Durban - The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry has welcomed the reappointment of Mike Mabuyakhulu to the KZN cabinet.
And Mike Jackson, the chairman of the East Coast branch of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa), said he was “absolutely thrilled that the dynamic Mabuyakhulu”’ had retained his position.
Mabuyukhulu’s portfolio is now Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, with the environment aspect being a new addition.
Andrew Layman, the chief executive of the chamber, said this was an “interesting development in that economic development is so connected to environmental issues”.
He said the addition to the portfolio made “absolute sense”.
Mabuyukhulu’s re-appointment had to be welcomed as the MEC had built up “considerable momentum” in the past few years and it would have been a great pity if someone else had come in who had to “start from scratch”.
Mabuyukhulu enjoyed the support of businesses and “continuity and predictability are very important issues”, Layman said.
Mabuyakhulu had rightly been described at a Tourism KZN function during the recent Indaba trade show in Durban as the “province’s chief marketing officer”, with Jackson adding last night that the pro-active MEC was “wonderful” at his portfolio.
Layman also said that making Belinda Scott the MEC for Finance was a “good choice”.
Scott is the former chairwoman of the KZN finance and economic development committee.
The chamber, among the largest in Africa, with more than 80 percent of its members falling into the “small business” category, has also welcomed the creation of a dedicated national ministry to advance the growth of the country’s small business sector.
Akash Singh, the president of the chamber, said the new national minister, Lindiwe Zulu, was a worthy appointee and that President Zuma’s move to create the ministry “should herald a new era of entrepreneurship in South Africa in which the country may forge ahead and achieve much higher ratings in Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reports”.
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