Cape Town – In a bid to focus on accelerating growth and job creation in the SMME sector in South Africa, the South African Future Trust (SA Future Trust) is shining a spotlight on the resilience of SMMEs who continue to do “#Nomayini” to stay up and running in its new national integrated campaign.
“#Nomayini” (Noma Yini) is an isiZulu term that expresses that one is prepared to do whatever it takes to accomplish a goal.
The Covid-19 pandemic is primarily a global health crisis, but it has had vast economic and social repercussions particularly on small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).
During the best of times the business environment is unpredictable and few if any SMMEs had any experience with a global pandemic before Covid-19. However strategic thinking and flexibility have come in handy for those ready to do whatever it takes to survive.
Driven on television and digital, the campaign highlights the resilience of SMMEs against a difficult economic climate and leads with a short film developed by The Riverbed Agency and produced by Star Films under the directorship of Jonathan Parkinson and Matshepo Maja.
The film’s narrative portrays four diverse characters in a variety of scenarios that display their determination to overcome any obstacle that arises, reflecting the resilient spirit of many small businesses around the country.
Riverbed’s executive creative director Tumi Sethebe said: “The storyline draws on the experiences of real-life small businesses,”
“Through the film, the authenticity is felt in the use of relatable characters and locations.
“The goods used during production were sourced from actual small businesses.”
“As Riverbed, we have loved working on this project because it resonates with our ethos of creating positive impact.
“We kept this in mind with every aspect of the project especially in the selection of our production partner Star Films, a small business itself,” said Sethebe.
The campaign amplifies the work done by the SA Future Trust, which was established in 2020 to provide financial assistance to SMMEs hit by the Covid-19 lockdown, in the form of interest-free loans to facilitate direct payments to their employees.
Interim Head of the SA Future Trust Bridget Fury said: “Small businesses are undoubtedly the engine for job creation.
“By providing support to SMMEs, along with the efforts of the government, the banking sector, and other intermediaries, we can help ensure the sustainability of this vital sector that provides jobs, skills, and economic growth.
“As the SA Future Trust, being a champion of small business, we are optimistic about the future.
“By partnering with passionate organisations and individuals over the coming 20 years, we are striving to leave a long-lasting impact on this sector.
“This campaign is the embodiment of this vision,” said Fury.
The campaign will invite small businesses to share their stories online about overcoming all odds in a bid to inspire others to engage and showcase how their small businesses also embody the spirit of “#Nomayini”.