Johannesburg, South Africa – Sasol has selected seven small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) from in and around Sasolburg in the Free State to take part in its newly launched 24-month Sasol Business Accelerator (SBA) programme. The businesses are in the manufacturing, engineering services, engineering maintenance, hired equipment, HVAC and recyclables industries. 

“They were selected through a stringent and thorough four week selection process managed by Zevoli, which is an independent third-party company appointed by Sasol to assist with the selecting and screening of potential candidates for the programme,” said Ofentse Tiro, Enterprise and Supplier Manager at Sasol. 

In May this year, Sasol announced that applications were open for SMMEs that are located in Metsimaholo, Emfuleni and Ngwathe Local Municipalities operating in the above-mentioned sectors to join the SBA programme. The deadline for applications was Wednesday, 17 June 2020.

Sasol received nearly 200 applications for the programme SMMEs from even outside of the specified municipal areas. However, as Sasol’s commitment is to primarily develop SMMEs in its fence-line communities, focus was on those in the Free State. 

The seven successful SMMEs will kick-off the programme this week with a three-day induction training that starts today. The purpose is to provide the companies with an overview of Sasol’s operations, highlight the importance of safety, and outline what they can expect over the coming months in relation to the accelerator programme. 

The SMMEs will based at the Sasol Business Incubator in Sasolburg. Located inside Sasol’s Eco-industrial Park in Sasolburg, the facility is fully-equipped and structured to host and enable this diverse mix of businesses to be developed into larger companies. 

The 24-month SBA programme, which kicks off this week, will entail” 

• Infrastructure support 
• Development support
• Mentoring and coaching
• Networking
• Funding support