Remarks by the Minister of Small Business Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu, at the launch of General Electric Southern Africa’s Skills and SME Development
Programme Director,
Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa,
Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mr Blade Ndzimande,
President and CEO of GE, Mr Tim Schweikert,
President and CEO of GE, Mr Jay Ireland,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
I am honoured and privileged to be part of this momentous occasion.
We applaud General Electric (GE) for responding positively to our call to the private sector and civil society to join government in the on-going reconstruction and development of our country. As we applaud GE, we hope that other corporates will emulate this noble example. We are confident that this initiative will go a long way in opening up opportunities for historically marginalised South Africans and thus advance our objective of achieving an inclusive economy.
Our gathering this morning is an unequivocal demonstration of our collective commitment to work relentlessly and with determination towards building an economy that benefits all. We are encouraged by the outpouring of support that the Ministry of Small Business Development continues to receive from the general public and the business sector in particular.
Government has made a commitment to set the country on a path of radical economic transformation in order to accelerate our onslaught on the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment. Indeed, to launch an effective onslaught against these three scourges requires radical, bold and decisive steps. All of us have a responsibility to ensure that all our people are empowered to taste the fruits of our freedom and democracy in their lifetime.
It must worry our collective conscience that, twenty years since our freedom, the participation of black people in the country’s economy leaves much to be desired. This is largely a result of constraints and obstacle placed in the way of black and women economic empowerment. Let us work together to empower historically disadvantaged people to seize the opportunities created by the 1994 democratic breakthrough.
As the Ministry for Small Business Development, we are confident that, working together, we will be able to unlock economic opportunities and thus achieve inclusive economic growth and sustainable employment, particularly for women, youth and people with people with disabilities. The private sector must reflect on their procurement strategies and ensure that small entrepreneurs have abundant opportunities to grow and develop their enterprises in an environment that nurtures the development of these enterprises and enhances their job creation potential.
For our part as government, we will continue to create an enabling environment for small businesses to grow and thrive. We will work with all our partners to address, among other challenges, the lack of access to markets and procurement, lack of access to finance and credit, low skills levels, lack of access to information.
We have no doubt that the much-needed economic growth and employment opportunities will come from a practical policy that enables small businesses to thrive and grow into profitable enterprises. SMMEs have the potential to be the backbones of our economy and the main driver of economic growth, poverty reduction and job creation.
We will focus on providing effective support to small businesses through, among other things; access to finance, business skill development, market access, competitiveness, easing the regulatory burden and advancing localisation, particularly leveraging on public procurement.
I would like to urge GE management to make a solemn commitment that GE will continue to work with government beyond today’s launch. We have a collective responsibility to make sure that this initiative becomes a sustainable instrument for job creation, skills development and black economic empowerment.
The value of this initiative will, ultimately, be defined by the extent to which it has made a practical difference in the lives of ordinary South Africans.
Together we move South Africa forward by creating economic opportunities for young people and creating economic opportunities towards inclusive growth.
I thank you.
