New site for Umkhumbane ESC
By Gugu Mzimwla

Backyard manufacturers will soon have decent working
space when the Entrepreneurial Support Centre
along Booth Road is completed.

Every day new businesses are mushrooming in the retail industry, but the manufacturing sector is difficult to break into. As an emerging small business owner in the manufacturing industry you need all the help you can get. Now help is at hand with the construction of the Umkhumbane Entrepreneurial Support Centre administration block and workshop units in Booth road, where the emerging small businesses will be housed.

A total of 23 workshop units will be completed between March and April next year. The main objective of ESC is to provide emerging entrepreneurs in the manufacturing industry, such as furniture makers and chemical distributors, with premises and resources in the form of financial and technical support.

The ESC will have a marketing and an administrative component to assist the local manufacturers.
According to Chris Khumalo of ESC, one of the major problems facing small business owners is a lack of bookkeeping skills and little or no marketing strategies.

Explaining how these businesses would obtain financial support, Khumalo said: “At the moment we have made contact with various financial institutions to provide loans. The response from them has been positive so far.”

There will be continuous assistance from experts in each of the fields involved.

Businesses will be able to remain at the ESC for a limited period until they are able to stand on their own two feet.

The ESC will establish links with big manufacturing corporates and financial institutions with a proven track record (such as Ithala) to assist the emerging entrepreneurs.

“Most big manufacturing corporations have a black economic empowerment policy and this is what we hope to take advantage of. Most of these businesses do not know where to find emerging entrepreneurs. This is where our business linkage system comes in.” said Khumalo.

Umkhumbane Entrepreneurial Support Centre hopes to compile a database of all the local emerging entrepreneurs on a disc and sell it to the big corporates who are obliged by law to outsource some of their work. For example , if car manufacturers need car seats they will access the database to find a suitable

supplier. The database will be monitored by the ESC and as soon as the car manufacturer makes contact with a local entrepreneur the ESC will provide the necessary expertise to the local entrepreneur.Local manufacturers who are keen on using this unique opportunity may contact Chris Khumalo or Robin Winter on 261 1318.

More office space for public service providers

More office space will be available to public service providers
when the construction of Intuthuko Junction Phase 2 is completed in May 2003.

CMDA embarked on the development of the new office building at the corner of Cato Manor and Francois Roads in 1999. At the time, property experts viewed this as a high-risk venture due to its location. Were it not for the commitment of the EU to invest funds in the development of Cato Manor, this development would never have happened. Contrary to expectations, the building, subsequently named “Intuthuko Junction”, was fully let even before construction was completed in March 2002.

This confirmed the farsighted thinking of planners who, back in 1997, identified the Central Node as an important new area for development, where shops, offices and high density residential accommodation should be built. This area, they said, should be a place where public support services which are not found in the local neighbourhoods of Cato Manor should be located, a “place of dignity”.

The vision is becoming a reality. New pedestrian-friendly roads with on-street parking have been built. Construction of the Cato Manor Community Health Centre has commenced, and the development potential of other sites in the Central Node is now easy to see. As a direct result of the success of Intuthuko Junction, the European Union has committed additional funding for the development of another 1,100m2 of rentable space, which will add 50% to what is already there. The “Phase 2" development is being built on the same site as Intuthuko Junction, with frontage on to the new road that also gives access to the Health Centre. The building has been designed to match the existing complex, and when completed, will be integrally linked in terms of access, services, security and management.

A marketing campaign to attract tenants will be launched in October this year in anticipation of the completion of Phase 2 in May 2003. CMDA will actively pursue the target market of local government agencies and development-focused NGOs and enterprises in order to further consolidate the Central Node’s profile as a public service centre.

Inviting CBOs for better support

Providing support and assistance to all community based organisations (CBOs) is CMDA’s highest priority. To do this successfully, the CMDA is compiling a database of all CBOs in the Cato Manor area.

rom early September researchers have been contracted by the CMDA to train Cato Manor community members to be enumerators. These enumerators will have the task of moving around the community to identify CBOs and establish where they are located and the work they are doing.

“CMDA will be able to assist by supporting and strengthening the work of designated CBOs. Any other agent that will follow from the CMDA will be able to identify the CBOs quicker and offer any support,” said Fisani Mzimela,
manager of Comdev.

The enumerators will require the assistance of the community. The community and members of CBOs are urged to assist the enumerators with the information that they require, as it will benefit the community.