Small, medium, micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) are the backbone of SA's economy and have been identified as crucial to advancing inclusive growth and development in the country.
“The potential for the growth of SMMEs in SA is huge, and this sector cannot be ignored,” says George Masemola, business unit manager at Axiz, a value-added ICT distributor. “However, SMMEs face some very real barriers to entry, and are held back by limited resources in terms of skills and cash flow.”
To help its small partners with upskilling, marketing and sales, finance, and access to market, Axiz has introduced an SMME development programme. "We are in the process of developing it into a full ecosystem of all our smaller entity partners,” says Masemola.
One customer that Axiz has been assisting in this very way is Corridor Africa Technologies, which has gained accreditations for Cisco, Dell and HPE.
“Axiz extended credit and expert support to us, which helped us service our clients more efficiently, and grow our sales," says Matone Ditlhake, CEO of Corridor Africa. "This enabled us to compete effectively on a more equal footing with the more established players in the market. In addition, Axiz facilitated the training of our Cisco associates and got them certified too.”
Another SMME customer that has benefited from the programme is Kubyala ICT Solutions. Axiz provided the company with funded interns and is helping to certify them on the various verticals and technologies that Kubyala takes to market.
Bongi Silubane, MD of Kubyala ICT Solutions, says this will help Kubyala grow its client base and boost its experience, which is needed to help build credibility and references.
“Often with SMMEs, our capabilities are measured against our large, enterprise counterparts. Although we have the requisite skills and experience, customers often look to the bigger players, as they think they will be better at protecting their critical environments and helping them remain compliant within their industries.
“Forming partnerships with companies such as Axiz helps build our credibility... and also back us up with the credit facilities we need to be able to transact,” says Silubane.
Jonathan Muvindi, founder and CEO of Wirespeed Systems, says Axiz has helped his company attain its Cisco partner status, and paid for its salespeople to go through the necessary training with the networking giant. “In addition, Axiz has given us access to discounts when they purchase equipment from Cisco, which helps us compete more effectively with the big guys.
“Usually, SMMEs can never win on price, but this has levelled the playing fields for u. Besides, the skills and training we received have helped us compete on value and service, and enabled us to be more flexible and adaptable to meet our clients’ needs,” says Muvindi.
“Through our partnerships with OEMs, Axiz has begun a sustainable journey for SMME development,” says Masemola. “Our programme is in line with what the government is trying to achieve in terms of developing the SMME sector. SITA already has a number of special programmes geared towards SMME development in place,” he concludes.
Share