SMD

Annual Report 2023/2024

Department implements TREP through sefa and Seda, who provide financial and non-financial support, respectively. During the period under review, 20 509 township and rural enterprises were supported financially and/or non-financially, bringing the total to 89 311 township and rural enterprises supported up to the end of 2023/24 financial year, since inception of TREP in 2020. With regards to the youth support, the SBD Portfolio provided financial and/or non-financial to 18 843 start-up youth businesses during the period under review, against the revised 2019-24 MTSF target of 10 000 start-ups youth businesses supported per annum. The Department is facilitating the increase in number of competitive small businesses and Co- operatives supported. Competitive SMMEs and Co-operatives are defined as SMMEs and Co-operatives supported financially and/or non financially with the ability to create or sustain jobs. During the period under review, the Department supported a total of 50 077 competitive SMMEs and Co-operatives through the Seda and sefa ’s non-financial and financial instruments. As at the end of 2023/24 financial year, since Programme’s inception, the Department supported a total of 182 649 competitive small businesses and Co-operatives.

The implementation of the SMMEs and Co-operatives Funding Policy is expected to eliminate issues related to lack of coordination on SMMEs and Co-operatives funding support programmes, double dipping and ecosystem fragmentation. The draft SMMEs and Co-operatives Funding Policy was subjected to stakeholder consultations in April 2022. The draft SMMEs and Co-operatives Funding Policy was approved by Cabinet for public comments in March 2023. The SMMEs and Co-operatives Funding Policy was gazetted for public comments in April 2023. In May 2023, all comments received were analysed and incorporated into the final SMMEs and Co-operatives Funding Policy. As part of the SMMEs and Co-operatives Funding Policy development process, an implementation plan was generated to guide its operationalisation by outlining practical steps on how to implement the Policy, identifying the role players to be involved in various initiatives, managing the anticipated risks and mitigating factors, and communicating the intended outcomes of the Policy. The Township and Rural Entrepreneurship Programme : This is a dedicated programme to provide financial and/or nonfinancial support to the township and rural enterprises with emphasis on enterprises owned and managed by the designated groups (Women, Youth and PWDs). The

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Department of Small Business Development • PERFORMANCE INFORMATION • Part B