It is heart-breaking and painful when great hopes and expectations, are not honoured by promisers. As ex-combatant and Soldiers, we were made to believe, during our service in the defence force, that veterans with an interest in farming, and small business projects, are the ones together with the youth to be given top preference in terms of government funding or grants for start-up business projects, therefore adding value to communities with regard to job creation, self-reliance and sustainability. From my individual perspective, SMEs are the great contributors to most developing countries economies. The very same security is also embedded in our country’s Land and Restitution Act of 1994.
Entangling myself with the above paragraph, I feel alienated, aggrieved, frustrated and depressed in terms of the strives I took for the preparation I made, hoping and expecting assistance from the government will come but to no avail. Still emphasising on preparation issue, I bought a piece of land suitable for the project proposed, with about 100m * 40m= 4000 square metres. I have registered a company with the name LEEPILE AND CHILDREN (PTY) Ltd, I wrote a business plan even if is not professional, the forms from the Department of Agric Land and Restitution reform was filled applying for start-up business funding or grands. I also contacted the Department of Military Veterans where I was advised to apply with your Department first, that was done. I acknowledged the move take by your main office to send my application to Gauteng regional office that came to interview me and access the place where the project is going to be erected. My concern presently is the silence taken place since our long last meeting without any follow-up.
During my research and planning for the suitable project to venture on, I intensively looked into what the community consumed most on constant basis. I found that Broilers was the affordable staple relish mostly needed at all times, the shortage was and is still a serious concern. The people ending up buying chicks for the price of fully grown-up chickens or the so-called hart bodies (Sickly and bonnie layers) not suitable for human consumption, because alternatives are quit limited and expensive the travel cost will be also need.
The (Kasi prices, take it or live it, it’s a nom of the day) shortage will be the order of the day if our Government is not going to support rooting out starvation through aiding sme’s to stabilise the local based, formal or informal economies for us. Failing to support sme’s accelerates uncomfortable situation where our people are contesting with our fellow African brothers for work opportunities in medium and large companies, irrespective that are local or foreign investors.
Please support the above mentioned entities it belongs to the people and without your support as head we can’t realise Batho Pele, the rainbow nation, and our hart earned democracy brought by our great Madiba, how do we express our wishes to him as our ancestor to present our request to God to protect the world from drought, hunger, unemployment, evil storms, fires and Covid-19 that is experienced worldwide? As well as Ukraine war that is negatively impacting on world’s economies. Put more strength to the ground level to make the country’s economic backbone stronger. Thank you.
Col M.W. LEEPILE