In a country grappling with high unemployment rates, World Entrepreneurship Day reminds us that the spirit of enterprise and ingenuity is the key to unlocking economic transformation. With this in mind, South African Breweries (SAB) has set out to support social innovators, farmers, retailers, and SMEs by driving growth through several empowerment interventions.
Zoleka Lisa, VP Corporate Affairs at the brewery says: “At SAB, we’re celebrating entrepreneurship by raising a glass to all entrepreneurs across our wide-ranging value chain. To empower entrepreneurs, we have established various interventions, and these include women-owned businesses in townships and rural areas, with a goal to grow this support to over 15 000 women entrepreneurs across our value chain by 2025. This will ensure they are equipped to thrive in challenging environments.”
Solving socio-economic issues
Unprecedented unemployment rates present entrepreneurs with an opportunity to play a significant role in helping address job creation in the country. However, small businesses require adequate support, and this is where companies like SAB comes in as partners dedicated to nurturing their growth, providing essential resources, and helping them to thrive despite challenges.
Collaboration is key
Through SAB’s and its foundation’s various entrepreneurial programmes, they offer ongoing support to entrepreneurs, including access to business skills development, and tailored mentorship. Small businesses also get assistance with access to markets and finance in order to enable business owners to reach their true potential.
To date the SAB Foundation has provided over R534 million in grant funding, business development support and interest-free loans to 5 229 entities (between 2015 and 2022). Of these beneficiaries, 90% come from rural areas and 70% are women.
Ramtsilo
One such entity is the 100% black female owned company, Ramtsilo that has created a circular green economy in the plastic recycling and building material industry. In 2022, SAB and Corona launched a partnership with Ramtsilo, strengthening the local plastic recycling chain working toward a net zero plastic footprint locally. Through this partnership Ramtsilo facilitated the plastic collection programme, by providing specialised training for waste pickers.
They also repurposed these plastics into environmentally friendly, fire tested bricks that can be used in households, buildings, and roads. Since inception, the company has gone from making 500 bricks a day to producing 45000 bricks a day and employing 18 people, most of whom are youth. In addition to Gauteng, the plastic they use is also obtained from Free State where the business was founded.
Lisa adds, “These exceptional women are an inspiration to others – not only for their leadership and their contributions to society, but also through creating jobs in local communities. The company they have built on recycling plastic waste not only demonstrates their innovative approach to environmental sustainability but also showcases their dedication to addressing pressing social and economic challenges. Through their remarkable efforts, they serve as beacons of change, proving that entrepreneurship can be a powerful force for positive impact, job creation, and a more environmentally conscious future.”