Presentations
Thobile Mawelela - TIPS economist
Presentation: Small businesses and the post Covid-19 recovery data and trends
Gabriel Davel - CEO for the Centre for Credit Market Development; previously CEO of the National Credit Regulator
Presentation: Impact of the Covid-19 on credit flows
Dave Wilson (CEO National Mentorship Movement) and Sandra Makumbirofa (TIPS Economist)
Presentation: Supporting small business through mentorship programmes
Media
Simone Lidetke, Engineering News, 23 June 2021: Covid-19's devastation of SMME sector 'cannot be underplayed', says small business dept
Sarah Smit, Mail & Guardian, 25 June 2021: Covid undoes a decade of progress in small-business ownership
Press release
Real SME support critical to an economic recovery plan
This Development Dialogue will provide an overview of the small business sector in South Africa, and then discuss the role of
strengthening access to finance to small business in the post COVID-19 recovery period and the important role
that mentorship plays in strengthening small business.
Background
Small businesses have long offered hope in South Africa as a means to grow the economy and create jobs. During periods of major economic crisis they are the highly vulnerable to closing and shedding jobs. The 2008/9 global financial crisis had a major impact on the economy and small businesses in South Africa with an 11% decline amounting to the loss of 80 000 businesses; COVID-19 looks set to have a significantly worse impact on the economy. How are small businesses fairing? What measures can be taken to arrest the decline of this critical part of the economy so that we don't repeat the mistakes of the last major economic crisis?
About the Speakers
Mojalefa Mohoto is a Chief Director in the Department of Small Business Development (Opening remarks)
Thobile Mawelela is an economist at TIPS
Gabriel Davel is the CEO for the Centre for Credit Market Development and was previously the CEO of the National Credit Regulator.
Dave Wilson is the CEO of the National Mentorship Movement
Sandra Makumbirofa is an economist at TIPS