Parliament, Monday, 12 July 2021 – The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development, Ms Violet Siwela, has welcomed a Cabinet decision to extend the validity of all business licenses and permits that expired between March 2020 and June 2021 to December 2022, as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday evening.
The President also said: “New business licenses or permits that are issued from the 1st of July will also be valid until 31 December 2022, and no license fee will be payable.” Ms Siwela agrees with Cabinet and the President that this intervention will provide some relief to small businesses as they are the hardest hit during the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
The National Development Plan has set a target of 11 million jobs by 2030, of which 9.9 million is to be created by small businesses. “We have always maintained as the committee that in order to meet this target, government needs to create a conducive environment for small businesses to operate, and the President’s announcement, without a doubt is a step in the right direction,” said Mr Siwela.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, MS VIOLET SIWELA.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Mr Justice Molafo
Tel: 021 403 8444
Cell: 081 424 7481
Email: jmolafo@parliament.gov.za
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