From 17 to 19 October, the old Victoria Street clinic in Stellenbosch was opened to the local community for viewing in its pre-renovated state, following a decision to transform the old building into a first-of-its-kind entrepreneurial hub for Stellenbosch entrepreneurs.
During these public participation days, the proposed plans for the new space were displayed, visitors could take a tour of the old building and interactive displays allowed community members to share their ideas for the new entrepreneurial hub.
As part of its local economic development mandate, Stellenbosch Municipality awarded a 10-year lease of the building to Ranyaka Community Transformation, a local non-profit organisation that develops transformation strategies across South Africa.
Sonya Olivier, marketing and communications co-ordinator for Ranyaka, says that the public interest in the plans for the old building has been tremendous.
“We had many entrepreneurs, community members from across Stellenbosch, business owners and students from SU visit our open days and received very positive feedback. It was great to see how visitors participated enthusiastically in the interactive displays where we invited them to share their ideas and vision around this space.”
Ranyaka facilitates a broader Building Business programme that, amongst other things, matches the needs of entrepreneurs with training service providers, helps them assess the feasibility of their businesses and assists with access to market as well as local supply chain inclusion.
“The hub is the ‘next step’ as we are increasingly realising the immense need for B-BBEE entrepreneurs to have access to affordable co-working, office, meeting and training space, in addition to retail space in the heart of Stellenbosch,” says Olivier.
According to Olivier, Ranyaka will now start an extensive fundraising campaign to fund the renovation of the building.
“We will be launching our crowdfunding page soon and would like to extend an invitation to local businesses, corporates, organisations and individuals who share our vision to help us make this happen!”
Garnet Christians, a local entrepreneur and owner of Acu-Temp, a temperature controlling, monitoring and calibration company, says that the development of the hub would benefit his business greatly.
“It will be a great advantage for our company because currently I am either working from a friend’s house or from my mother’s house. Office space is unaffordable in Stellenbosch. But it will also be a good space to connect with people and be located more centrally where there is more movement.”
Local entrepreneur Mercia Jacobs from Have Mercy Cakes agrees that “entrepreneurs from all Stellenbosch communities need a space for networking, mentorship and training”.
Olivier explains that Ranyaka would like to see the hub become a place of connection, relationship-building and creating networks that extend beyond business interests.
“One of the four main outcomes we pursue is that of social cohesion. We are excited about the possibility of the hub becoming a physical gathering space where people from all across Stellenbosch can truly connect and build meaningful, positive relationships across socio-economic and racial divides.”
Entrepreneurs and local NGOs that would like to register for space in the future hub are invited to contact Marli Goussard at marli@ranyaka.co.za or visit Ranyaka’s website at https://ranyaka.co.za/entrepreneurship-hub/
Entrepreneur Garnet Christians lists his top tips for entrepreneurs just starting out. INFOGRAPHIC: Jana Greyling.