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Vodacom, Silulo establish SME incubator in Mitchells Plain

Kgaogelo Letsebe
By Kgaogelo Letsebe, Portals journalist
Johannesburg, 17 Apr 2018
The Silulo Business Incubation centre which is now fully operational in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town.
The Silulo Business Incubation centre which is now fully operational in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town.

Western Cape based technology firm Silulo Ulutho Technologies has partnered with leading telco Vodacom to establish one of the first township-based incubation centres in Mitchells Plain, Western Cape.

Luvuyo Rani, MD and founder of Silulo Ulutho, says the partnership with Vodacom has long been on the cards and the main aim is to help small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMEs) take advantage of the rapidly changing digital business world.

"This vision [for the incubation] has been there from the beginning. We've always wanted to create this type of a centre - a one-stop place - but we didn't have funding back then. We had a plan, but there was no money. Since we had partnered with Vodacom before - back in 2011 when we were working on distribution of prepaid airtime for stores - we managed to find each other again and the timing now to establish the centre was perfect.

"Our focus with the incubator is how best we can help SMEs to become fully digitised businesses and in so doing enhance their productivity. Through the use of technology and the Vodacom Business end-to-end solutions product suite, we hope to transform and digitise SMEs in South African townships and empower and create opportunities for entrepreneurs in communities such as Mitchells Plain and the broader surrounding areas.

"The centre will give Mitchell's Plain township-based entrepreneurs a space to incubate their business ideas, and grow their businesses with the aid of the centre which has a targeted focus in development through entrepreneurship education, mentorship and training and various service offerings for SMEs," he says.

The incubation centre is made up of an 18 seater co-working space with laptops, a boardroom for hire, networking centre, caf'e and eatery as well as professional meeting rooms.

"Entrepreneurs making use of this space will have access to WiFi and a professional business environment from which to operate. Vodacom is also assisting with bringing business mentors who will be on hand to act as credible sounding boards for ideas and initiatives. We will also be a multi-purpose training centre for dedicated workshops aimed at delivering practical entrepreneurship education to the entrepreneurs and interested community members," explains Rani.

Entrepreneurs keen to access the centre have three options to choose from - the first option is to rent a space for a set period whether it be six months or just a week for an amount. The system works in such a way that the amount is lesser for a longer period. The second option is to have full-time memberships for R150, which will include access to the monthly business-to-business seminars and, lastly, there is a walk-in option where entrepreneurs are able to pay a daily rate to access the centre.

This is the first of many planned similar centres, he adds. The 18 seater co-working space in the Watergate Mall will run as a pilot programme and there are plans to expand to Vosloorus (in Ekhuruleni) and a few KwaZulu-Natal townships in the coming three to six months.

Vodacom managing executive for SME and indirect channel, Ismail Gani, says: "Our partnership with Silulo extends beyond the incubation centre. The company effectively becomes a vehicle for SMEs to become fully digitised by tapping into our product suite for small businesses.

"The SME segment is central to the South African economy and on this basis Vodacom is committed to aiding growth and development of SMEs. As Vodacom, we continue to review our strategies to engage small businesses with a view to create measures that would contribute to sustainable business development.

"Our partnership with Silulo is one of several initiatives to empower and grow small businesses. The drive towards the "Digital SME" is a key initiative of Vodacom. It is critical that big business ensures that our SMEs are part of the fourth industrial revolution."

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