BUSINESS
Eastern Cape Today
11
1 August 2014 - 8 August 2014
PREMIER COMMITS TO SMALL BUSINESS n Chris Hani forum kicks off BY LUXOLO TWANI
WELCOME Eastern Cape Premier Phumulo Masualle met some mayors and business people at the Chris Hani Forum. Picture by Khaya Mbesi
REDISA FACILITY A FIRST
As a precursor to a Business Summit to be held in Queenstown in September, Eastern Cape Premier Phumulo Masualle visited business people in Chris Hani under the banner of the Chris Hani District Business Forum (CHDBF) last Wednesday. Addressing budding business people across the eight municipal areas of Chris Hani District, the Premier emphasised the importance of efficiency and quality as pillars of success in small businesses. He pledged that 50 percent of all government procurement in the Eastern Cape will be from small businesses. “I am committing the Provincial Government to work in tandem with the newly established Department of Small Business Development through a combination of integrated programs to
improve the plight of small business and contribute to the creation of a vibrant and viable SMME sector,” he said. Castigating corruption, Premier Masualle assured the business sector that civil servants will be prohibited from operating businesses and said there will even be strict monitoring of his executive. “Framed agreements will be entered into with individual MEC’s and the five-year action plan would implement the undertakings made to the electorate. There will be consequences for lack of delivery on the plan,” the premier said. Business people seemed positive about their prospects under the current administration but according to Mr Khaya Mbesi, who is the Communications Manager of CHDBF, actions will speak louder than words. “At more or less the same
The Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (REDISA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University for the development of an environmental rating centre at the university. A spokesperson for the company, Ms Sanelisiwe Maliza, said the facility will be a first in Africa, and the largest of its kind in the Southern hemisphere. The research focus for REDISA will be on extending the life of tyres through the development of the rating system. Construction is scheduled to begin in the last quarter of 2014. The company began its operations in July 2013 with its head office in Cape Town; The Nelson Mandela Bay depot site opened this year in July.
“At the moment, there is only one depot site in Nelson Mandela Bay, and it is set to service 31 dealers in the area,” said Ms Maliza, adding that in May, 131 tonnes of waste tyre were remediated in the province. “Since the implementation of the REDISA Plan, the following milestones have been achieved nationally; 28 811 tons of tyres were remediated by the end of June, 903 dealers are being serviced regularly, and 743 jobs have been created. Unfortunately, we do not yet have confirmed statistics for the Port Elizabeth and East London areas specifically; however, we should in the next six months. “Through the development of a new tyre recycling industry, the REDISA Plan is uplifting individuals from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. The plan creates job opportunities and
email: ltwani@gmail.com
RELIEF AS STRIKE ENDS
n SA’s reputation was at steak BY LOURENS SCHOEMAN
MR JORAM MKOSANA
n NMMU to act as a testing centre BY LOURENS SCHOEMAN
time each year we will invite the Premier to evaluate progress or lack thereof with regard to the undertakings he made here,” said Mr Mbesi. Former ANC Chief Whip and current CHDBF Chairperson, Mbulelo Goniwe said it is not their overall aim to rely only on government tenders as they are unsustainable. “We want these programs to unlock opportunities for small business in the eight municipalities of the Chris Hani District. We must initiate projects that we will run and own for the better empowerment of our SMME’s. We cannot depend on tenders because we do not even get them. We need to stand up and work for ourselves," said Mr Goniwe. The gathering was also attended by mayors and political players in the Chris Hani District.
by 2017, we will have created 10 000 new jobs. “Developing an entrepreneurial spirit is an important economic driver and poverty eradicator for South Africa, and as such, the REDISA Plan seeks to support small business owners (both new and existing) and secondary businesses within the informal sector, which will in turn create even more job opportunities,” she said. According to Ms Maliza, there are two-depot sites in the Eastern Cape, one in Nelson Mandela Bay (PEArlington Landfill site, Victory Road, Schoenmakerskop) and another in East London (26 Farm 648, Cuyler Street, Eureka, Wilsonia). Depot sites are also operational in Midrand GP, Bloemfontein FT, Pietermaritzburg KZN, Vissershok WC, Witbank MP, Mossel Bay WC, Kimberley NC, Clairwood Pretoria East, and Springs Storage depot.
Prolonged strikes cost South Africa in many ways, says the Nelson Mandela Business Chamber CEO, Mr Kevin Hustler. Mr Hustler expressed his relief that the four-week NUMSA and engineering sector strikes are over. “Such strikes lead to, amongst others, reputational damage as well as harming South Africa’s attractiveness as a foreign direct investment destination,” said Mr Hustler on Wednesday. Productivity has suffered significantly under the pressures of this month-long strike, and every effort should now be made to get companies back on track to make up for lost time and repair some of the considerable damage done to the South African economy. “It is imperative in the face of numerous challenges that include a scarcity of key skills.” Mr Hustler went on to say that the role of the private sector should be firmly acknowledged as vital to the sustainability and competitiveness of the South African economy in the face of the perception of an unstable labour force, unreliable water and electricity infrastructure, and a lack of investment incentives. “Organised business advocates a collaborative and co-operative approach from all stakeholders to ensure that workable, sustainable solutions are found to avoid such prolonged strike actions in the future,” he said, adding that South Africa could illafford these types of actions if it was to ensure that economic growth is in line with its peer countries and to create the much-needed jobs to address both unemployment and poverty. email: louschoem@gmail.com