City unveils first township business incubator for Joburg entrepreneurs
The City of Johannesburg on Tuesday unveiled the first JoziMyBeginning Community Innovation Fund Micro-Mall in Ivory Park, Tembisa, in a bid to enable township entrepreneurs and community-based enterprises to join the mainstream economy.
The Ivory Park Micro-Mall, an initiative by the City, in partnership with the University of Johannesburg (UJ), was unveiled as an extension of Jozi@Work – a municipality initiative designed to empower community-based enterprises.
The City said this followed a lengthy process of proof of concept by Resolution Circle, a company which is owned by UJ and the implementing experts of the JoziMyBeginning Community Innovation Fund.
At the event, Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau said the Ivory Park Micro-Mall was a container facility that would see township businesses in the services, retail and manufacturing sectors incubated to develop into sustainable operations.
"The site of the micro-mall is owned by 61 local community members who have been given equity in the micro-mall," Tau said in a statement.
Tau further pointed out that the 61 community members were claimants on the land, which was originally promised to them as a site for shops by the Midrand Metropolitan Local Council, prior to the unification of Johannesburg.
He said the claimants would be paying a maintenance levy after they were given title to the Ivory Park Micro-Mall where each would have a share or equity in the new retail space backed by the City.
Up to 20 township businesses were expected to be incubated in the new Ivory Park Micro-Mall, and these would be supported by the City’s JoziMyBeginning Community Innovation Fund and the youth initiative, Vulindlel’eJozi programme.
Tau said these community members also had an option of running a store alongside other retailers, supported by the municipality’s entrepreneurship skills development programmes.
He said that the equity entitled them to a share of the profits earned by the stores or businesses which were part of the City’s initiative.
These community enterprises were also set to receive support from corporate companies, including Telkom.
Tau said the Ivory Park Micro-Mall contained a training centre and common facilities for all the businesses.
"It is designed to operate totally off-grid with respect to electricity, and has a minimal reliance on the local water system," Tau said.
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