Note to editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Henro Kruger MP
Entrepreneurs in rural areas continue to suffer as South African Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) services remain inaccessible.
In a committee meeting earlier this week, the DA questioned SEDA’s CEO, Mr Nkosikhona Mbatha, on the reach of their operations. Mr Mbatha’s response revealed a distressing situation: Local Economic Development (LED) departments in Municipalities in most rural areas are functioning sub-optimally, limiting SEDA’s influence.
SEDA’s mandate to nurture entrepreneurial development, provide business survival support and expert counsel on business planning, marketing, and financial management in rural communities is imperative for their survival, yet their existence is so elusive that they might as well be phantom. This frustrating reality is a blatant obstruction to rural enterprise development and untenable for vulnerable South African entrepreneurs.
For almost a decade, in every parliamentary discussion concerning SEDA in rural areas, the DA advocated for the implementation of a “one-stop shop” strategy. This initiative entails a service desk in every municipality to enable seamless access to services from the Department of Small Business and its affiliates.
The DA now calls on the Minister of Small Business Development and the Minister of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, demanding immediate corrective action. We also reiterate our call for a “one-stop shop” in every municipality across the country.
The DA remains resolute in our commitment to mobilise solutions for the multitude of entrepreneurial spirits dwelling in the often-neglected rural areas still under ANC governance.
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