A community event to help uplift and support women in business was held in Bothasig last week. The event titled “BothasigBiz Women’s Day Celebration”, which was organised by the Bothasig Residents Association (BRA), was held on Wednesday 9 August (Women’s Day) at Bothasig High School.
The event was attended by James Vos, Mayco member for economic growth, and ward councillor Miquette Temlett who gave a motivational speech and who also handed over the BothasigBiz Woman of the Year Award.
“It was great to be back in my home town and to see and engage with entrepreneurs and small business owners. For me nothing beats face to face exposure because you can enjoy the creators’ unique designs and products first-hand and in person,” said Vos.
BRA wants to enable SMMEs
Dayyaan Ismail, BRA chair, said in his response that the community organisation recognised the crucial role that micro-enterprises play in driving economic growth, creating local employment opportunities, poverty alleviation, and contributing to the unique character of the Bothasig community.
“With a focus on development sustainable growth and empowerment, the association initiated the BothasigBiz intervention in July 2023. BRA’s plan is to enable the SMMEs in Bothasig by creating projects to support these businesses. The first such project was the BothasigBiz Women’s Day Celebration.
“This project had a dual purpose, firstly to recognise the amazing work that women do in our community by awarding the Woman of the Year Award. This was voted for by the residents of Bothasig. Furthermore, the event showcased the women SMME owners in the area. The event was free of charge for the women vendors. This allowed these businesses to earn some income for the day. The feedback received from the vendor was that the event was successful and they made some money. The majority of the food vendors were sold out.
“The second purpose of the event was to showcase Bothasig High School. This school is a very new school and many residents are not aware of this school and have not visited it. The full staff complement was present at the event,” said Ismail.
First project well supported
More than 500 people attended the BothasigBiz Women’s Day celebration.
“We had the 1st Bothasig Scouts do a brilliant activity, motivational speakers, Zumba-dancing, a lucky draw raffle, free popcorn and slushy for kids. We had many free activities for kids such as a jumping castle, dominoes, rolling balls, bean bag throwing and many more. There was live music sung by Rebecca Stevens, the young woman with the angelic voice. It was a huge success. Everyone wants to know when the next one will be,” said Ismail.
Vos also congratulated the BRA for organising this successful event.
“I am obsessed with getting small businesses to work and that is why I established the Business Hub. Through this helpdesk, the City of Cape Town conducted 79 workshops in the 2022-’23 financial year which reached 3 285 entrepreneurs and businesses, an increase of 41% year on year. In the next year, we are looking to continue these successful programmes. This includes supplier development training, business improvement, and construction industry training,” said Vos.
Visit www.capetown.gov.za/businesshub or www.investcapetown.com.
