Cape Town - Black business people in Cape Town say that under the DA’s administration, they are not receiving work from either the city council or provincial government, and it’s contributing to the brain drain of black professionals in the province.
On Wednesday, members of the Black Management Forum (BMF) told a panel of political leaders vying for office in next week’s municipal elections, that black owners of small, medium and micro-sized businesses, suffered prejudice due to the red tape which required a wealth of experience before being eligible for a tender.
Black graduates from the province’s four universities were also choosing to migrate to Gauteng and Limpopo where they were more likely to be employed because of the hostile reception they received in the city.
Business people who attended a breakfast debate with representatives from the DA, ANC and EFF said they had not noticed substantial change in people’s lives in the city’s informal settlements.
People still lived in deplorable conditions and had no access to the city’seconomy.
BMF deputy provincial chairman Yonela Mvana said while there was a raft of enabling legislation to improve people’s lives, the reality was different.
“We have a society where we have to challenge the same comrades we fought alongside in the struggle to deliver better lives to the people who don’t have access to jobs and basic services,” he said.
BMF provincial chairman Andile Nomlala said black professionals had “disengaged” themselves from holding politicians accountable and had instead become social media critics.
Xolani Sotashe, the ANC’s mayoral candidate, said the city had a long way to go to undo the legacy of apartheid spatial planning.
“The narrative is that the city is divided. We need to integrate the city, speak with one voice and become one people,” he said.
Sotashe said black graduates felt unwelcome in Cape Town and the city needed to employ more black people in key positions. “We strongly believe there’s a gap between the formal and informal economy.
“Disadvantaged communities are not really participating in the real economy of the city. We must talk about real empowerment, not just dangle a carrot,” Sotashe said.
The DA’s Garreth Bloor, the city’s Mayco member for tourism, events and economic development, said the city was meeting national procurement targets and uplifting small business owners.
“We’ve been dedicated to empowering SMMEs, not just to say let’s give a tender for the sake of the company being an SME, but let’s ensure the company is geared up and empoweredso that when they win that tender, they can deliver the ultimate goods and services that our communities deserve.”
For the EFF, giving people access to land and housing were key priorities to create an inclusive city economy.
The city had to develop the property identified in its land audit, said EFF provincial leader Bernard Joseph.
“If the City of Cape Town won’t listen, then we will not hesitate to expropriate that land when we come into the city,” he said.
Bloor said much of the city’s land was unsuitable for development because they were either too small or alongside major roads, but that national government had to release vast tracts of land along the N1 and at Youngsfield for development.
Joseph said he did not believe any one party would win an outright majority in the metro, and his party was prepared to form a coalition with any party who shared the same values of bringing about radical change.
Nomlala said the forum had enjoyed a good relationship with the city and it would work with whatever party would govern in future.
Cape Argus