A few months after the R350 social relief grant was rolled out we started seeing heartwarming stories of young people using the funds to start small enterprises. I will reserve my opinion about the social grant system for another occasion and rather use this moment to acknowledge the resilient character of the SA entrepreneur.
Like 27-year-old Lindokhuhle Msomi from KwaMashu, Durban, who used the grant to start a food stall after losing his income as a videographer due to Covid-19 restrictions. And Maquoletsa Lekheakhoa Qwali, a single mother who also used the funds to open a business, making sofas out of old tyres.
I will say without flinching that it is the Msomis and the Qwalis of this world who will save this economy from total failure. You would have to be superhuman to start and run a business in SA today, having to contend with rolling blackouts, a volatile economy, corruption and a deadly pandemic on top of it all.
The Global Entrepreneurship and Development Institute (GEDI) states “Enterprise is a crucial engine of economic growth. Without enterprise and entrepreneurs, there would be little innovation, little productivity growth and few new jobs.” These sentiments can be found in the speeches of government officials and President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has stated the crucial role played by small businesses in uplifting the economy.
Unfortunately, entrepreneurs, who happen to be the people behind such enterprises, find themselves having to work under difficult conditions. The current recession is not about to leave our shores any time soon and let’s face it, neither is load-shedding. The headache of stock rotting in fridges and unsent proposals will continue to be a reality for those who do not enjoy the luxury of having generators to kick in every time there’s a power cut.
As the year dwindles into the festive frenzy, with people shopping for the holidays, there are many others who will not know the taste of a 13th cheque, let alone a salary. Thousands of people got laid off from their jobs, while others could not continue operating their businesses. For those who are strangers to the world of formal employment, there seems to be little hope of ever making it.
But on the other hand, the depression has also unearthed the ingenuity and innovative spirit within us. We are beyond capable of rebuilding and reimagining an economy where people do not have to be completely reliant on government structures to create employment.
As poet Mark Twain puts it: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
As entrepreneurs, we are simply learning to discover how to dream and explore in ways that make life happen for our customers, clients and communities. Our greatest calling is to solve problems and, well, make money while we are at it.
• Seopa is a co-founder of Molaetsa PR and Communications
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