Nelspruit, 14 November, 2017 – Mbombela in Mpumalanga is known for its baking heat, but will soon enjoy some hot baking as 20 members of the Bhuga community in the municipality receive ovens and get down to making bread, pizza and other treats for their fellow locals.
Deputy Minister for Social Development Hendriette Bogopane-Zulu will be handing over the ovens today (November 14) as part of an enterprise development project known as Mama Mimi’s, in a partnership with Coca-Cola Beverages SA, National Development Agency and Hlayisani Center of hope as the hosting NPO
The project is about creating 41 sustainable jobs at a time as a cluster of 20 bakers is set up in each location, employing two permanent staff and selling bread, snowballs, pizzas, muffins and rolls to the local community, spaza shops, corporate stores and Mama Mimi’s Bread Credits.
Products are baked where they are consumed, the profits and customer savings all contribute to further upliftment as the money circulates and remains within the community.
The bakers will be clustered into two separate co-operative supported by a service manager based at Hlayisani Centre of Hope. He will be required to provide intergrated incubation and business support to the co-operative, he will also receive a branded Mama Mimi’s vehicle to facilitate easy access to all the bakers in the cluster.
Beneficiaries of the project were selected after intensive screening from people who are beneficiaries of Hlayisane Centre in the Ntsikazi zone in Mbombela local Municipality.
“Mama Mimi’s is an enterprise development project for sustainable entrepreneurship intended to address poverty alleviation, job creation, strengthening families and develop the community,” said the Deputy Minister Bogopane-Zulu.