Gauteng Provincial Government Hosts CSD Workshop in Ratanda
In an attempt to see more people with disabilities and military veterans opening businesses that supply government, the Gauteng Provincial Government is currently on a roadshow consisting of a series of workshops across the five regions of Gauteng.
On Tuesday (October 21) leg of the roadshow visited Heidelberg, with a workshop held at Ratanda’s New Hall.
The gathering of community, government, business, and civic groups was necessitated by the need to assist these two previously marginalized groups in becoming successful business owners and regular suppliers to government departments.
Representing the Gauteng Provincial Treasury, Ms. Thandiwe Zungu guided the audience through the steps needed for a business to be approved by government as a supplier or vendor.
As an initial step after company registration, all companies, including Co-operatives, are required to register on the Central Supplier Database (CSD). Thereafter, a CSD number will be generated for them.
Although the process can be fully completed online using e-Gov services, this workshop served as an opportunity to assist Ratanda business owners without internet access to register for the CSD on-site, with one-on-one help from government officials.
Zungu went on to explain that after successful registration on the CSD, business owners can then apply for a GPG Vendor Number.
She emphasized that the Gauteng Provincial Treasury is there to help small business owners every step of the way — not only with access to government as a potential client, but also with access to free business training and development.
She reminded those present that, in order to access government procurement opportunities, compliance is paramount.
“My job is to assist all business owners, but today I am here especially for those living with disabilities and our elderly military veterans. For those who are interested in supplying the government but don’t know how to, that is why we have come to Ratanda. We want to help you,” she said.
“We also want to give special training to those who may be interested in applying for government tenders but don’t know how to. As a result, we are now offering free workshops on the tender application process. The weekly workshops are held in Johannesburg every Wednesday from 10am to 12pm in the building behind Carlton Center.”
She encouraged those interested in attending to contact her office via email.
Using Technology to Access Government Services
Speaking on behalf of the Gauteng Department of e-Government, Mr. Sizwe Sibisi gave attendees a rundown on how to use ICT to interact with government on various digital platforms. He provided a basic checklist on how to do business with government while sharing a few business ideas that require more participation from SMEs.
“As a department, we have targets of how many people we want to reach from various demographics. In Ratanda, we see that the youth and women are very active in accessing government services,” he explained. “An area where we have, however, fallen short of our targets is in the participation of people with disabilities and military veterans. It is for this reason that we have come to Ratanda today.”
Mr. Sibisi encouraged everyone present to freely engage with him as he took various questions from the floor.
The Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Mthunzi Mene, an employee of e-Gov who himself is a person living with a disability, assisted in fielding questions from curious business owners and potential entrepreneurs in the crowd.
As part of the workshop, a presentation on Financial Literacy was given by First National Bank (FNB) staffers Nomshado Thwala and Vhahangwele Maphamgule. During their address, they reminded the audience to always have a separate bank account for business purposes.
Many new businesses have been known to fail due to financial mismanagement. According to advice given by the FNB representatives, separating business and personal accounts is a good way to ensure a successful business that grows and thrives.
Promoting Inclusivity and Local Partnerships
Standing on the sidelines of the event, Sibongile Nhlabati, the Lesedi Local Municipality SMME Development Coordinator, expressed satisfaction that the workshop was brought to Ratanda as part of efforts to further stimulate inclusivity in the business sector among those previously left out because of either age or disability.
“As Lesedi Local Municipality, we often do partnerships with both provincial and national government. Today we are in collaboration with the Gauteng Provincial Government so we can assist more business owners to become official government suppliers,” she said.
“While the youth and women in Lesedi are very active in business, one challenge we have is that local government doesn’t have any funding. Hence, we end up having these collaborations with provincial and national government. However, as the local municipality, what we offer entrepreneurs is non-financial support in the form of training and capacity building.”
According to Nhlabati, the SMME sector in Ratanda is growing. “There is a large number of both registered and unregistered businesses. As mentioned earlier, young people in Ratanda have been benefiting the most from such initiatives. However, the local municipality envisions even greater strides, enabling Ratanda business owners of all ages to soar to greater heights.”
