28 June 2019, Roodepoort, Gauteng – South Africa’s leading construction materials company, AfriSam, celebrated the graduation of 24 entrepreneurs who completed their business skills training through the company’s Enterprise Development Programme. The new graduates underwent a four-month business skills programme designed to support entrepreneurs and business owners close to its Roodekrans and Eikenhof operations in Gauteng.

“At AfriSam, we understand that growing the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) is vital for broadening economic participation and delivering on our country’s economic development objectives”, says Jabu Motlhako, ESD Professional, AfriSam.

AfriSam’s Enterprise and Supplier Development Programme identify, empower and enhance capacities of black-owned SMMEs that operate in close proximity of the company’s operations. Another key aim of the programme is to provide the entrepreneurs with the necessary support and development for them to grow their business and ultimately be included in AfriSam’s database of registered vendors.

AfriSam selected 24 black SMMEs for the training programme from communities close to its Eikenhof and Roodekrans operations. The entrepreneurs were from different industries ranging from catering, construction and property development. The training took place at the AfriSam Business Development Centre, with course modules focusing on the following aspects:

• Entrepreneurship: Applying innovative thinking to the development of a small business, researching the viability of new ideas and opportunities, demonstrating knowledge and application of ethical conduct in a business environment.
• Business planning and Market mechanisms: Interpreting basic financial statements, applying the principles of costing and pricing to a business, developing business plans for new ventures and how to secure new tenders.

Dimakatso Moretsele, one of the graduating entrepreneurs, has food and catering business, ‘Our Lite’. Her business was recently selected as the AfriSam Business Development Centre’s preferred catering suppliers for 2019 to ensure sustainability of her business.

“I never thought that I would be part of such a large company. The training we received this year was much needed and came in handy. We gained important skills and I have learnt to better manage finances, employees and the overall business,” says Moretsele.

The AfriSam Business Development Centre was first launched in 2014 as part of supporting black SMMEs in previously disadvantaged communities. The Business Development Centre has since seen more than 70 SMMEs acquiring various business skills in marketing, financial management and access to markets.

AfriSam is invested in local SMMEs and will continue to nurture, grow and sustain them by providing technical and business development support, through mentoring and coaching. The company will also be assisting five of the graduating SMMEs with office space for a period of 12 to 36 months at the Business Development Centre.

ABOUT AFRISAM
AfriSam is the leading black-controlled construction materials group in southern Africa. Since establishing its first cement plant in 1934, the company has grown into a formidable group with operations in South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Tanzania. From its seven cementitious manufacturing facilities, 17 quarries and 40 readymix operations, the group has the capacity to produce in excess of 5 million tons of cement, 10 million tons of aggregate, 800 000 tons of slagment and 4 million cubic metres of readymix concrete annually.