THE GOVERNMENT still needed to do much work to support small black businesses in the country, to ensure they could succeed and thrive in the cut-throat business world, according to Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Nomalungelo Gina.
Gina was speaking during her visit to businesses in the Western Cape, as part of the Siyahlola Programme.
The Siyahlola Programme is aimed at monitoring the performance of government-supported businesses and at assessing how they have been affected by the Covid 19 pandemic.
“Interacting with the small business operators and hearing of their challenges on the ground reveals the complexities of the work that still lies ahead to ensure that the economy is truly inclusive,” Gina said.
The deputy minister met with small business owners who told her of the struggles they encountered when starting a business.
Gina told the entrepreneurs that the government has systems in place, including funding schemes and support programmes, to help start-ups.
“This tells us that there is a great need to always revisit our work, to assess whether they enable us the tools to ensure we promote black excellence among entrepreneurs. We need to ensure that our systems encourage young entrepreneurs to enter the business space so that they help us to grow the economy of our country,” Gina said.
Earlier, Gina visited a youth-owned company, Jacobs Jam, a start-up food processing and manufacturing business. Gina also visited the Toronto Group’s charcoal manufacturing plant that is under construction in Wellington.
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