Opportunity for 60 entrepreneurs

Cape Town - Sixty entrepreneurs will be part of a programme that can help them to accelerate the success of their businesses.

The Tholoana Enterprise Programme is open for entries until March 15 2017.

Support offered by the programme includes expert mentorship, skills training workshops, access to markets, and qualified investment-readiness support has been shown to improve the confidence and skills of entrepreneurs.

The Tholoana Enterprise Programme supports small enterprises that benefit – or are run by – women, the youth and those living in rural and peri-urban areas.

The SAB Foundation is especially keen to create opportunities for entrepreneurs with disability, who are strongly encouraged to apply. Similarly, applications are welcome from businesses working in new and/or growing sectors such as export, manufacturing, food processing, water, energy and waste management.

If you are an entrepreneur or business owner with a registered business (or in the process of registering) that has been in operation for at least six months and less than five years, you may be eligible for the programme.

Eligibility criteria:

- The business is black-owned and managed;
- The business is operational;
- The business is headquartered and registered (if applicable), within the South African borders;
- The business should be a going concern, commercially sustainable and viable;
- You are involved in the business’s daily operations and management on a full time basis, and are not employed by any other organisation;
- You have the skills and experience necessary for the type of business you’re engaged in;
- The business is in the early stages of growth (older than six months and no more than five years);

You are not eligible to apply if:

- You are an employee of the SAB Foundation, SAB, SAB Miller, ABI and affiliates;
- You have previously received support from the SAB Foundation;
- Your business is not operational and it is just an idea or a concept;
- Your business’ sole operations are alcohol related - that is a tavern, shebeen, bottle store, or pub;
- Your business' primary operations are sex, gaming, gambling, tobacco or illegal;
- Your business is a franchise;
- Your business is an NPO (not-for-profit organisation), NGO (non-governmental organisation), home based care service organisation, community uplifting project, youth development/educational organisation, recycling project, women and children’s home, sports and recreation centre, youth diversion project, skills development project: therefore if it does not have a profit motive;
- You require sponsorship for an event, a launch, a conference, a forum, a seminar, a party or a fundraising function, land and building acquisitions;
- You require a bursary, a scholarship, an internship, and funding in the form of studies, exchange programmes and textbooks.
- You require any form of sponsorship or donations.

More information is available here.

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