Question NW1811 to the Minister of Small Business Development
28 September 2020 - NW1811
Komane, Ms RN to ask the Minister of Small Business Development
In light of the suspension of the Township Enterprise Fund, what plans does her department have to redress the spatial inequality faced by township businesses as township entrepreneurs struggle with poor infrastructure, access to formal supply chains, lack of networks and access to information?
Reply:
Before the declaration of National State of Disaster, Cabinet approved the Township and Rural Entrepreneurship Programme (TREP) on the 4th of March 2020 as a programme to support township and rural entrepreneurship. After the National Treasury reprioritised the national budget to fund the priorities that directly assisted the country to respond and mitigate against the impact of Covid-19 pandemic both on health and livelihoods of South Africans, the Department like most others was required to reprioritised its revised allocation in line with priorities focus areas. The Department in its priority interventions included the TREP as a priority programme that is funded through the adjusted Budget. The following interventions under TREP were implemented jointly with the agencies (Seda and sefa):
- Autobody Repairers and Mechanics Support Scheme;
- Bakeries and Confectioneries Business Support Scheme;
- Clothing, Textile and Leather Business Support Scheme;
- Personal care (Hairdressers) support programme; and
- Butcheries support programme
In addition, the department also implemented the Informal Business Support programmes that prioritised businesses located in townships and rural areas, such as:
- Spaza Shops and General Dealer Support Programme;
- Tshisanyama and cooked food support programme;
- Fruits and Vegetable Hawkers and Butcheries Support Programme.
Therefore, the suspension of the Township Entrepreneurship Fund has not suspended the Department’s support to township and rural based businesses in a form of a dedicated programme.