Staff Reporter.
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has officially handed over two Bizniz in a Box (BiB) structures to Mama Chicken and Tebza Car Wash during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Ledig, Rustenburg in the North-West province.
BiB is an economic inclusion programme started by CCBSA to create opportunities for young people to help integrate them in the economy and transform them into fully-fledged business owners who can build businesses, create jobs, and provide a livelihood for themselves and others.
Through BiB, CCBSA has financially supported and provided training to over 700 entrepreneurs across the country.
As part of the handover, the business owners will receive on-support from the BiB programme, including: infrastructure, benches & tables, beverage coolers, start-up stock & equipment, uniforms and COVID-19 PPE.
Commenting on the programme, Nozicelo Ncgobo, Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability Director (PACS) at CCBSA said: “We believe that when companies grow their businesses the right way, not just the easy way, it will help create inclusive growth opportunities for communities and all their stakeholders, for a better-shared future. This informs our collective decision with our partners to invest in the SMMEs in our Host communities, such as Ledig.”
“Our youth are resilient and enterprising and have shown that they can start their businesses to create a livelihood for themselves. But disillusionment remains high, and now more than ever, we need a focused approach to tackle some of the challenges we face as a country. There is a need for all stakeholders to collaborate and co-create solutions that will bring hope to our young people, be it providing access to education or helping them build businesses”, said Ngcobo.
According to statistics from Trading Economics, South Africa’s unemployment rate was at 32.9% in the third quarter of 2022, down from 33.9% in the prior period and below market estimates of 33.4%. “As a business, we believe in doing everything we can to contribute to the reduction of these unemployment statistics. Hence our commitment to create opportunities for youth.
“We started our fast food and car wash business over a year, the investment from CCBSA will help expand our business, this means we will be able to employ more people from our community so they can support their families and improve their lives” added Dipuo Rapalana, Bizniz in Box SMME.
For the last seven years, CCBSA’s BiB has contributed meaningfully to reducing youth unemployment by partnering with national and provincial governments, local municipalities, and development finance institutions. These partnerships have enabled entrepreneurs to develop businesses, improve their skills, access capital, improve supply chain development and inspire hope.