For Mzansi’s small businesses, Heritage Month arrives at a pivotal moment: the start of the year’s busiest trading season. The weeks ahead often determine not just whether a business survives, but also if it can seize new opportunities for growth.
“The stories of small businesses in South Africa are deeply entrenched in the greater legacy of our nation. These are stories of entrepreneurs who turn creativity, culture and resilience into thriving enterprises. From township streetwear to artisan and homegrown fashion, these entrepreneurs are living proof that heritage is not only about history – it is about innovation, identity and opportunity,” said Mpho Sadiki, Managing Director, Merchant Services, Africa at Network International and Payfast by Network, a leading South African payments provider.
Always Open: Empowering entrepreneurs
For businesses to thrive, they need more than inspiration: they need tools that connect them to customers and markets without limits. That is where digital and in-person payments play a defining role.
Payfast enables tens of thousands of entrepreneurs with secure, seamless payment solutions that help them trade confidently, scale faster and stay open whenever and wherever their customers are. This is the essence of being Always Open — open to customers, open to growth and open to opportunity.
Heritage in action
Across the country, entrepreneurs are bringing heritage to life in modern ways:
- WAKOYO: Once a platform for African art and stories, now a global online store of home décor — giving artisans new markets from Lagos to Austria.
- BROKE: A Cape Town streetwear brand turning youth culture into a nationwide movement of self-expression.
- The Fenn Collection: A female-founded label redefining practical, stylish design while building a loyal customer base locally and abroad.
“Payfast is proud to stand with these businesses and remains always open to their journeys. Every small business carries a piece of South Africa’s heritage and by enabling secure, seamless payments, we help them grow while staying true to their roots,” Sadiki added.
These stories also illustrate a bigger truth: South Africa’s digital economy is accelerating. Online retail reached R71 billion in 2023 and is on track to climb higher. For small businesses, being digitally enabled is no longer optional — it is the gateway to growth.
Carrying legacies forward
As South Africa celebrates Heritage Month and heads into the festive trading cycle, competition will intensify. Businesses that are digitally ready, resilient and customer-focused will lead the way.
“Payfast is committed to supporting entrepreneurs across the country, helping them grow while staying true to what makes them unique. By being Always Open, we provide payment solutions that keep businesses trading whenever and wherever their customers need them,” concluded Sadiki.
Heritage is not only about where we come from, but also about what we build for the future. By enabling small businesses to thrive in the digital economy, Payfast ensures that South Africa’s creativity and entrepreneurial spirit are carried forward for generations.
For more information about how Payfast enables small businesses with state-of-the-art, seamless payment solutions, visit www.payfast.io.
