Micro-business Infrastructure

Micro-business Infrastructure

As part of our exploration of job creation and economic opportunities within Monwabisi Park, we learned a lot about the existing infrastructure and support for small-scale entrepreneurs. We hope this information can be useful for future projects as well as anyone with an interest in spurring local business development, particularly in Cape Town.

Fruit and Vegetable Stand in Monwabisi Park

Fruit and Vegetable Stand in Monwabisi Park

Examples of Micro-Business

The term micro-business typically refers to an informal enterprise with one or a handful of employees.  We had an opportunity to meet and speak with several different kinds of micro-business entrepreneurs around Monwabisi Park.  We conducted informal interviews with a few spaza shop owners around the Indlovu Project.  We also spoke with Mzimkhulu, a local man who installs burglar bars on doors and windows to hear about the struggles he faces in business.

Small Business Week

To further our understanding of the resources for small business owners and potential entrepreneurs, we attended Cape Town’s annual Small Business Week convention. The convention brought together investors, banks, organizations who teach business skills, and a few small businesses themselves. For more information on what we learned at the convention and the specific organizations we thought could be valuable, see the Small Business Week page.

Microfinance and Complementary Currency

We also looked into two important tools in encouraging micro-business: complementary currency and microfinance. For both of these techniques, we looked into both the general principles and the specific infrastructure that is already in place in Cape Town. To learn more about what we found in these areas, please visit the respective pages.