Question NW1973 to the Minister of Small Business Development
28 September 2020 - NW1973
Ngwenya, Ms DB to ask the Minister of Small Business Development
What (a) is the role of her department in ensuring that the interests of women, youth and persons with disabilities are advocated for in the small business sector, (b) has been the contribution of her department in the development of the National Gender-based Violence and Femicide Strategic Plan 2020-2030 with regard to small business development and (c) are the strategies of her department in implementing economic power in respect of women acquiring land ownership?
Reply:
a) The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) has not only advocated for the interest of women, youth and persons with disabilities in economic participation but has set specific targets to actively support businesses owned by women, youth and persons with disabilities included across its agencies.
The Department and its agencies (SEDA and sefa) have the following targets that are applicable for both financial and non-financial support across its implemented programmes:
Minimum of 40% of small-businesses supported must be women-owned and managed;
Minimum of 30% of small-businesses supported must be youth-owned and managed; and
Minimum of 6% of small-businesses supported must be owned and managed by persons with disabilities
In its reporting, the Department and its agencies report on progress that has been made in achieving these targets.
b) The DSBD actively participated and contributed to the development of the National Gender-based Violence and FemicideStrategicPlan (GBVF-NP) 2020-2030 especially Pillar 5, which deals with economic empowerment and the specific targets as indicated in (a) above are factored in the Plan as part of the department’s contribution.
c) The Department has no mandate to fund land acquisition, however the department and its agencies support small-scale agribusinesses in the areas of enterprise development, access to market support, and business infrastructure including equipment support (specific to agro-processing).