SOPA: Women to benefit
Provincial Government remains committed to the idea of using the muscles of state procurement to transform and diversify the economy, to allow more and meaningful participation of the historically disadvantaged people.
According to Premier Chupu Mathabatha during his State of the Province (SOPA) address, government ensured that at least 19% of state procurement benefitted women-owned businesses while about 12% of state procurement benefitted enterprises owned by young people in the past financial year and the target is to increase this number to at least 20% in the next financial year.
“We will also improve the participation of people living with disabilities in the provision of goods and services to our government. The province is implementing the Limpopo Procurement Strategy 2030, and the strategy is currently being reviewed to adjust some of the targets like rural and township businesses.”
Treasury Director for MEC support, Thulani Twala says taking heed from the presidential pronouncement of 40% of public procurement to be spend on women owned businesses, we are also currently working on a project together with development agencies, financing institutions, and marketing institutions like She-Trade, Proudly South African, DARD (Agro-Processing Marketing Division) and Office of the Presidency to capacitate women especially on bidding with government.
He says this project will be rolled out in three phases, with Phase 1 already started in Mopani and Vhembe in December 2020, Capricorn and Waterberg in February 2021, and we currently rolling out in Sekhukhune.
“To this end, every department in the province is expected to identify projects where women owned businesses can be targeted using the enabling legislation and the available data. And those project plans will thus be shared with Provincial Treasury for support and monitoring.”
Expenditure for 2020 in the designated groups
- Black people: 61% spent against a 60% target for 2030.
- Persons with disabilities: 0.253% spent against a 7% target for 2030.
- Black youth: 14% spent against a 20% target for 2030.
- Black women: 18% spent against a 20% target for 2030.
- Black owned Cooperatives: 0.141% spent against a 10% target for 2030.
- Black military veterans: 0.34% spent against a 3% target for 2030.
- SMMEs: 57% spent against a 65% target for 2030.
- Rural/township businesses: 18% spent against a 5% target for 2030.
