The Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos has announced that the City of Cape Town will continue to fund a programme that supports young furniture manufacturing entrepreneurs with the development of their businesses.
Facilitated by the South African Furniture Initiative (SAFI), the Furniture Light Manufacturing Enterprise Development Programme is designed to specifically cater to the needs of micro-enterprises in the industry.
‘It’s very important that we support small businesses with training that makes a real impact in their operations. The Furniture Light Manufacturing Enterprise Development Programme involved detailed technical training, business training and mentorship support. It was especially gratifying to witness some of these entrepreneurs engage with buyers on a stage as massive as Decorex, Cape Town’s premier design event, which last year welcomed almost 22 000 visitors, and is expected to be even bigger this year,’ said Alderman Vos.
In 2020, there were 78 546 people employed in South Africa’s furniture manufacturing industry which contributed about 1,2% to the manufacturing GDP in that year. According to SAFI, the sector has been shrinking for over 20 years, with exports dropping by 46% between 2002 and 2018.
‘Programmes such as the SAFI partnership are an example of the City’s efforts to rebuild manufacturing industries from the ground up. At last year’s Decorex, one of the entrepreneurs who exhibited at the SAFI stand went on to score a contract with one of Cape Town’s biggest furniture brands while another was approached by a tertiary institution to become a technical trainer,’ said Alderman Vos.
One of the participants, Rashaad Abrahams, said his experience of the programme was extraordinary and it has taken him a long way towards achieving his professional goals.
‘It’s absolutely amazing to see where I am when I look on social media. My vision for my business has become a reality thanks to the programme,’ said Abrahams.
Richard Lovett, another entrepreneur who took part, agreed, saying: ‘I really enjoyed learning the new skills and finding out what parts of my business I need to work on. Being exposed to Decorex also contributed to changing my mindset and thinking bigger. The business mentoring will be invaluable as what we’ve learned can be applied many times over in future.’
