ANC caucus meets Spruitview business people

The ANC Caucus in Ekurhuleni, through its service delivery programme known as ‘Taking Caucus To The People’, met with more than 300 local business people and entrepreneurs at Spruitview Multipurpose Park on Wednesday, February 15.

The caucus is a comprehensive programme that seeks to engage various sectors of the community to ensure accountability on service delivery performance by ward councillors in their respective wards and municipalities.

The event was also attended by the executive mayor of Ekurhuleni, Clr Mzwandile Masina.

The ANC caucus, led by the chief whip Clr Jongizizwe Dlabathi, said the gathering was to articulate an empowerment programme by the municipality in terms of strategic procurement for local businesses in the local economy.

Dlabathi noted the view of entrepreneurs that they have not been fairly accommodated in terms of local economic opportunities.

However, he indicated that the caucus seeks to create an enabling environment, whereby small businesses and entrepreneurs can compete with established businesses in Ekurhuleni by being prioritised in terms of local economic opportunities.

However, Dlabathi cautioned local businesses to comply with all business requirements and documentation to remain competitive. “Local businesses must also strive to produce quality work or service at all times” he added.

“With the municipality that has a budget of over R40-billion per annum, local entrepreneurs say they can’t find any resonance as far as local economic empowerment is concerned,” Dlabathi said.

A female representative from the Vosloorus Business Chamber said local businesswomen demand space and opportunities in the radical economic transformation and therefore they must be accommodated.

MMC for Finance and Economic Development, Doctor Xhakaza, shared with entrepreneurs the municipal comprehensive programme on empowering local businesses.

In his presentation, Xhakaza shared the massive economic opportunities in relation to Minthiro Ya Vula Vula.

“Through the radical Community Empowerment Programme, the municipality has implemented the 100 learner contractors and 100 supervisors programme as part of the Vukuphile Programme for emerging contractors to the value of R500-million per annum over a three-year period. The programme came into effect as from January 1,” Xhakaza said.

On the Black Industrialist Development programme, Xhakaza said the Ekurhuleni black-owned manufacturing entities shall be pre-qualified, supported and developed.

Xhakaza advised that there is no need for anyone to pay for a tender document, as they are now available online. However, if one wants a printed document from the municipality, there will be a charge.

“The process of registering businesses on a municipal database is open and those who are yet to be registered must visit the Ekurhuleni Local Economic office in Brakpan to register their businesses,” Xhakaza concluded.

Dlabathi also acknowledged the role of Ekurhuleni Nafcoc in coordinating local businesses, as they remain an important body to realise the radical economic transformation that the government is trying to achieve.