KNYSNA NEWS - The Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (Sedfa) organised a special event at the Simola Hotel, Country Club and Spa on Thursday 20 March, aimed at empowering and celebrating women entrepreneurs in the Garden Route District.
About 120 women across the district attended.
The event featured inspiring speakers and networking opportunities designed to foster growth and development among women in business. The theme for this year's celebration was 'Empower Her - Celebrating Women in Business'. The attendees were given the chance to hear from successful female entrepreneurs, participated in interactive sessions and connected with like-minded individuals.
Sedfa support to women
Georlene Wolmarans, Garden Route District Municipality's speaker and a resident of Knysna, delivered the keynote address.
She said she appreciated the collaboration and working together Sefda was promoting among the women, and that they had been given all the support they needed, such as when drafting business plans.
Wolmarans said some of the women told their stories of how they had become entrepreneurs. Some didn't want to be stuck in poverty and rely on their husbands, and started their own businesses.
"Sometimes people can be very discouraged when there is nobody available to help them. I must say Sedfa is doing a very good job, and I think the women attending this event today are also celebrating International Women's Day. These women are really much appreciated. I think this is a very good initiative by Sedfa," she said.
Event main objective
Kiewit Mhlongo, the Western Cape Sedfa's acting provincial manager, said the main objective of the event was to show people that women are celebrated in South Africa.
"When we empower women, the young kids back at home can see that if a mother is given an opportunity and the support to start a business, they also benefit as a family. Women are the backbone of our nation. When we empower them, we give them the opportunity to make sure that they are able to feed their families. The first thing a mother would ask is whether you have eaten. That is natural. They are an important pillar of our economy. With this event, we are giving back to them to say they can prosper and do better in their businesses," said Mhlongo.
He added that some of the benefits of the event included the women being able to network and discuss how they could do business with one another.
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