The ailing South African Post Office (Sapo) in Sanlamhof at 4 Strand Street, located next to the Sanlam Head Office, served the Bellville and surrounding communities for decades. Although there is no replacement for the fond memories of receiving a handwritten letter or a parcel, the community is now invited to support a somewhat different service: the University of the Western Cape (UWC) Trading Incubator at Sanlam, thanks to the visionary, collaborative leadership of these two parties.
At the launch event on October 8, Paul Hanratty, CEO of Sanlam, emphasised the importance of small businesses to South Africa’s economic growth. He said, “By providing much-needed access to markets and business resources, we aim to support the creation of sustainable jobs and help entrepreneurs realise their full potential.” Hanratty highlighted that small businesses are projected to create 90% of new jobs by 2030, making them central to the country’s strategy for reducing unemployment and fostering long-term economic growth.
The Entrepreneurship Trading Hub is the first of its kind at a South African university, offering township businesses physical trading spaces and access to a consistent customer base in Bellville’s central business district. This initiative is part of UWC’s broader mission to stimulate inclusive economic growth through its Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI).
Sanlam has been generous in its support, providing the facility at zero rental, plus additional overheads such as monthly security and cleaning costs.
“It was also responsible for all the refurbishment costs as well as the painting and branding to creatively repurpose the post office into what it is today,” said Abe Oliver, the Director of the CEI.
The Incubator will house businesses such as Silulo Ulutho Technologies, Brown Girl Creations, and CorpChem Chemicals – each bringing unique products and services to the community. This collaboration between UWC and Sanlam is set to play a pivotal role in job creation, innovation and community upliftment, marking a significant step towards economic empowerment for township businesses. This initiative aims to provide small and medium enterprises (SMMEs) with new market opportunities and essential mentorship support.
He said the CEI is responsible for managing the UWC Trading Incubator and will monitor and track impact. Monthly coaching circles and individual mentoring sessions will be supplemented with coffee sessions on topics such as branding, tracking financial metrics, legal compliance and digitisation.
“The time is now to rise up and make decisions that will have a long-lasting impact, and we would like to invite the community to come and visit the facility and support small businesses. We would like to provide small businesses with more than just training since their biggest request next to finance was a request for better market access for them to secure recurring and lasting customers.”
