Having access to fibre makes a huge difference for any person, but for a growing business, it can be life-changing – Hippo donated cash and enabled fibre access for two deserving businesses after the riots.
South Africa (03 September 2021) – Fibre plays a vital role for small businesses in South Africa, especially as the lockdown has meant many adapted to the online world. However, for some businesses, even online possibilities were disrupted due to looting.
Hippo.co.za partnered with East Coast Radio in KwaZulu-Natal and 947 in Gauteng to reach out to small businesses of South Africa and make things right after looting destroyed them. The #GetBackToBusiness campaign was launched to raise funds and support 10 small businesses.
Over a two-week period, several small businesses from KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng each received the news that they had won R20,000 in cash, as well as R5,000 to rebuild their business with the essential fibre access.
“As a digital business, Hippo.co.za knows that every organisation needs a reliable Internet connection to succeed in the digital economy. We recently introduced a fibre-to-the-business (FTTB) quote comparison tool, and we’re confident that – by using that tool to get the best FTTB deals – our R5 000 donation will go a long way.” – Bradley du Chenne, Hippo.co.za
Each week we get to celebrate two of the winners that walk away with R25,000 worth of financial support. This week, we learn how through online means and community support, these two businesses have managed to pull through.
The East Coast Radio winner, Rams Corner Butchery, owned by Primrose Ndlovu, was affected by the rioting by forced closure. With meat needing to stay fresh, the business lost its stockholding and income. Primrose has been unable to purchase new stock without income from the lost stock.
Thanks to community support and setting up community watch groups, Primrose’s business was able to remain standing. With the money and Fibre set up, Primrose’s business can once again thrive. To give thanks to the community, Primrose hopes to give back to needy children and share the leftover stock of the day with worthy causes that support children.
Primrose says the winnings will go a long way to brightening the future.
The 947 winner was Ele Brave, owned by Sicelo Ndlovu. Sicelo’s dream of opening a boutique that will house the Ele Brave brand is closer to reality now. While Sicelo was fighting to save the business after the looting, the community lent a helping hand.
“My greater community continued to place orders online during these tough times. They supported me a lot and through their support, I was able to sustain my business even after they looted my stock and equipment.”
The fibre access will go a long way to making Sicelo’s boutique dream a reality, whether that be online or retail, or maybe even both.
To give back to the community, Sicelo sews tracksuits for the local creches.
The #GetBacktoBusiness campaign has become a ray of hope for many of the SME’s who have been left feeling the pressure caused by the pandemic and the recent riots in South Africa. Hippo hopes that their services will assist those in this campaign and all businesses in South Africa looking for insurance quotes and the right cover. These factors will act as a booster for the SME’s to get back the flow of business they had lost in the pandemic.
Stay tuned as each week we share two new stories about SME’s in South Africa getting ‘back to business’ with Hippo.co.za. You can read the previous stories here.