The South African government envisages a society where citizens living with disabilities are accorded their full political, human, social and economic rights like their fellow South Africans.
To this end, the country’s Minister of Small Business Development Lindiwe Zulu will this Friday December 9, 2016 launch a scheme to support entrepreneurs with disabilities in the country dubbed the Amavulandlela Fund.
“People with disabilities can and should be active players in the mainstream economy. All barriers must be removed to enable them to access all available opportunities. We are determined to strengthen our support for small businesses that are owned and managed by people with disabilities,” Zulu said.
The Fund which will be managed by the department’s agency Small Enterprise Funding Agency (SEFA) consists of a R24 million loan funding component and a R6 million business support grant component.
It is only applicable to entrepreneurs with physical disabilities, companies and co-operatives with at least 26 per cent ownership by people with disabilities and those that demonstrate operational and management involvement in the business.
The Amavulandlela Fund will be launched in Welkom, Free State.
