Industry organisation the South African Informal Traders Alliance (Saita), which represents more than two-million informal traders in South Africa, has reported on the success of a joint operation between itself and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) under the IDC's Build Back Better campaign.
The Build Back Better campaign is a grant funding initiative implemented to respond to and assist informal traders who were most affected by the looting in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in July last year.
“By tapping into the Saita alliance partners, the IDC and other corporate partners have been able to assist in ensuring that these businesses have a second chance at renewing themselves and making a meaningful impact on the local economy.
"Each of the 180 traders assisted in the two provinces were able to create their own email address, open a business banking account and receive a payment device to facilitate cashless trading,” the IDC says.
“For us as the IDC, we are happy that this collaboration will not only help to restore the businesses to pre-unrest levels, but it will also serve as a platform to reinforce the sustainability and resilience of the businesses supported,” says IDC partnership programmes head David McGluwa.