Bloemfontein: Cooperatives are a lifeblood of the economy and deserve to be treated as such. In October, about 1200 cooperatives across the country descended in the City of Roses for two days of the 2017 International Cooperatives Day to celebrate their existence, strategize and to find new and better w
ays of ensuring radical socio-economic transformation at the.
The International Day of Cooperatives is an annual celebration of the co-operative movement observed since 1923 by the International Cooperative Alliance. It is a platform to share practical ideas on how the cooperatives sector can be supported and developed into a force of economic and social inclusion.
The National Department of Small Business Development and the Free State Provincial Government in partnership with the leadership of the cooperatives movements, SANACO (South African National Apex Cooperatives) and NACSA (National Apex Co-operative of South Africa) celebrated this event under the theme “Putting people at the centre of development”. The 2017 International Cooperatives Day was the 12th cooperative celebration event hosted by South Africa since its inception in the year 2006. The sectors that were invited to participate were agriculture, manufacturing and agro processing.
Government sees cooperatives as vehicles for economic development, democratic economic participation and redistribution of wealth. Through the spirit of Vuk’uzenzele, this movement is an investment to fight poverty and unemployment in South Africa. The two day programme was designed to ensure information sharing, messages of support, engagements, sharing of ideas and trading. The discussions touched on the future of Manufacturing Cooperatives in Southern Africa, Finance Inclusion: From CFI to Cooperative Bank, Development of Consumer Cooperatives in Southern Africa and Agriculture and Agro-processing.
Ms. Anne Ntshingase, who is the President of NACSA boldly said that the cooperatives will make sure that they contribute in the 4th industrialization, they are going to establish the cooperatives bank and that cooperatives are the solution to eradicate poverty in the country. Ms. Ntshangase encouraged cooperatives to be organized so that government can support them.
To encourage cooperatives and support them, President Jacob Zuma took a walk about at the trade fair (exhibitions) where about eighty cooperatives showcased and sold their products during the two days event. Giving the key note address to about 1200 cooperatives, President Zuma said “cooperatives give a practical meaning to radical economic transformation, therefore we must invest more in them”. President mentioned some of the challenges faced by cooperatives which government must assist with; they are financial and non-financial assistance, promote them to make people realize them and lastly to assist them to register in government database.
The event was rounded off with hand-over of Cooperatives Incentive Scheme Certificates of Approval and cheques to 7 cooperatives and another 7 received productive equipment’s like laptops, printers, catering sets and sewing machines. One of the beneficiaries were Mamello Construction and the First Inc. cooperatives who received an amount of R272 000.110, equipment’s and certificates. The cooperatives were ecstatic and extended their appreciation to government and to Mr. Aubrey Tau of Siyaya TV who donated the equipment to them.
Issued by the Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
Elsie Makhasane
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