Black women entrepreneurs are building businesses across a genuinely wide range of sectors in South Africa, from fashion and beauty to technology and agriculture, and finding and genuinely supporting them, rather than only acknowledging them, requires understanding the specific channels and support that actually make a difference.
These are the practical ways to find and genuinely support this specific group of entrepreneurs.
Where to find black women-led businesses directly
Directories and marketplaces focused specifically on black-owned or women-owned businesses make genuine discovery easier than relying on general searching, and industry-specific associations often maintain their own networks worth checking for a specific sector.
Events and organisations built specifically around women in business, in a given city or sector, are a genuine way to connect directly rather than only encountering businesses through media coverage.
Understand the specific, compounding barriers this group faces
Access to funding and networks is documented as harder for women entrepreneurs generally, and this compounds further for black women specifically, who often face both the funding gap affecting women broadly and barriers linked to historical economic exclusion.
Understanding this context matters for genuinely useful support, since generic encouragement doesn’t address the specific, structural nature of these barriers.
Support that goes beyond recognition
Becoming an actual customer, forming a genuine supplier relationship, or making a direct introduction to a funder or corporate buyer does considerably more for a business than being named in a feature or list.
Corporate enterprise and supplier development programmes that specifically target black women-owned businesses for real procurement are one of the more structurally meaningful forms of support available.
Where structured support specifically exists
Development finance and enterprise programmes targeting women and black-owned businesses specifically are available through the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.
Our guide to finding and supporting black-owned businesses covers the broader landscape alongside this specific focus.
Frequently asked questions
Where can black women-led businesses be found?
Directories and marketplaces focused specifically on black or women-owned businesses, and industry-specific associations and networks.
Do black women entrepreneurs face compounded barriers?
Yes, often both the funding and network gap affecting women entrepreneurs generally, and barriers linked to historical economic exclusion.
Is being featured in an article meaningful support?
Less than becoming an actual customer, forming a supplier relationship, or making a direct introduction to a funder or buyer.
Do corporate programmes specifically target this group?
Yes, some enterprise and supplier development programmes specifically target black women-owned businesses for genuine procurement.
Where can structured support for this group be found?
The Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.
Further reading
Originally published in 2024. Updated September 2026 into guidance on finding and genuinely supporting black women entrepreneurs specifically.
