According to Nedbank, the past 18 months have been immensely challenging for the majority of South Africa's SMEs.

"But if there's one thing that the country's SMEs have in abundance, it is a dogged determination to rebuild, reposition and rise above the challenges of the past to achieve even greater success. And Nedbank is equally determined to partner with the nation's entrepreneurs to help them reshape their businesses for sustainable success," adds the financial services provider.

Alan Shannon, an executive for client engagement, professional banking and small-business services at Nedbank, says that the campaign "aligns with the bank’s far-reaching commitment to respond meaningfully to the massive impact that Covid-19, the national lockdown responses and the recent unrest have had on small businesses."

"Our country needs entrepreneurs and Nedbank wants to help. We are passionate about encouraging and enabling businesses to keep going, to get back on their feet and to keep on creating jobs," adds Shannon.

"The events and challenges of the past months have led us to refocus and strengthen our well-established commitment to small, medium and microenterprises in South Africa, and we are committed to doing everything we can to help them re-establish so that, together, we can do the same for our nation," Shannon says.

While the repositioned campaign still includes a call for entry as in previous years, Shannon says that this is no longer the primary focus of the '#HandsUpForSmallBusiness' initiative.

"Rather than identifying a small number of SME finalists and a grand prize winner to receive vital business support, we are casting the net wider this year and will provide 20 businesses across the regions with financial, marketing, mentorship and technical support," says Shannon. 

"These 20 businesses will be selected based on their ability to show that they are committed to rising from the challenges of the past two years and rebuilding their operations into successful, sustainable and resilient businesses," Shannon adds.

Matsi Modise, business growth expert and founder of Furaha Afrika Holdings, will again help businesses with mentorship and give them tools and guidance to help them on their rebuilding trajectories.

"I love this campaign because it's a real-life, real-time case study on how businesses react to changing circumstances. I look forward to jumping in and helping these small businesses get back on their feet," says Modise. "And I look forward to stories of hope and resilience in the face of adversity as entrepreneurs take the lead in rebuilding the country's economy."

The selected business will be profiled on 702 and Cape Talk, and each will receive the following business package worth R165 000:
  • a R30 000 cash injection for the business
  • airtime on 702 or CapeTalk to the value of R100 000
  • a digital toolkit, including marketing material, to the value of R10 000
  • social media exposure worth R10 000, and
  • a business gap analysis from Furaha Afrika Holdings to the value of R15 000
The submission deadline for stories is Friday, 3 September 2021. Applicants are encouraged to enter on HandsUp.co.za. 

For more information, visit www.primediabroadcasting.co.za. You can also follow Primedia Broadcasting on Twitter.