The Word Bank’s most recent annual update
on the South African economy highlights anti-competitive behaviour by
industry-wide cartels as a major impediment to economic growth and poverty
alleviation. It correctly notes the role our competition authorities play in
breaking up these cartels, which serve the interests of large players
dominating their markets and cosy supply chains favouring long-standing
supplier relationships.
A place for ideas, discussion and suggestions for making South Africa a better place.
Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Opinion piece in Business Day - Synergy holds the key to growth
Today's Business Day features my opinion piece on supply chain inclusion (SCI) - you can read it here or else below.
Sunday, 7 February 2016
Speaking to business owners in Jabulani with Herman Mashaba
Yesterday Herman Mashaba, DA mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, was the guest speaker at an event organised by my Soweto West constituency in Jabulani. The focus was how the DA would assist businesses in Soweto and other townships gain access to the mainstream economy.
Herman was inspiring and received a warm welcome from the roughly 125 members of the audience.
It was great to see representatives from business associations such as The Entrepreneur Network, the Chamber of Business Associations and the Orlando East Business Forum present, as well as the Centre for Development Enterprise, Small Business Project, Seed Academy and other organisations with an interest in support for small business.
Before he left Herman drew the lucky winners of prizes donated by Seed Academy and the SA Professional Network Association. We also had impassioned speeches by founder of PhindiK shoes, Tshepo Kgaudi, and Pam Green, founder of Second Chances NGO, both of whom got a standing ovation.
Herman was inspiring and received a warm welcome from the roughly 125 members of the audience.
It was great to see representatives from business associations such as The Entrepreneur Network, the Chamber of Business Associations and the Orlando East Business Forum present, as well as the Centre for Development Enterprise, Small Business Project, Seed Academy and other organisations with an interest in support for small business.
Before he left Herman drew the lucky winners of prizes donated by Seed Academy and the SA Professional Network Association. We also had impassioned speeches by founder of PhindiK shoes, Tshepo Kgaudi, and Pam Green, founder of Second Chances NGO, both of whom got a standing ovation.
Wednesday, 3 February 2016
BizNews op-ed - Stability Key – Shifting regulatory goalposts points to ‘Rocky Road’.
BizNews has today published my op-ed on doing business in South Africa, first posted on this blog on January 22nd. You can find it here.
Regulations and red tape might not be the sexiest things to tackle, but they are strangling the life out of business like a boa constrictor suffocates its prey. Most of our lawmakers do not have a background in or understand business - the only source of wealth creation from which most taxes are paid.
My colleague Henro Kruger has been working extremely hard for the past year on a piece of legislation which, if enacted, will have a dramatic effect on the law-making process, making it much more business friendly. Watch this space!!!!
BizNews editor Stuart Lowman provides a
nice summary of the issue - The problem with any form of regulation is
that it can often form the basis of a deterrent. One is not arguing that
it needs to be put in place, but any form of it needs to be well thought
out, with both sides arguments taken into account and put into practice. And
then all an investor requires is stability as the ever changing landscape is
not attractive. The Democratic Alliance’s Toby Chance takes a look at the
current business landscape in South Africa. He says, “A new balance needs to be
struck. Business’s willingness and capacity to invest, grow and create jobs has
been taken too much for granted by policy and lawmakers.” And as ever, he calls
on the urgent need for reform, and offers some advice.
Regulations and red tape might not be the sexiest things to tackle, but they are strangling the life out of business like a boa constrictor suffocates its prey. Most of our lawmakers do not have a background in or understand business - the only source of wealth creation from which most taxes are paid.
My colleague Henro Kruger has been working extremely hard for the past year on a piece of legislation which, if enacted, will have a dramatic effect on the law-making process, making it much more business friendly. Watch this space!!!!
Friday, 29 January 2016
Press statement: Minister Zulu must account for R689 000 splurged on UK-France trip
Democratic Alliance press statement by
Toby Chance MP
DA Shadow Minister of Small Business Development
Minister Zulu must account for R689 000 splurged on UK-France trip
29 January 2016
Release: immediate
The Department of Small Business Development could
have supplied a 7 000W generator to nearly 70 small businesses with the money
Minister Lindiwe Zulu spent on a business trip to the UK and France in October
last year.
In reply to a
parliamentary question posed by DA MP Toby Chance, Zulu revealed that she spent
R689 000 on the trip, which should have consisted of various meetings with
clear objectives and goals, but seems to have been a number of talk shops
amounting to nothing concrete.
DA Joburg Mayoral Candidate Herman Mashaba and I to share a platform in Soweto
On Saturday 6th February Herman Mashaba and I are hosting a public meeting at the Jabulani Technical High School in Soweto.
We will be presenting the DA's small business policy with a special focus on Johannesburg in the lead up to the local government elections.
I first met Herman in 2005 when I was a member of the team at Adele Lucas Promotions running the Soweto Festival. This was the re-incarnation of the Soweto Homemakers Festival, the inspiration of Adele Lucas and the Soweto Chamber of Commerce, which ran from 1983 - 85, the first of its kind in a black township.
Herman brought Black Like Me to the Festival as one of our exhibitors and supported the event every year until I left the company in 2014 and became a DA MP.
In 2011 Herman was the keynote speaker at the opening function of the Soweto Festival Expo which was the biggest to date, attracting over 550 exhibitors of which 400 were SMMEs from all over Gauteng.
We will be presenting the DA's small business policy with a special focus on Johannesburg in the lead up to the local government elections.
I first met Herman in 2005 when I was a member of the team at Adele Lucas Promotions running the Soweto Festival. This was the re-incarnation of the Soweto Homemakers Festival, the inspiration of Adele Lucas and the Soweto Chamber of Commerce, which ran from 1983 - 85, the first of its kind in a black township.
Herman brought Black Like Me to the Festival as one of our exhibitors and supported the event every year until I left the company in 2014 and became a DA MP.
In 2011 Herman was the keynote speaker at the opening function of the Soweto Festival Expo which was the biggest to date, attracting over 550 exhibitors of which 400 were SMMEs from all over Gauteng.
Minister Zulu splurges R689 000 on UK - France trip
An answer to a Parliamentary question I put to Minister Lindiwe Zulu reveals that she spent nearly R700 000 on a trip to the UK and France in October.
I fail to understand how such an enormous sum was spent unless she stayed in the best hotels, travelled first class and took a whole entourage with her.
I will be following up with another question to get to the bottom of how the money was spent.
This wasteful and fruitless expenditure is against the background of Minister Zulu and her Department crying about lack of budget for their programmes to boost small business development.
Her response (carried in full below) shows nothing concrete emerged from her trip, which was more a series of talk shops than meetings with a clear set our outcomes.
I fail to understand how such an enormous sum was spent unless she stayed in the best hotels, travelled first class and took a whole entourage with her.
I will be following up with another question to get to the bottom of how the money was spent.
This wasteful and fruitless expenditure is against the background of Minister Zulu and her Department crying about lack of budget for their programmes to boost small business development.
Her response (carried in full below) shows nothing concrete emerged from her trip, which was more a series of talk shops than meetings with a clear set our outcomes.
Thursday, 28 January 2016
Financial Mail - Small Business: Request for a re-design
Today's edition of Financial Mail has an article by Stephen Timm on the strategy review recently conducted on the Department of Small Business Development.
"A TROUBLED
picture of the small business development department has been painted by an
auditor's review, which calls for the axing or relocation of a number of the
department’s support programmes.
The department has
faced criticism that nearly two years after its inception it has little to show
for itself.
Parliament’s small
business development committee last year ordered the department to carry out a
review of its programmes, following concern over its failure to develop a
proper strategic plan."
The author quotes me
quite extensively towards the end of the article. It's a fair assessment of the
review, in my opinion, which is by leaps and bounds a more incisive analysis of
the department's strategy and programmes than its own internal assessments.
Now we wait for the
department's and Minister Zulu's response. At our first Portfolio Committee
meeting on Feb 10th I will be urging some swift action as the department
cannot afford more months of drift and non-performance.
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