Small businesses and cooperatives in South Africa’s Eastern Cape district of Ingquza Hill have been invited to apply for municipal funding aimed at stimulating job creation and boosting the local economy for the 2025/26 financial year.
The programme, administered by the Ingquza Hill Local Municipality, will provide grants of up to R150,000 per business, limited to the purchase of equipment. Priority will be given to labour-intensive enterprises capable of driving employment and economic growth in the Lusikisiki, Flagstaff and surrounding areas.
Sectors targeted include agriculture, tourism, arts, ICT, automotive repairs, carpentry, sand mining and quarrying, small-scale manufacturing, environmental enterprise solutions, retail services, forestry and aquaculture. Women, youth, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Only businesses that are already operational and can demonstrate commercial viability, BBBEE alignment, and a proven record of activity will be considered. Start-ups and previous beneficiaries of the programme will be excluded.
Applicants must submit a comprehensive dossier including a company registration certificate, valid SARS tax clearance, business plan, proof of address, bank statements, and quotations for required equipment. A stamped letter from a ward councillor confirming the business’s existence, as well as proof of land ownership or a lease agreement, is also required. All documentation must be less than three months old.
Applications close on Friday 29 August 2025 and must be hand-delivered to the municipality’s Local Economic Development offices at 135 Main Street, Flagstaff, or 66 Main Street, Lusikisiki.
The scheme forms part of the municipality’s wider economic development agenda, aimed at equipping local SMEs to compete more effectively, diversify economic activity, and reduce unemployment in the region.
