SMMEs, co-operatives, informal traders and hawkers are invited to apply for funding in an endeavour to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on their respective businesses within the North West Province.

The North West Covid-19 Relief Fund was established by the Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT) and will be managed by the provincial economic development entity, the North West Development Corporation (NWDC).

The relief measures offered by the North West Covid-19 Relief Fund will assist in sustaining provincial enterprises during this economic crisis by working at reducing the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown on their businesses.

“Small businesses and informal traders play an important role in the growth and development of the provincial economy, and as such we developed these relief measures to enhance the sustainability of small businesses and informal traders to ensure retention of jobs”, said MEC of DEDECT, Kenetswe Mosenogi.

Eligible applicants will be able to apply for funding ranging from R1000.00 to R100 000.00 (One thousand to one hundred thousand Rands).

Applications for the North West Province COVID-19 Relief Fund will be made available on the NWDC and DEDECT websites  on 1 June 2020.

Considering that every business is unique, each application will be evaluated on a case by case basis, depending on the availability of funds.

A broad outline of the type of assistance the North West Covid-19 Relief Fund will offer includes:

Formal Business (SMME) COVID-19 Relief Interventions (CIPC registered)

• Stock Relief Intervention
• Rental and Municipal Bills Relief Intervention
• Income Relief Intervention

Informal Business COVID-19 Relief Interventions (Business not registered on CIPC)

• Income Relief Intervention
• Stock Relief Intervention
• Rental Relief Intervention, (e.g. hairdressers renting workstations)

Application criteria
To be able to apply for the North West COVID-19 Relief Fund, applicants need to meet a number of basic requirements, where applicable to their type of business.

Informal business (Business not registered)
1. Identity Document
2. Proof of Trading for 12 months in the North West Province (Affidavit/letter from Tribal Authority)

Formal business (CIPC registered business)
1. Proof that the business is negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (Such as four months bank statements (January – April), copies of municipal bills, rental bills, stock purchase receipts etc.)
2. Copy of identity documents of business owners (certified)
3. Proof of Trading for 12 months in the North West Province (Affidavit/letter from Tribal Authority)
4. SARS compliance documents

Links to access the online registration and application portal will be made available in the Covid-19 Relief Fund portal on the NWDC website on Monday, 1 June 2020.