An entrepreneurial development hub aimed at creating a space in which local businesses can operate and grow was recently opened in Stellenbosch.
The CoCreate Hub Stellenbosch (the Hub) was opened to the public on 27 July at 7 Victoria Street, according to Marli Goussard, the enterprise development manager at Ranyaka Community Transformation (Ranyaka). The Hub forms part of Ranyaka’s Building Business programme, which focuses on assisting entrepreneurs from marginalised communities, according to Ranyaka’s website.
“[The Hub is] a place where local residents can connect with local entrepreneurs, buy local goods and eat local food,” said Goussard.
Stellenbosch Municipality awarded the renovation contract to Ranyaka in 2019, with the aim of renovating the disused building that formerly housed the Victoria Street Clinic into a facility to support upcoming local entrepreneurs, said Stuart Grobbelaar, spokesperson for the municipality. The Hub was standing empty for almost a decade before the renovations started, according to a media release issued by Ranyaka on 11 June.
The Hub’s renovations were sponsored by the Industrial Development Corporation, Nedbank, Stellenbosch University, the Jannie Mouton Foundation, Entersekt and BUCO, according to Ranyaka’s website.
The CoCreate Hub Stellenbosch (the Hub) is located in a historical building on Victoria Street. The building previously served as a healthcare facility, Victoria Street Clinic, according to the Hub’s Facebook page. PHOTO: Tina Ddamulira
Developing local entrepreneurs
Businesses that apply to trade at the Hub must meet certain criteria, such as having level one or two Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment status, according to Ranyaka’s website. The Hub’s central location allows successful applicants to connect with customers who would not usually visit the areas in which their businesses initially operated, said Goussard.
“We’ve been in business for quite a long time now and haven’t seen progress in what we are doing,” said Lerato Mtiya, a fashion designer at Yeyethu Design Studio, which is one of the businesses at the Hub. “We are hidden in [Kayamandi] township where only a few people know us,” she added.
Some businesses at the Hub, such as CoffeeMM, previously showcased their products and services at exhibitions in order to gain customers. However, the ban on public gatherings in June resulted in the exhibitions being postponed until September, according to Mhlengi Ngcobo, the owner of CoffeeMM.
Opening CoffeeMM at the Hub has resulted in the business gaining new customers, as “the Hub allows walk-ins to come drink coffee and buy packs of coffee in the same venue”, said Ngcobo.
Before CoffeeMM started operating at the CoCreate Hub Stellenbosch, the business only sold packs of coffee online. Now, the business sells packs and cups of coffee to customers at the Hub, according to Mhlengi Ngcobo, the owner of CoffeeMM. PHOTO: Tina Ddamulira
Business management training
The Hub has a training room in which entrepreneurs receive training on the different elements of business management through Ranyaka’s Building Business programme, according to Goussard.
In order to assist entrepreneurs in overcoming business challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, “there have been technology training interventions to make businesses more agile and to increase online visibility”, according to Sonya Olivier, the marketing and communications manager at Ranyaka.
The training room at the CoCreate Hub Stellenbosch can fit 18 people, and was sponsored by the Jannie Mouton Foundation. This is according to Marli Goussard, the enterprise development manager at Ranyaka Community Transformation. PHOTO: Tina Ddamulira
Article updated on 4 August 2021. The previous version of the article said that the businesses, in the hub, are black-owned. It should only say that the businesses must have level one or two Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment status.