Wild Coast Sun makes good on supporting SMMEs

A small business owner selected to join the new Wild Coast Sun Academy has also landed a supplier contract with the resort. The academy provides world-class training and skills development for the hospitality and food services sectors.

L'aQua Joyce, owned and run by Thumeka Mcobothi from Bizana in the Amadiba A/A Marina Location, will provide water cooler equipment and bottles to the Wild Coast Sun as part of the resort's Enterprise Development initiative.

The three-year contract was landed after Thumeka attended Wild Coast Sun's two-day SMME Business and Networking Conference in March. The conference was aimed at educating SMMEs on procurement, training and funding.

The keys to entrepreneurship

Thumeka has also been selected to attend the academy’s SMME business programme. The programme covers business fundamentals such as the bookkeeping, business plan creation, scaling a business, procurement Standard Operating Procedures, structuring Requests for Proposals, and food safety.

Thumeka said: “It's always been my dream to own and run a business. In the space of a few short months, I’ve made so much progress thanks to Wild Coast Sun’s investment.

“I'm now a part of the Wild Coast Sun Academy and already learning so much about how a business must operate. I’m hoping to use this knowledge to grow L'aQua Joyce."

Thumeka was thrilled with the contract to supply purified water to the Wild Coast Sun and Country Club. "This is an incredible opportunity. I want to thank the Wild Coast Sun for creating opportunities for small businesses to enter formal supply chains."

Wild Coast Sun General Manager Peter Tshidi said the Sun International resort was committed to supporting SMMEs to grow the regional economy and contribute to socio-economic development.

"Through the academy, we are looking to share knowledge and equip small business owners to run successful enterprises," he said. "Corporates need to provide the platform and opportunity for SMMEs to flourish. We are thrilled to have opened the door to L'aQua and look forward to building this relationship."

The academy launched on 11 July and is run in conjunction with the International Hotel School and Summit, which develops specialised course curricula for various industry sectors.

A Socio-Economic Development marvel

According to Tshidi, the academy is integral to the resort's Socio-Economic Development programme.

"It is our hope that the academy will provide people from the region with training opportunities to enter and excel in the broader hospitality and food and beverage management sectors," he said at the opening.

Prior to the launch, residents studying towards a hospitality career have had to travel to and stay in Durban.

"The Wild Coast Academy now offers world-class training right on the doorstep of our stakeholder communities. We are immensely proud of this achievement and its transformative role in economic development and empowerment in this region," added Tshidi.

The launch follows the successful SMME Business and Networking conference, hosted at the Wild Coast Sun in March in conjunction with key government stakeholders, including the Small Enterprise Development Agency, the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Developmental Affairs and Tourism, the Alfred Nzo District Municipality, and the Small Enterprise Finance Agency.

Tshidi said the SMME conference was part of the Wild Coast Sun mission to support the development and sustainability of enterprises to contribute to job creation, local economic development, and transformation in the area.