Address of the Premier Dr Zamani Saul at the launch of the NEF and One Stop Shop Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre
Programme Director, HOD Thami Mabija
Members of the Executive Council
Executive Mayors and Mayors
The NCEDA Board led by its Chairperson, Ms. Mpumi Mpata
CEO of the National Empowerment Fund, Mr. Mziwabantu Dayimani
Head of Invest South Africa, Mr. Maoto Molefane
Members of the media
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning
It is a pleasure to welcome you all to Kimberley for this important occasion, as we gather to launch eight enterprises supported through the National Empowerment Fund in partnership with the Northern Cape Provincial Government.
This event takes place a day before the much-anticipated Northern Cape Provincial Investment and Jobs Conference. Over the next two days, investors, public institutions, business leaders, and other economic role players will gather in our province to deliberate on how we deepen investment, expand opportunity, and create the jobs our people need. We look forward to warmly welcome them and present the Northern Cape as a province of real potential and real partnerships.
That is why today's launch is so significant. It forms part of the broader work of economic development in the province. And also demonstrates, in practical terms, the kind of economy we are trying to build and the kind of state support required to make that possible.
Ladies and Gentlemen, during the Sixth Administration, we took a conscious decision to embark on an aggressive economic development drive. We did so because we understood that no province can seriously confront the persistence triple challenges of unemployment poverty, and inequality without expanding its economic base. That is why we committed ourselves to the vision of building a modern, growing and successful province. At the centre of that vision is a clear task to grow the Northern Cape economy in a way that creates jobs, broadens economic participation, and strengthens local enterprise.
Today's launch must therefore be understood in that context. We are here to showcase enterprises that are already contributing to productive activity across our province. These projects are active in infrastructure and construction, manufacturing and industrial supply, hospitality and tourism, student accommodation, agro-processing, township economy activity, and environmental and wildlife services. Taken together, they reflect the Northern Cape economy's diversity and the wide range of opportunities it offers.
They show that when government, development finance institutions, and entrepreneurs work together with purpose, investment begins to translate into visible outcomes.
Across these eight beneficiaries, 229 new jobs have been created, and 110 jobs have been retained. We must therefore state clearly that small businesses, and especially Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, are central to any serious growth path for the Northern Cape.
In many communities, small businesses are the first point of economic activity. They create jobs close to where people live, circulate income locally and open space for new entrants into the economy. These are the businesses that give practical meaning to transformation because they place ownership, initiative, and opportunity in more hands.
For that reason, support for MSME’S is an integral part of our developmental agenda. The Northern Cape Blended SMME Fund was established from the understanding that viable enterprises often struggle to grow, because access to finance remains limited and uneven. If we are serious about changing the structure of our economy, we must address that financing gap.
The partnership between the National Empowerment Fund and the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism is therefore important. It combines national and provincial efforts in a way that gives practical support to enterprises with potential. It allows viable businesses to move beyond survival and toward expansion. And sends a message to black entrepreneurs, especially women and youth entrepreneurs that they should not remain on the margins of economic activity in a province with so much opportunity.
Government, of course, Programme Director, cannot speak about entrepreneurship while ignoring the barriers that confront investors and businesses. Our role is to help create the enabling conditions for growth. That means improving coordination across institutions and dealing with unnecessary delays. Making government more responsive by reducing obstacles to investment, facilitating approvals, and ensuring that public institutions act with the urgency required by economic development.
That is why the One Stop Shop initiative is so important. It is a response to the fragmented processes, regulatory delays, and administrative frustrations that too often discourage investment. Creating a single point of entry for investor support and regulatory facilitation makes the province more efficient, responsive, and investor-friendly. In simple terms, it says to business people and investors that the government must not become part of the problem. Government must become part of the solution.
Today's launch must be seen as part of that broader enabling environment. An enabling environment built through institutions, instruments, and partnerships that make it easier for businesses to start, expand, and employ. The One Stop Shop is one such instrument. The blended SMME fund is another. Together, they strengthen our hand as a province and improve our ability to move from intention to implementation.
We therefore wish to express our appreciation to the National Government and its entities for the roll-out of these initiatives. We appreciate the partnership with the National Empowerment Fund and the support of the dtic and InvestSA. These interventions form part of the support architecture required if provinces are to grow their economies and widen participation in meaningful ways.
The enterprises being launched today give substance to that point.
- Onkabetse Civils and Mining shows what is possible when a black woman-owned enterprise in construction and infrastructure receives support to expand its capacity.
- Wurthmore Concrete highlights the importance of building local industrial supply capacity to support infrastructure and development.
- Eden Est strengthens the hospitality and conferencing economy in Kimberley.
- Sea of Mountains and J&M Growth Properties help address demand linked to student accommodation and higher education growth.
- Proud Heritage Properties shows the potential of agro-processing and the township economy.
- Gem Con expands construction and plant hire capacity, while i4 Wildlife points to opportunities in environmental and wildlife services.
What is important here is what they tell us about the shape of development. Economic growth is built through a network of enterprises that operate across sectors, create local supply chains, respond to practical needs, and give people a route into productive activity. That is the kind of economy we want to build in the Northern Cape, one in which local enterprise is not peripheral, but central.
Programme Director, as Government it is important that we encourage entreprenuers to use these facilities. They exist to help enterprises with viable ideas, sound plans, and growth potential access support and move to the next level. Too often, people assume that such instruments are beyond their reach or reserved for a select few. That must not be the mindset. If you have a bankable project, a credible business case, and the discipline to build a sustainable enterprise, you should come forward and engage these institutions.
At the same time, access to support must be matched by the seriousness of purpose. We want enterprises that do not depend indefinitely on assistance but use it to build real capability, create employment, honor obligations, and contribute to a stronger provincial economy. That is how a support programme earns credibility, and that is how an entrepreneur builds trust with both the state and the market.
Programme Director, the Northern Cape has immense economic potential. We know this from our mineral endowment, our agricultural base, our renewable energy footprint, our tourism offer, and the growing role of logistics, services, and enterprise development. But potential on its own does not create jobs. It must be organised, financed, and supported by institutions that are aligned around growth. That is the task before us, and it is the reason why tomorrow's Investment and Jobs Conference is so important.
When investors gather here over the next two days, they must see a province that is working to remove constraints, support enterprise, and convert opportunity into projects. Today's launch helps us make that case with confidence. It tells investors that the Northern Cape is building the conditions for growth and backing entrepreneurs while strengthening partnerships.
As I conclude, let us remain clear about what is at stake. The future of the Northern Cape will be shaped by the choices we make now, by the seriousness with which we support productive sectors, and by the extent to which we open the economy to more participants. It will be shaped by whether we build a province in which black-owned enterprises, women and youth-owned enterprises, can grow, compete, and create jobs at scale.
The launch gives us confidence because it proves this work is already underway. It shows that partnership can yield results and that our vision to grow the province must be judged by the quality of the economic opportunities we help to create.
Once again, congratulations to the beneficiaries on what you have built and the opportunities that lie ahead. As Government, we reaffirm our commitment to fostering an economy that grows, that is inclusive, and creates jobs.
Together we can do more.
I thank you.
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