By: Lungisa Somtombo
“Xenophobic attacks affect the Export industry directly” these words were said by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) Export Helpdesk Songezo Boyisi at the Export Awareness Seminar at King Williams Town Hall yesterday.
Boyosi said there are South African companies that operate in other African countries that were attacked and were told to leave those countries because of the attacks that happened in our country.
“Even companies or people who have deals with Nigerian companies had to put those contracts on hold and that affected businesses and the economy of this country,” he said.
Further, Boyosi said some businesses might not have clientele in the country but have clientele internationally, so exporting develops small businesses.
At the seminar ECDC invited SARS to educate business owners about the importance of registering your business at SARS, SEDA to touch on the role of SEDA in the export industry and to advise on how to manage business finances and Absa bank to present the role of banks and documentation involved in exporting.
Advising small businesses on finances, Small Enterprise Development Agency Provincial Manager Siphiwe Soga said, it is very important to separate personal and business finances, moreover business owners must be able to do a cost structure so that they can be able to price their products correctly.
Soga added that the most important thing a business should have before exporting its product is a good quality product. The product must be certified, the business must have traction locally before they can move internationally so that they have experience of running a business.
Business owner Monwabisi Yantolo of MY 2 Kings Investments and Projects that supplies sirens and blue lamps to SAPS, said at the awareness he learnt a lot with regards to exporting and when his business is export ready he will definitely export his products.