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Twenty informal traders from Idutywa town benefited from the municipality’s Informal Trading Support Programme, with each beneficiary receiving a R5 000 voucher.
More vouchers will be disbursed to informal traders in Willowvale and Elliotdale,that also fall under the Mbhashe Local Municipality.
“The disbursement of vouchers to informal traders emanates from the municipality’s integrated development plan (IDP), and the municipality’s local economic development strategy,” said Mbhashe Local Municipality executive mayor, Samkelo Janda.
“Our support to informal traders is meant to ignite the sector so that it can create jobs, as we know that many people lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We also want to sustain their business and encourage them to organise into co-operatives to support them further, and also organise support for them from other government departments and entities.”
In 2022 the municipality handed over working equipment to 14 small business owners, as part of its endeavours to strengthen small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs), in line with its local economic development strategy.
That handover of the working equipment followed an application process where small business operators in the towns of Idutywa, Willowvale and Elliotdale, that form Mbhashe Local Municipality, were invited to submit applications and motivate on the kind of assistance their businesses needed.
The Idutywa Hawkers Association has expressed gratitude to the municipality for the support extended to informal traders.
“We welcome the support from the municipality and believe that it will make a big difference to the businesses of each beneficiary,” said Idutywa Hawkers Association chairperson, Mpumelelo Nogada.
“For example, a beneficiary will be able to use the voucher to buy stock for their business, and take the money that normally buys stock and use it for their household needs, so we are grateful for what the municipality has done for us.”
