Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
10 July 2023 | 16:05 CAT

Image: Ivey Business Journal

Take a walk past the Ceramic Industry factories in Vereeniging, Krugersdorp and Hammanskraal in Gauteng on any given day, and you will come across informal traders, tilers, transporters and other artisans milling nearby the company’s headquarters hoping for an opportunity for a ‘piece job’ or a chance to earn a day’s honest living.

In response to this pressing need in the community, Ceramic Industries, along with business incubator Vantage Advisory, has launched an Enterprise Development project that offers interested tilers and transporters in Hammanskraal the opportunity to formalize their enterprises by aiding and guiding them through a structured incubation program.

Ceramic Industries is Africa’s leading maker of high-quality, stylish, trendy tiles and bathroom ware, focusing on responsible corporate responsibility and the social and economic development of formerly disadvantaged individuals with eight factories, seven in South Africa’s Gauteng province and one in Australia.

The twelve-month Business Development Support (BDS) programmes gave the SMEs an overview foundation of various skills, processes, and compliance requirements that are essential skills for any start-up business.

Vantage Advisory Director Luncedo Mtwentwe said, “Entrepreneurship cannot be taught in the classroom. Now that we have introduced basic business concepts to our beneficiaries, we want them to apply the knowledge they have gained in more practical ways in their businesses.”

Ceramic Industries’ Tabisa Ngubo adds that the organization offers myriad business opportunities to its Enterprise Development alums but encourages them to spread their wings beyond the exposure they gain from Ceramic Industries.

“It is incredible to witness the growth amongst our intake of artisans especially when they literally present their offerings in a boardroom setting with the verve and confidence of skilled business practitioners. True empowerment is about seeing individuals leapfrog to new heights and become fully independent to the point of even hiring their own staff and turning their businesses into going concerns. Some of our ED suppliers now own entire fleets and are strategic partners in our business value chain. Our ED awards are about encouraging more small businesses to grow with us,” says Tabisa Ngubo, Ceramics Industries CSI Coordinator.

Listen to the interview on Your World Today with Moulana Ibrahim Daya.