Supporting the Long Street Kiosks during the Covid-19 crisis | Western Cape Government

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Supporting the Long Street Kiosks during the Covid-19 crisis

24 June 2020

Businesses in the Western Cape have been hard hit during the Covid-19 crisis, and so we are doing everything we can to support them, especially entrepreneurs of small to medium enterprises and those in the informal sector. On Wednesday (24 June 2020), we handed over a number of small assets and marketing collateral, together with our Covid-19 Business Safety Kits, to some of the businesses operating in the Long Street Kiosks to assist them during this difficult time.

Since 2016, the Long Street Kiosks project has offered 10 Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs) formal trading spaces within the City of Cape Town Central Business District (CBD) so provide them with access to new market opportunities. During Covid-19 these businesses have shown great resilience, diversifying their products to include hand sanitisers and masks.  

To determine how best we can assist the Long Street Kiosk businesses, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) assessed these businesses’ current challenges and needs. This assessment identified the type of support or intervention needed for each business which included items such as blenders, coffee grinders, fridges and branded marketing materials.  

In some cases, the needs identified resulted in DEDAT connecting the businesses with our partner organisations such as Productivity South Africa to provide production layout and manufacturing advice, the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) to assist with marketing and promotional material and an application to finance equipment, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology to provide a knitting production specialist to support one of the beneficiaries and with Clotex to onboard the business as part of the SMME Booster Fund programme. 

Zaida Abrahams from Zee Zees Halal Foods expressed her thanks to DEDAT for the donation of a stove, “Currently I can do 36 pies at a time, but this allows me to do 100 pies at a time. So my time will be managed more effectively. I can take on bigger orders, and push out more meals, so this will really help me going forward. Thank you so much.” 

While, Nokuthula “Teddy” Luthuli from Smoothie On The Go, also thanked DEDAT for the donation of  industrial blenders and refrigerator,  adding that “these things that we’re getting today will definitely help us a lot going forward.” 

Entrepreneurs in the Western Cape have shown great resilience during the Covid-19 crisis, and we remain fully committed to supporting them to open up safely and responsibly during the Covid-19 crisis.   

Media Enquiries: 

Francine Higham
Spokesperson for the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities
(Responsible for the Provincial Treasury and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism)
Tel: 021 483 4327
Cell: 071 087 5150
Email: francine.higham@westerncape.gov.za