The City of Tshwane plans to increase the number of its business support centres in partnership with the Small Enterprise Development and Financial Agency under the National Department of Small Business Development, to tackle unemployment and support informal economies. 

This initiative builds on recent efforts, where over 1 000 small business representatives, 75 young entrepreneurs, 28 cooperatives, and 23 aspiring exporters received support services in February and March, as part of Tshwane’s job creation push.

Sarah Mabotsa, Tshwane’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Development and Spatial Planning, said expanding business support centres is part of the city’s strategy to boost economic growth and intensify support for small businesses.

She said: “As we and the majority of the world celebrate Workers Day on May 1 this year, we must also acknowledge that there are many people in our city and country who do not have access to the dignity of employment or the ability to be able to provide for themselves and their families.” 

She painted a dire unemployment situation in Tshwane, where more than one in three job seekers cannot find work.

“This is why we must grow the formal and informal economies and expand the number of employment opportunities for our residents” she said.

She cited the city’s Economic Revitalisation Strategy, which aims to create at least 80 000 new jobs in Tshwane’s economy by 2029.

“This jobs target can be achieved by enabling faster economic growth in the metro and specifically by supporting growth in the 10 targeted priority economic sectors that can increase the capital city’s economy and the number of jobs the fastest,” she said.

She described the strategy as a roadmap to achieving economic growth.

“The informal sector and township economy has been identified as one of the strategy’s 10 priority economic sectors for support to enable enhanced growth in our city,” she said.

The strategy involves supporting the informal and township economies by registering small businesses, providing training, raising awareness of relevant laws and regulations, and offering facilities, capacity building, and enterprise support systems.

She added that her department will continue to provide and expand the support to small businesses in Tshwane. 

“For example, we are seeking to increase the number of our business support centres,” she said.

She noted that business support centres are situated across Tshwane, having supported 205 small businesses so far.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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