Dept of Small Business Development not doing enough to protect informal sector - opposition parties
Parties were debating the Small Business Development Department’s R2.4 billion budget which was tabled by Minister Stella Ndabeni Abrahams.
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CAPE TOWN - Opposition parties said that the Department of Small Business Development was not doing enough to protect and support the township's informal sector.
Some have also called for the department to be done away with.
Parties were debating the Small Business Development Department’s R2.4 billion budget, which was tabled by Minister Stella Ndabeni Abrahams.
But African Transformation Movement (ATM) MP Vuyo Zungula said that the informal space was dominated by big retailers and foreigner-owned businesses with little or no support for locals.
"The citizens in the informal sector are trading for survival. The government is lacking care by failing to protect such vulnerable people. Go to any township, village or small town, all economic activities are either in the hands of big companies or foreigners, which are dominating all economic activity in that space."
But Minister Ndabeni Abrahams said that money had been set aside to assist such businesses.
"We’ve allocated R45 million to general dealers as part of reclaiming the township and rural retail space. To ensure safe and decent space for SMMEs and cooperatives, we will spend an amount of R153 million to build new structures."