The Soutpansberg Entrepreneurs Week received a welcome boost on Monday when SA Breweries handed over a cheque of R100 000 to the organisers, the Soutpansberg Chamber of Commerce.

The general manager of SA Breweries in the northern region, Mr Lon Mtongana, said the company views this sponsorship as an investment in the future. He referred to similar projects of SA Breweries, such as their kick-start project for young entrepreneurs.

The SA Breweries sponsorship will be used to cover the costs of running the competition and getting some of the country's top speakers to address local entrepreneurs. Other sponsors of the week include ABSA, the University of Venda, VBS Mutual Bank, Sanlam, SA Custodial Management Services, Anglo American Chairman's Fund, FNB, People's Bank and Standard Bank.

The Soutpansberg Entrepreneurs Week will take place in Louis Trichardt from August 8 to 10. It centres around a competition aimed at promoting a culture of entrepreneurship. It comprises three categories, namely for primary school children, secondary school children and a category for people between 19 and 23 years of age. Competitors need to enter a business plan, explaining how their businesses will function, what product or service they will offer and why it will be successful. The business plan may also be for a fictitious business.

The winners in the categories for primary and secondary school pupils win prizes totalling R12 000, while the prize money in the senior category (19 to 23 year old) at this stage is well over R26 000. These include advertising contracts, free sign writing and assistance with setting up a company. Young entrepreneurs still interested in entering for the competition must hurry, as the closing date is July 22.

Entry forms for the competition are available from schools in the region or it can be downloaded from www.zoutnet.co.za/brightsparks. The website also has more information about the competition and the various speakers.