eThekwini Municipality in partnership with MTN, has launched a Spaza Relief Fund to assist small businesses to rebuild after the civil unrest.
The fund will specifically target shop owners who require financial support and those who want to become mobile money (MoMo) agents.
MTN has set aside R10 million to help spaza shop owners recover in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Of this, R7 million of the total investment has been allocated to KwaZulu-Natal with most of the funds allocated to eThekwini-based tuck shop owners.
Each beneficiary will receive a total of R7 000 which includes R5 000 to restock and R2 000 starting capital for the electronic wallet, MoMo. With the MoMo app, merchants can sell airtime and earn a commission. It also allows people to send and receive money and pay for goods and services like electricity, SABC TV licenses, DSTV, municipal bills and to play the national lottery.
Head of the City’s Business Support, Tourism, Markets, and Agri-Business Unit, Thulani Nzama, thanked MT for heeding government’s call to embrace public-private partnerships.
“This partnership will go a long way to assist spaza shop owners get back on their feet as they are key drivers of local economies,” he said.
MTN SA Chief Executive Officer Godfrey Motsa said: “We are assisting spaza shops to restock and start doing business again. They help to drive local economies as they create jobs and are often hubs of business activities. They bring basic foods and services directly to communities. MoMo will also allow communities to be digitally connected as they can do many transactions via the app.”
Applicants must email their motivation letters to spazarelief.za@mtn.com or hand deliver it to the One-Stop Centre located at Mystrals at the Durban Exhibition Centre. The letter must be accompanied by the applicant’s South African ID, proof of residence, and a picture of their spaza shop.
Applications close on the 12th of September 2021.
Article originally published on durban.gov.za
