NYDA & SEDFA POOR CONDUCT

I'm an entrepreneur based in the Vaal. I app**** online for the agencies funding opportunities but as per their process, one has to enroll for a Business Management Training course as part of the requirements of the agency.

I called the branch in our area Vaal, Residensia office but I was told that I'd be put on the list to be registered for their BMT programme & this was at the beginning of the year right after they'd just been back at the office for the new year, they took my details & never got back to me to date.

As someone who wants to be a part of the men & women who want to contribute to the community and economy, it's disheartening to have received such poor service from the said public service providers for people who want to create employment and uplift their communities, these agencies treat us like they're doing us a favour by even letting us have these opportunities.

Vaal is already a hive for *******ion and as an earnest business person, it's very disappointing to have to find yourself at the mercy of the very institutions that were meant to aid us who want to change the landscape of our backgrounds and that of others through employment and empowering the community.

The service at these agencies is not swift and appropriate gusto, necessary to help people & in so saying "agencies", id like to mention that SEDFA is also part of this review.

I submitted my application online with all the required documents but I received a call saying that I'm not funding-ready, to my surprise, their online system did not necessarily reflect my entire application as far the documents are involved, this was a technical error on their side but I was told that they'd only received my business profile & they dismissed the notion of asking me to submit the rest of the documents via email, instead I was told that I was not finding ready. It's very disappointing that the people employed to handle these processes lack such discernment and professional conduct, we come from different backgrounds including academically and some more than others lack information on how these agencies work & how the processes go.

As entrepreneurs, we work hard to make a positive change to the country and I believe it would be a great time to introduce an ombudsman to help entrepreneurs who seek funding to voice their struggles with these agencies and hold them accountable, including making necessary structural shifts in order to maintain the dignity of the vision by the government to help entrepreneurs in a fair & transparent manner. The establishment of this ombudsman will come at a great time before the implementation of the R20 billion transformation, in order to curb any *******ion and Maladministration of the funds & that of any other agency that's there to help entrepreneurs.