MMC for Economic Development councillor Leah Ruth Knott writes:
We wish all residents of Joburg a safe and peaceful festive season and restful holidays with family and friends, as they enjoy the blessing of this time, closing off the year to welcome a prosperous new year.
Part of my strategic objectives is to lead in driving a 5 per cent economic growth for the City of Johannesburg by 2021, enhancing and expanding SMME development and incubation programmes, as well as service delivery – with a key deliverable of creating jobs and attracting investment.
Highlights of 2018 include welcoming our new tourism director who has substantially turned the department around as well as the directors of SMME and Trade, and Tourism.
SMME development and support is essential to our economic growth targets.
The department has successfully launched three opportunity centres and one business centre that will help youth and emerging entrepreneurs with access to information, skills training and guidance provided by our private sector partners giving services onsite that help advance the empowerment of youth and aspiring entrepreneurs.
The centres are:
- Khoebo Opportunity Centre in Marshalltown
- Isiqalo Opportunity Centre at the Roodepoort Civic Centre
- Tlhabologo Opportunity Centre
- Discovery/COJ Business Centre in Orange Farm.
Amongst other successes are successful consultations with trader and hawker associations and related stakeholders to develop a street trader policy, spearheading a solution between trading and the needs of residents and businesses.
The launch of the VIC centre as well as getting a new website and an app, the release of 84 inner-city buildings, and finally, the number of women who entered the artisan training is also a highlight.
The dismissal of various directors for corruption has been a lowlight. But we managed to appoint qualified and passionate people that will help drive this department forward.
Partnerships between the community and the City are important in helping the City provide the services and support needed by residents.
We urge communities to rally behind efforts led by the City to help drive economic growth and bring sustainable change in the lives of all Joburg residents. Systems and processes have been established by the City to ensure that the lives of residents change for the better.
It is critical for residents to familiarise themselves with these processes so that they can better engage with the City.
The scale of economic challenges remain a reality for hundreds of Joburg residents and the current state of affairs is not acceptable. As an administration, we are making inroads into launching sustainable solutions.
Despite the gloomy economic outlook, there is hope for the unemployed. Our continuous efforts of building change that will create jobs remain as steadfast as ever.
The 2018/19 budget has revealed a demonstrable strategy in tackling our infrastructural backlogs. This is generating the idea that the provision of services and the stability of these services is a central priority to the multi-party government.
There are quite a few key people that played a significant role, we thank all of them.
In 2019 we hope to increase public-private partnerships in the opportunity centres to provide a diversified range of support to small business, finalise the inner city trading plan, permit system and policy, the job seekers desk, free transport for job seekers, and to get more private sector involvement in assisting with artisan training and employment.
