Motetema, Limpopo – The Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Ndabeni, has emphasized the critical role of skilled artisans in reducing South Africa’s reliance on imported goods. She made these remarks during the official opening of the Sekhukhune Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator at Sekhukhune TVET College in Motetema on Tuesday.
The newly launched center aims to foster entrepreneurship and provide business development support to local communities. Minister Ndabeni highlighted the Sekhukhune region’s vast natural resources, stating that it has the potential to become a major economic hub. However, she noted that a lack of skills and business expertise remains a significant challenge.
Local Production Key to Economic Growth
Expressing concern over South Africa’s dependence on foreign-made products, Ndabeni pointed to everyday items such as camera stands and TV brackets, which are widely used but not manufactured locally.
“It pains me to see that even simple things like welding camera stands or TV brackets are imported when we have skilled welders in this country,” she said. “What is stopping us from making these products ourselves? These are items our people use daily—hospitals, households—yet we continue to import them.”
She urged young entrepreneurs and artisans to leverage facilities like the Sekhukhune incubator to develop local manufacturing capabilities, keeping production and trade within communities.
A Hub for Innovation and Resilience
College management assured that the center would fulfill its mandate of nurturing entrepreneurship.
“We are not just celebrating another facility that might become a white elephant,” said a representative. “We are celebrating human potential—visible through resilience, innovation, and entrepreneurship.”
The center has already produced success stories, with beneficiaries crediting it for their business growth. One entrepreneur shared her journey, recalling how she arrived in 2022 with no financial literacy but left with a thriving business.
“They pushed me to learn, to grow. Today, I have skills and connections I wouldn’t have gained anywhere else,” she said.
National Expansion of Incubation Centers
With 120 rapid incubators established nationwide, the government continues to prioritize small business development as a driver of job creation and economic self-sufficiency. Minister Ndabeni’s call to action reinforces the need for homegrown skills to stimulate local industry and reduce import dependency.
As the Sekhukhune center begins its operations, stakeholders remain hopeful that it will unlock the region’s economic potential—one artisan and entrepreneur at a time.
