Western Cape Government Launches Entrepreneurship Awareness Campaign

The Western Cape Government is driving a two-month entrepreneurship awareness campaign in the province to highlight the support we offer to new and emerging businesses.

In the past year, 30 000 entrepreneurs have accessed Western Cape Government small business support services.

Alan Winde, Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, said the Department of Economic Development and Tourism launched a radio campaign on commercial and community stations on 27 January. It will run until the end of March.

Minister Winde said the campaign is targeting small businesses across the Western Cape.

“The Western Cape Government has several small business support initiatives for entrepreneurs. These include the Partner Network and our Red Tape Reduction programme. It is important that residents, especially those living in historically disadvantaged areas, are aware of the support services we offer and make use of the opportunities provided by accessing them. Small businesses are the engine room of our economy. They are key job creators. We need to create an environment where our entrepreneurs can thrive so they are able to contribute to economic growth in our region,” said Minister Winde.

The Partner Network, a partnership between the Western Cape Government and the Small Enterprise Development Agency, is comprised of 20 economic development centres across the province. Areas with a centre include the Cape Town CBD, Khayelitsha, Philippi and Saldanha Bay.

“Since the Partner Network was established in September 2012, 29 854 residents have accessed business advice services there. These include company registrations, access to finance, website development and assistance with compliance. It is our hope that more people will use the support services we’re offering to get their businesses off the ground,” said Minister Winde.

Launched in 2011, the Red Tape Reduction Unit has dealt with 2 000 cases with a resolution rate of 87%.

“Red tape is one of the biggest barriers to economic growth. According to the SME Growth Index, small businesses spend 4% of their turnover on red tape. Our goal is to create an environment where businesses can flourish without being burdened by unnecessary regulations. In this way the Western Cape will become known, globally, as an efficient place to do business,” said Minister Winde.

The Red Tape call centre may be reached on 0861 888 126.