Gauteng takes Township Economic Bill to communities
After the passing of the Township Economic Development Bill in the Legislature recently, the Gauteng Provincial Government will embark to the communities to explain the new proposed legislation.
The Bill will become an Act once Premier David Makhura has signed it. The Act will among others increase existing businesses in townships and enable the creation of new business activity to drive mass-scale employment in communities.
The Bill also seeks to free township economy from existing regulatory constraints and make it easy for entrepreneurs to participate.
Through the Ntirhisano Service Delivery Outreach program, the Gauteng government will visit communities across the province.
Sedibeng
Sport Arts Culture and Recreation MEC Mbali Hlophe, joined by the local Mayors will meet various stakeholders within the sector in Mamello (Midvaal) on Thursday, April 7 and in Ratanda (Lesedi) on Friday, April 8 respectively.
In addition to discussing the bill, the outreach programme will also include community sport and recreational activities including soccer, Netball, Aerobics, Indigenous Games and fun walks.
In the Emfuleni Local Municipality, MEC for Community Safety Faith Mazibuko will go on Ntirhisano outreach programme in Sebokeng to report back on the passing of the Township Economic Development Bill.
West Rand
Social Development MEC Morakane Mosupyoe invites members of communities around Mohlakeng & surrounding areas at the Ramosa Hall on Thursday, April 7.
MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development, Parks Tau is leads a Ntirhisano Outreach programme in Khutsong on Thursday, April 7 at the Community Hall in Khutsong.
Ekurhuleni
MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, comes to the Faranani Centre in Tsakane (April 7) and Daveyton’s Marivate Hal (April 8) as part of the Service Delivery Outreach programme.
E-Government and Finance MEC, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko will facilitate a stakeholder engagement on the Bill at the D.H. Williams Hall, Katlehong on Thursday, April 7.
Joburg
Education MEC Lesufi visits Makhoroane Primary School in Dobsonville to convene stakeholder engagements on Thursday, April 7.
Premier David Makhura will also join the campaign as he goes to engage the Orange Farm community on Thursday, April 7 at the Chris Hani Community Hall. He will continue the Ntirhisano engagements in Ivory Park on Friday, April 8.
Bill is a game changer for township economy
The Bill is a significant regulatory and policy instrument to affirm citizens and communities in the GCR (Gauteng City Region) with meaningful classes of benefits.
Overall, these instrumental benefits are geared towards, amongst others: (i) promotion of inclusive human settlements by bringing people closer to economic opportunities, (ii) develop a real commuter economy that uses taxi ranks and convert them into mini-business and commercial districts, (iii) integrate unused land, abandoned buildings and forgotten industrial estates into township value chains to turbo-charge the economic growth of the GCR, (iv) create a new economic geography through the township enterprise zones.
This Township Economic Development Bill is a game-changer that should be supported since it facilitates a multi-dimensional way for the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG), to change how townships are regulated and governed so that they become areas of employment-creating commercial activity.
It is a progressive Bill to set up better procurement rules that allows government and contractors to buy from large groups of township-based firms. It is a progressive Bill to deploy a dedicated financing mechanism to establish an SME Fund to provide wholesale and blended finance to intermediaries that can de-risk lending to township-based firms.
