Cooperative Enterprise Review - Southern Africa

Small Business Development Budget Vote of 2.3 Billion: Will cooperatives see any of it? By S Mkwanazi | ACI-SA Associate Fellow | 25 July 2020 The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) tabled a R2.3 billion budget vote and which had to be welcomed by both the public and entrepreneurs out of no options. This taxpayers money is meant to be invested in programmes that will grow the taxbase in creating jobs, supporting small businesses and cooperatives. While the department has been doing its best to deliver programmes that are relevant for both SMMEs and Small businesses, corruption and irregularities in funding processes, and procurement deals not only have sabotaged the department’s agenda but have collapsed its strategies. Some may argue that the department is able to implement programmes and other forms of support through its agencies. This is only true to some extent. The department’s programmes are dependent on the actions and behaviours of other government departments, di

African Conversation on the International Day of Cooperatives: #Coops4Climate Action by Boitumelo Gwala | ACI-SA Journalist | 10 July 2020 Cooperatives can play a huge role in mitigating climate change. According to the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) greenhouse gas emissions are more than 50% higher than in previous years and global warming has caused long-lasting changes to the climate change system, with irreversible repercussions should the world fail to act. On 4 July, Africa Cooperatives Institute of South Africa  (ACI-SA) celebrated the international day of cooperatives with the theme of the day: DEBUNKING THE ROLE OF COOPERATIVES IN THE CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDA. Leading the zoom event was Ms Sebonkile Thaba, chairperson of Africa Cooperatives Institute of South Africa. The webinar was also attended by esteemed guests including Mr Basanda Nondlazi, a remote sensing ecologist, a researcher at UKZN/CSIR and interim head of the school of Agriculture at ACI-SA, Dr. Andrew Okem