Parliament, Friday, 15 June 2018 – The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development, Ms Ruth Bhengu, on behalf of the committee has welcomed the launch of the Ekurhuleni West Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Youth Incubator by the Minister of Small Business Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu in Katlehong, Gauteng.
Ms Bhengu said the role played by small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) as well as cooperatives in the creation of much needed jobs cannot be over-emphasised.
“We strongly believe that incubators of this kind could contribute meaningfully in curbing the rate of mortalities on SMMEs and cooperatives, ” said Ms Bhengu.
Ms Bhengu understands that the incubator is the first of its kind in the country and has encouraged the department to treat it as a pilot project and provide it with all the necessary support, in order to draw experience that could be replicated in other provinces and regions.
She also encouraged the Department of Small Business Development to come up with similar model for cooperatives, saying that the committee has since made this suggestion before with regards to agricultural cooperatives.
“During our oversight visit to the KwaZulu-Natal in February 2017, we took the department to the underutilised training centre in Nhlabamkhosi in Ugu District Municipality and Ugu Fresh Produce market, where the aim was to encourage the department to consider opening agricultural cooperative training centre. The centre would then take its produce to the already-existing Ugu fresh produce market,” said Ms Bhengu.
ISSUED BY PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, MS RUTH BHENGU
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