Gauteng Department of Economic Development clueless about the number of Township Enterprise Hubs

3 March 2020

It is shocking that the Gauteng Department of Economic Development does not know exactly how many Township Enterprise Hubs there are in the province.

This was revealed to me by the MEC for Economic Development Winifred Mosupyoe in response to my written questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

According to the MEC, the department is in the process of determining the number of Township Enterprise Hubs in Gauteng.

Prioritising Township Enterprise Hubs is an important pillar of the department as this will allow township economies to flourish.

The fact that the department does not have a detailed list of Township Enterprise Hubs shows that the ANC-led government cares little about growing township economies.

Furthermore, the department does not have any idea how many jobs have been created by the Township Enterprise Hubs.

Again, some of these Township Enterprise Hubs are in a deplorable state and are situated in old and dilapidated buildings.

These conditions do not attract the much needed investors who are key to growing the township economy.

It is high-time that the department prioritises Township Enterprise Hubs as they play a crucial role in promoting job creation, skills development and boosting the township economy.

The DA is calling on the MEC to speed up the process of determining the exact number of Township Enterprise Hubs and give us the final audit report on this matter.

Issued by Makashule Gana,DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Economic Development, 3 March 2020