THE Ezase-Kasi Business Fridays: National Campaign will be launched at the Century City Conference Centre and Hotel on Friday, with around 150 stakeholders and guests attending.
Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe will give the keynote address.
The brainchild of entrepreneur Siyanda Mtulu, Ezase-Kasi, meaning “from the township”, aims to boost township economies nationwide. After this week’s Cape Town launch it will be launched in other provinces through an Ezase-Kasi Vision 2030 Imbizo (Community and Stakeholder Engagements) roadshow to other major cities.
From restaurants and fashion designers to beauty salons and construction companies, the project encourages companies and Capetonians to look to the townships for their requirements as a way to boost the township economy.
In addition to being asked to wear at least one item produced by a township fashion designer, those supporting the campaign on Fridays will be asked to take their staff/visitors/guests to lunch in the townships, fill up at township petrol stations and generally make an effort to use goods and services produced in townships. Businesses in Gugulethu, Nyanga, Langa and Khayelitsha are on board and Mtulu sees this expanding to other areas.
“The township economy continues to be an underdeveloped and under-rated sector of the SA economy and this sector is not leveraged enough to revitalise the township economy,” said Mtulu, who owns Inguqu Development (Pty) Ltd and last year owned a “pub & grab” outlet that didn’t yield the expected returns, leading him to come up with Ezase-Kasi initiatives. “We were doing everything right, but wondering why we weren’t having the expected returns. So I thought, why don’t we become the catalyst and take corporates by the hand?
“Many people haven’t ever been to the townships. We need to show them that it’s not such a bad place after all.”