Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Director for Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Vuyo Lee, says an initiative formed in collaboration with the Limpopo provincial government is part of the institution’s mission to connect high-potential SMEs with strategic investors.
The Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET), together with the JSE and the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA) have formed a partnership aimed at bridging the gap between SMEs and funders.
The entities aim to achieve this by bringing the government, private sector, investors, and support institutions into one coordinated platform. The initiative is also aimed at helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) pitch for funding, improve investment readiness, and gain access to networks that can support their growth.
Over 175 SMEs across various sectors, including agriculture, agro-processing, tourism, hospitality, retail, township economy, mining supplier development, and industrial value chains, were registered to benefit.
“Being in Limpopo is a positive stamp on our journey to empower South Africa’s SMEs. Supporting SMEs is not just a national priority, but a global imperative — critical for economic growth and resilience,” Lee said.
“Many entrepreneurs have strong concepts, but without structured investment readiness support, they struggle to secure capital,” she added.
Funding institutions supporting the initiative included LEDA, the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEFDA), Vodacom Business, Business Partners, Access Bank, Altvest Capital Partners, JSE Private Placements, the UK–South Africa Tech Hub, Merchant Capital, the National Empowerment Fund, OAO Investments, and Sourcefin.
The initiative connected SMEs to debt, equity, invoice financing and enterprise development funding, along with mentorship, incubation and foreign market access support. It also positioned Limpopo as investment-ready and strengthened partnerships between government and private funders, giving SMEs a clear route to growth and financing.
“We received 1,000 applications, which showed there was a real appetite for SME development. If these applications were translated into opportunities, unemployment could be significantly reduced in the province. Moving forward, next year, we might see more than 25,000 requests and applications,” Matibe said.
LEDET MEC Tshitereke Matibe highlighted the programme’s focus on SME readiness and viability.
“Our SMEs operate in diverse sectors across the province, and what matters most was that they pitch business ideas that are bankable and able to attract funders,” Tshitereke said.
He added that the training provided through this partnership helped entrepreneurs refine their ideas and present strong, investment-ready cases.
“This was the first time the JSE brought this kind of initiative to Limpopo, and we intended to build it into a continuous platform. The goal was to expand SME participation, improve investor access, and create sustainable business growth. Some of our SMEs produced excellent products but struggled to access bigger or foreign markets. This partnership is designed to open those doors and support them beyond the pitching stage,” he said.
SMEs shared how the initiative supported their growth and funding access.
Ntwanano Mabunda Marketing Manager for Ahitirheni Mqekwa Agriculture Primary Cooperative Ltd, highlighted the benefits of the initiative for agripreneurs.
His cooperative produces crops such as baby marrows, okra, chillies, cabbage, tomatoes, butternut, moringa, and mango, which are supplied to Joburg Market. They also process some produce into tomato jam, dried mangoes, pawpaw, and atchar.
“I learned about different types of funding I didn’t know existed and how to break into certain markets. Being serious about your product was key to gaining access to funding and growing our business,” he said.
Hope Matache, founder of Matache Trading CC in Lephalale, said he found the initiative valuable for local businesses.
“Participating in the Capital Matching programme allowed us to pitch our business to various funders. Initiatives like this are very important for our economy because they provide support to local businesses and help boost growth,” he said.
His company provides logistics, construction, catering, and general trading services with B-BBEE credentials, serving clients in Waterberg and beyond.
Frans Seema, Director of Sicgroup trading as SicFoods in Seshego, said the programme offered mentorship and investor access for his condiment and spice business.
“This motivated me to join the JSE acceleration programme, which helped implement our vision professionally by connecting us with investors. SicFoods needed mentorship for growth as we partnered in job-creating projects, and we were ready to share our business plan proposal,” Seema said.
olga@vutivibusiness.co.za
