SOPA regional but not local.
SEDIBENG. – The Gauteng MEC for Economic Development Lebogang Maile has revealed that ‘the bulk of the SMMESs that benefitted from hosting the State of the Province Address (SOPA) in Sedibeng were in fact from Joburg and Tshwane.
“Sedibeng small medium micro enterprises (SMMEs) were overlooked by the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and Department of Economic Development in rendering services during the Sopa 2016,” said Kingsol Chabalala, Gauteng Democratic Alliance MPL for Emfuleni.
In a written reply to a question posed by the DA to the Office of the Premier, Makhura referred the question to Economic Development MEC, Lebogang Maile.
Maile responded that, on the beneficiary of SMME’s in Sedibeng, the bulk of the SMMESs that benefitted from hosting were in fact from Joburg and Tshwane.
This comes after the Premier David Makhura promised the Sedibeng community last year that SOPA would take place in this region. He mentioned that the regional residents and small businesses would benefit from hosting the SOPA.
Chabalala said it is hypocritical of the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) to have sourced SMMEs from two other regions in the province, leaving Sedibeng with little to no services to supply.
However, sources revealed to the DA that the speaker of the legislature, Ntombi Mekgwe had to put out fires when community members started asking why they were not involved and contracted to supply services at the SOPA.
The DA said: “If the premier is serious about reaching a target of 30% black-owned township entrepreneurs to render services to the GPG, then he needs to walk his talk and not simply pay lip-service to promises made.”
