BANKSETA AR 31 AUGUST

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

strengthening the governance boards of community finance institutions (CFIs). During the year, 24 CFIs were trained. Because of the changes being made to the CBDA, the funding window name has changed to the CFI/SME window. A targeted approach will be done to see how many CFIs can access funding under this window.

In 2022/23, the ERRP project will give priority to infrastructure investment, industrialisation, energy security, tourism, mass public employment, and the agriculture and food industry. BANKSETA is confident that this programme will be a significant boost for the economy.

EDP Beneficiary

A Journey to Make a Difference in the Community A journey that started in 2004 with application forms for a learnership has come a long way for Gqinile Hlatshwayo as she celebrates her completion of the Executive Development Programme (EDP) throughwhich theBANKSETA has been alongside her. Born and raised in KwaThema, Springs where she also matriculated, Gqinile first heard about the BANKSETA’s Kuyasa learnership programme from her brother. Not only did the learnership provide an NQF Level 5 qualification, it also brought many opportunities as she was assigned to ABSA. A higher diploma in banking and a post graduate qualification in management practice followed. After a 15-year practical experience exposure at ABSA, Gqinile moved into a new area of the banking sector when she joined Iemas Financial Services, a cooperative financing company – cooperative finance being an area in which formal financial inclusion is virtually non-existent. As an executive of this company and future leader, she was chosen to be part of the BANKSETA’s EDP. Gqinile says that one of the most exciting features of the EDP is the experiential learning. By visiting cooperatives, she was able to observe the high levels of trust that people in such organisations have in each other. She was also able to experience more fully the micro- dynamics of South Africa’s complex society. For example, a woman selling cakes in a township is severely impacted when loadshedding affects small profit margins. Gqinile says the experiential

Ms Gqinile Hlatshwayo

learning at this level helped her see what makes the economy sustainable. She adds that the programme has enabled her to appreciate what helps the township entrepreneurs selling vegetables and fruit from corner stalls to make ends meet. If the bank could loan R500.00 to buy stock, that could turn into R1 000.00 to pay school fees. The decisions on credit policy made in a business such as Gqinile’s has a ripple effect on the ecosystem, she says. Gqinile speaks glowingly of the contribution BANKSETA has made to her life and how she has learned something different from every step of her journey, one that is still in progress, as she currently works towards her MBA. Last, but not least, on the educational horizon is a PhD, possibly from a prestigious institution such as Harvard University. As the journey progresses, she aims to continue to contribute to the community by using what she has learned. Gqinile says: “We have a responsibility to make a difference.” BANKSETA is certainly equipping her and thousands of others to do so.

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PART B: PERFORMANCE INFORMATION | BANKSETA ANNUAL REPORT 2021/22