We recently celebrated the excellence and achievements of our Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) Programme. 21 businesses of varying size (small, medium, and micro enterprises) were amongst those who attended this glittering event!

Selma Hercules, Executive Director of TMACC, shared the following, “We (TMACC) offer, through our partnership with Siyakha, assistance to our qualifying suppliers and carefully selected entrepreneurs, especially EME’s and QSE’s. We are also passionate about the upliftment of women in business and startups. What is offered is training and support for services such as Accounting, HR and Marketing, access to grants and funding, as well as mentorship. All this is directed at ensuring that businesses flourish and grow from strength to strength.”

This annual landmark event suffered a setback when COVID set in, but it is back with a vengeance! This event exemplifies our ethos of “people first”, a drive that inspires us to invest not only in a memorable visitor experience, but also in the upliftment and upskilling of our staff and most importantly supporting our suppliers and giving young business owners an opportunity to grow and become sustainable.

Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, a seasonal industry role player and keynote speaker on the evening, reminded participants that it requires grit and tenacity to make a business successful. Using the analogy of music, he described the journey of Cape Town Tourism, as follows, "Were we to find a song that represents our resilience and fortitude, it will be I will survive!"

A total of 21 programme participants graduated on the night and their excitement and appreciation reverberated throughout the evening:

Certificates of Achievements were awarded to:

• Clippa Sales, a supplier of Illy coffee and other retail items
• Halaal Hopper, the ultimate provider of adventure for the Muslim traveller
• Hyde Park Wine and Spirit Merchant, A premium provider of fine wine, premium spirits, soft drinks and party services
• Lontana Apparel, creator of private label and corporate shirting as well as underwear
• Ngena Ekasi, a tour guiding company specialising in township tours
• ServiceGurus, provides experiential learning that sparks innovation and drives success
• Style Africa Fashion, showcases the identity of the African design industry
• Tin City, a company that specialises in hand painting on metal to create unique products
• Women of Worth, a collective that creates accessories, skincare products and clothing, with the aim of empowering women

Certificates of Excellence were awarded to:

• Belfro, a provider of high-quality frozen and dried foods
• Frozen Drinks, a provider of premium frozen drinks
• Cape Cup, an eco-friendly packaging company
• Herbivore Earthfoods, a supplier of delicious plant-based foods
• Kibo Connect, a supplier of next generation fibre technology
• NCC Environmental, a provider of environmental services to ensure that sustainable environments are created where people, planet and business thrive together
• Skye Elevators, provides a wide variety of services and products

The following suppliers received special awards:

• Allevest, a bespoke event services specialist – Supplier Excellence Most Improved
• Ecco Med, a wholesale distributor of top-quality medical equipment and supplies – Supplier Development Highest Ranking
• Skona Clothing, an esteemed clothing enterprise specialising in creating top-quality apparel – Environmental Award
• Ukusika Yezandla, a supplier of unique wooden craft and curio products – Supplier Excellence Highest Ranking

ABCD Concepts, a tour guiding company specialising in township tours, is an enterprise development beneficiary who graduated from our 2023/2024 Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) Programme. They will now become a supplier to TMACC, working on our initiative to bring locals to Table Mountain.

Carlie’s Darlings, a boutique small business that bring smiles to children’s faces through the creation of hand-crocheted toys, were announced as the Overall Winner of our 2023/2024 ESD Programme:

Enver Duminy, Anthea Ferreira, Rianda Williams, Carleen Luyt , Selma Hercules and Dionne Kerr

Carleen Luyt’s journey with TMACC started as an employee. She has always displayed incredible creativity. She eventually decided to pursue this passion full-time. Carlie’s Darlings was borne out of the idea to find a unique product for our Shop at the Top. Rianda Williams, the Executive Manager for Retail and Ticketing, approached Carleen with the idea of creating unique crocheted stuffed toys. Carleen took like a duck to water, creating the most beautiful Carlie’s Darlings stuffed toys, that sold within days of being stocked in our shop. Eventually demand exceeded supply to such an extent that Carleen now trains several members of her community to assist in the creation of these toys.

Congratulations and well done to our 2023/2024 Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) Programme participants!

We look forward to investing in the development of small business owners so that they can soar to greater heights!