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Case studies
Anglo American Platinum Limited (Amplats) Small Business Hub initiative
Dr Lorna Maphuthuma, owner of the medical practice in Burgersfort
An excellent example of the depth and diversity of the businesses supported by the Amplats Small Business Hub initiative is the medical practice owned by Dr Lorna Maphuthuma in Burgersfort in the Limpopo Province.
Lorna was faced with the opportunity of a lifetime when the owner of a thriving medical practice where she acted as a locum, asked her if she wanted to take over the business. While she was thrilled to take on the challenge with both hands, Lorna's best efforts to obtain finance drew a blank with finance agencies.
The turning point, however, came quite by chance when a friend, who had been invited to a presentation on the Amplats Small Business Hub programme, asked her to come along.
Following her introduction to the hub, Lorna soon received a loan from Anglo Zimele's Communities Fund which enabled her to buy the practice.
Lorna has a very clear vision of the way forward, and it is her intention to develop the facility into a 'one stop' health centre that already incorporates a resident physiotherapist, an optometrist and a radiographer. The practice serves both private and general patients, and is a preferred service provider to the Amplats Health Scheme for which it operates an after-hour treatment service.
Lorna is full of praise for the management support she receives from the hub, particularly the quarterly audit of her books that allows her concentrate on patients, secure in the knowledge that her financial affairs are in good hands.
"I've grown so much and have come so far," she says, adding that as the owner of her own practice, she is able to provide treatment for many poor people in the area.
