiative, the municipality has begun exposing them to training, business development opportunities and avenues through which they can expand beyond reliance on government tenders.
The municipality embarked on a two-day business development workshop through the Special Programmes Office in partnership with the Local Economic Development unit recently. The programme brought together experienced business practitioners and government departments tasked with presenting entrepreneurs with information about available opportunities, support programmes and avenues into which they can venture.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of the proposed Mount Currie Grand Mall, expected to generate significant economic activity in the Kokstad town. Local Economic Development manager Mthokozisi Zulu from the Greater Kokstad Municipality said municipalities had a critical role to play in creating an enabling environment for businesses and investors, particularly because the government alone could not absorb the growing number of people seeking employment.
He said the municipality’s strategy was centred on attracting entrepreneurs and investors to the area with the ultimate objective of stimulating economic activity and creating sustainable employment. GKBF secretary Avela Jama commended the initiative and said that the forum’s ambition is to work in close partnership with government, seizing every opportunity that presents itself and ensuring that emerging businesses are positioned to benefit meaningfully from local investment.
Greater Kokstad Municipality mayor Lwanda Madikizela said it had long been the municipality’s vision to cultivate a generation of innovative and enterprising businesspeople who would take ownership of the town’s economic transformation and development, rather than remain passive and wait for the government to create opportunities on their behalf.
He said this proactive spirit and commitment to local economic development would undoubtedly receive the support and encouragement it deserved. He also urged established businesses not to close their doors to emerging entrepreneurs, but instead to embrace, mentor and nurture them, creating pathways through which the next generation of business leaders could grow, thrive and ultimately contribute meaningfully to the town’s economic future.
