The eThekwini Municipality’s Business Support, Tourism, Markets and Agri-Business Unit, mandated to create and ensure an enabling working environment for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), will this week kick off SMME Helpdesk Regional roadshows aimed at providing onsite assistance to suppliers and businesspeople seeking various support and empowerment information and opportunities.

 

These are aimed at bringing services closer to the City’s suppliers to ensure timeous payments. 

 

The first roadshow will take place on Wednesday, 5 October at Clermont Hall, followed by a roadshow at KwaMashu G Hall on 12 October and then at Amanzimtoti Civic Centre on 20 October. The last roadshow will be held on 26 October at Umlazi D Hall. All roadshows start at 9am.

 

It is important for suppliers to bring their official letter of appointment and invoices to the roadshows in order to be assisted on site. Information on several other Municipal programmes that seek to support and develop businesses will also be shared on site.

 

The SMME Helpdesk was established as the City’s integrated and central approach to accelerate suppliers ‘payments which will grow SMMEs and assist in ensuring their sustainability. To date, the SMME Helpdesk, since inception in October in 2021, it has resolved approximately 600 cases through walk-ins, telephone queries, and emails. About 580 cases are now in progress.

 

The SMME Helpdesk’s core function is to accelerate all payments of unpaid invoices within 31 days, to manage unresolved queries, and to provide a platform to lodge queries.

 

Sbonga Xaba of Zivela Onyazini Trading Pty Ltd said the SMME Helpdesk is of great help and has proven to be beneficial to his company numerous times. “It is indeed the City’s central payment office. As long as you have all the required documents, there is no need to go via the department that you directly worked with for payment.”