Thank you to all SMEs who applied.

The application window is now closed, and all submissions are currently under review. We appreciate the time, effort, and commitment shown by entrepreneurs across the country.

To those continuing their entrepreneurial journey: keep building and moving forward. Sustainable businesses are shaped through persistence, learning, and long‑term vision.

Barloworld Siyakhula, Empowering growth. Building sustainable businesses.

Barloworld Siyakhula Programme

The Barloworld Siyakhula programme is dedicated to playing a critical role in the shaping and development of the South African SME sector. Through our programmes designed to facilitate not only the growth of the business but the development of the business owner(s) and their employees. We do this by establishing a competitive landscape to identify smes with the greatest potential, assessed and selected by undergoing a thorough evaluation that reviews their alignment to our supply chain, business management practices, potential for growth, innovative practices and potential to positively communities.

Every programme participant will commit to a business development plan which is hinged/predicated on continuous improvement over the course of the programme, with business support tools and resources applied based on a thorough needs analysis, with the programme’s main emphasis being on timely, thorough and useful interventions that cover all phases of business development and promote market and investment readiness.

Qualifying applicants will be majority black owned, operating in one of the required industries/categories and will have the time to devote to expanding their businesses.

Our Offering and Criteria

Financial support

  • Loans funding
  • Grants

Non-financial support

  • Bookkeeping and Accounting services
  • Incubation
  • Strategy development
  • Mentorship
  • Marketing (e.g., website development)
  • ICT

Key criteria

  • Businesses that are registered and operate in South Africa
  • Annual turnover below R50m
  • Black ownership of 51% SMME

SMME preference/priority

  • Black women ownership of 30% and above
  • Youth ownership
  • Ownership by people with disabilities
  • Businesses that are customers or suppliers to Barloworld
  • Businesses that are based in areas where Barloworld operates
  • Businesses that have the potential for creating sustainable employment opportunities