Capetown-150811- Lindelwa Apleni during the certificate ceremony for wholesale and retail informal traders which was held at Collage of Cape Town Gugulethu Compas-Picture by BHEKI RADEBE- Reporter LISA ISAACS Capetown-150811- Lindelwa Apleni during the certificate ceremony for wholesale and retail informal traders which was held at Collage of Cape Town Gugulethu Compas-Picture by BHEKI RADEBE- Reporter LISA ISAACS
Cape Town - Thirty proud graduates, many of them grandmothers and grandfathers, celebrated the completion of a Wholesale and Retail Informal Traders course yesterday.
The group, who own businesses in Gugulethu, Heideveld and Nyanga, completed the five-week programme which aims to equip them to grow their businesses – some spaza shops and others clothing and furniture stalls.
They attended the course at the College of Cape Town in Gugulethu.
The graduates, up to the age of 67, were also given R9 000 to boost their businesses in an initiative funded by The Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority.
Jamila Moodley, 66, who has sold crockery and clothing for the past 15 years, said: “I have paid off my bond, my five grandchildren are studying. I was in the formal sector and due to circumstances I landed up in the informal sector. But I didn’t let that get me down. I uplifted myself and I feel so honoured to be standing here today and graduating at 66.
“In our business we need marketing skills, we need managerial skills, we need entrepreneurial skills and we didn’t have this. I lost my business because I had none of that. I had knowledge and no college, now I have college and knowledge. That is going to make a success. I’m already looking for a business opportunity to see how I can break into the formal sector.”
College of Cape Town academic manager for business studies, Achmat Gafieldien, said the institution had looked at starting a course to encourage economic growth in the surrounding community.
“We looked at where older people fitted into the community and how, and it’s a challenge where you have older people having to take over the responsibility of raising young children because you have an entire sector of parents who have fallen from the face of the earth. So how do you connect older people, rejuvenate them, invest in them and allow them to see that they can redefine their role and play a meaningful part in society,” he said.
The course would now be evaluated, improved and continued, he said.
Mustapha Coller, 55, who has sold perfume, make-up and beauty products for the past 10 years, said: “This means a lot to me because it taught me how to manage my finances and a lot of new things that I’ve taken for granted in the past. This has actually given me a new way of doing business and looking after my business.”
He is the breadwinner of his household and supports 13 grandchildren.
“We have been given the opportunity of getting infrastructure we would otherwise have had to save up for over a long period.
“This makes it much easier now, combined with our skills,” he added.
lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za
CAPE TIMES