North West Social Development MEC Basetsana Sussana Dantjie has urged young people in rural communities to turn locally available resources into income-generating businesses, highlighting entrepreneurship, cooperative development and government procurement as potential drivers of job creation.
Speaking during the Re Thuse Re Go Thuse programme in Kraaipan village, Ratlou Local Municipality, on Wednesday, Dantjie encouraged young people to identify business opportunities within their communities and build sustainable enterprises rather than relying solely on government for employment.
She identified backyard vegetable gardening as one way for young people to enter the agricultural sector, explaining that small-scale food production could initially reduce household expenses before developing into a commercial venture.
“Start small with a backyard garden and then approach the relevant government departments for assistance. We need you to establish cooperatives that can supply goods and services,” Dantjie said.
Government procurement could unlock markets for emerging businesses
Dantjie also called on government departments to explore opportunities to procure goods and services from cooperatives, arguing that public-sector purchasing could help emerging businesses secure customers, generate revenue and expand their operations.
For rural entrepreneurs, access to reliable markets remains an important consideration when moving from small-scale initiatives to sustainable businesses. Government procurement could provide an opportunity for qualifying cooperatives to establish a customer base and potentially create employment as their operations grow.
The MEC encouraged young people to learn from entrepreneurs who had built businesses from modest beginnings, demonstrating how identifying local demand and reinvesting in a business could create opportunities for growth.
She cited the example of a young woman from Ventersdorp who started a laundry business with a single load of washing and subsequently expanded her operation to employ another young person. The entrepreneur is now planning to venture into dry-cleaning services.
According to Dantjie, such examples demonstrate how determination and the ability to recognise opportunities can help young people establish businesses despite limited resources.
However, expanding these initiatives into sustainable enterprises also requires access to funding, business development support, equipment and dependable markets. Cooperatives must also be able to meet procurement requirements and deliver goods and services consistently to compete for business opportunities.
Cooperative supplies support disadvantaged learners
During the programme, Dantjie handed over school uniforms to 62 disadvantaged learners, comprising 18 boys and 44 girls.
The uniforms were procured from a cooperative and distributed to learners identified as needing assistance, linking the social support intervention with an opportunity for a local business to supply goods.
