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City creating opportunities in key sectors
21 May 2018
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES IN KEY JOB-CREATING SECTORS
Statement by the City’s Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille
I am pleased to announce that the City of Cape Town has, through its support of Wesgro and special-purpose small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) vehicles, facilitated R1.2 billion worth of investment during the first few months of 2018.
In addition, the City’s support of sector-specific interventions ensured that 1 380 job opportunities were created and 274 people were trained between January and March 2018.
These results are proof of our efforts undertaken in line with the Organisational Development and Transformation Plan’s goals to ensure economic inclusion.
Cape Town is steadfast in its commitment to build an opportunity city where the economy thrives and employment grows each year. The City has identified priority sectors with the potential to grow and develop the city’s economy. These sectors include information communication and technology (ICT); business process outsourcing (BPO); craft and design; clothing, textiles and fashion; and renewable energy, among others.
It is encouraging to see sector bodies like the Business Process Enabling South Africa – Western Cape (BPESA WC) facilitating investment worth R262 million during the first three months of 2018. This investment resulted in 1 095 new job opportunities in the BPO sector.
BPESA WC is also working to support skills training in an industry that is reliant on a steady supply of Cape Town residents with the required skills to enable sector growth. Several pilot projects are currently underway to identify, train and provide 12-month learnership opportunities to previously unemployed residents. The intention is to place 75% of participants in work opportunities.
The City’s support also ensures the development and growth of small- and medium-size businesses (SMEs).
Six of the special-purpose vehicles supported 335 different SMEs altogether, with some 160 SMEs supported through the Craft and Design Institute (CDI). Over the past few months the CDI ‘s focus has been on export development with the showcasing of 33 export-ready producers at the NEXT 18 Trade Exhibition. GreenCape supported 87 SMEs to develop businesses in the green economy.
The City sees the current drought as an opportunity to drive innovation in green water technologies and services. GreenCape has been appointed to hold several design and innovation workshops to ensure solutions are practical and ready to implement.
Cape Town is committed to creating an enabling environment for businesses to invest and create new jobs. We will continue working hard on our efforts to bring more investment and create more jobs in diverse sectors in Cape Town.
It is important to note that the City of Cape Town works with the private sector and investors to grow our economy. It is not government’s role to create jobs but we have a keen understanding that we must create the conditions conducive to economic growth and support those sectors which are showing the most growth. By working together, we can ensure all of our residents have equal access to opportunities and by empowering residents we can redress the imbalances of our past.
With these latest results and many other successes, Cape Town has shown that we are a resilient city, and that we are committed to good governance and creating opportunities for all.
