Sedfa explained: what Vaal SMMEs need to know about the state's small business agency

As at 3 November 2026.

What is Sedfa?

Sedfa, the Small Enterprise Development Finance Agency, is the state’s support agency under the National Small Enterprise Act, 1996, which most people call the Small Business Act.¹ The 2024 amending Act (Act 21 of 2024) creates Sedfa as a single agency for financial and non-financial support.⁵

Sedfa merges Seda, sefa and the Co-operative Banks Development Agency. The department says this gives small businesses “one application process, one client record and one national branch network” for loans and business support, instead of three separate institutions.²

How it got here. In 2004, an amendment (Act 29 of 2004) set up the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), which absorbed Ntsika, the National Manufacturing Advisory Centre and other designated institutions.^6,7 Sedfa’s establishment took effect on 1 October 2024 (Proclamation 190 of 2024, Gazette 51308).^1,8 Section 10(2) of the 2024 Act, which closed Seda, sefa and the Co-operative Banks Development Agency, took effect on 1 December 2024.^8,9

What Sedfa offers

The department lists these services:²

• direct loans
• lending through microfinance and co-operative intermediaries
• credit guarantees with banks
• blended grant-and-loan finance
• TREP for township and rural businesses
• compliance help, such as CIPC and SARS registration

The department says Sedfa can help with company registration, tax registration and B-BBEE affidavits at no cost or a subsidised cost.²

Its name varies. The Act calls it the Small Enterprise Development Finance Agency.⁵ The department’s own replies use “Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency”.² Both refer to the same body.

How it is doing

In the first quarter of 2026/27 (April to June 2026), Sedfa said it supported 32,331 businesses and paid out R453 million. Members of Parliament heard that its loan payouts, number of businesses financed and turnaround times all missed targets.³ In the same meeting, the deputy minister confirmed that Nkululeko Mbatha had been appointed as Sedfa’s permanent CEO.³

Is there a Sedfa office in the Vaal?

Sedfa’s own office list shows no office in Sedibeng. The nearest Sedfa office listed is the Sasolburg/Metsimaholo branch, Eric Louw Street, Boiketlong Hall, Zamdela, tel 016 974 5500.⁴ Nation Watch SA has asked Sedfa whether it plans an office in the Vaal and will update this story once it responds.

For provincial support, the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP) has a Sedibeng regional office at 36 Merriman Avenue, Vereeniging, tel 016 910 1200.¹⁰

What to do next

1. Get your papers in order. Most state support asks for CIPC registration, SARS registration and, for food businesses, a municipal licence or permit. The department says Sedfa can help with company registration, tax registration and B-BBEE affidavits at no cost or a subsidised cost.²
2. Contact Sedfa through its website for loans, blended finance or TREP.^11,2 The nearest Sedfa office listed is in Sasolburg (see above).⁴
3. Contact the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP) for provincial support. Its Sedibeng regional office is at 36 Merriman Avenue, Vereeniging, tel 016 910 1200.¹⁰

Read more

• Series guide: Vaal small business guide: the Small Business Act and Spaza Shop Support Fund explained
• New SMME size limits explained
• Construction size limits cut: what Vaal builders need to know
• Small Enterprise Ombud explained
• How the Small Business Act changed, 1996 to 2026
• Spaza Shop Support Fund: what you can get and who qualifies
• How to apply for the Spaza Shop Support Fund
• Emfuleni business licence checklist explained
• Spaza fund, TREP, TEPF or Township Enterprise Fund?