Question NW1103 to the Minister of Small Business Development

Reply:

The European Union- Funded Ecosystem Development for Small Enterprise Programme (EDSE) has been supporting the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) to develop an integrated strategy to mainstream gender, youth and persons with disabilities for the Small Business development (SBD) Portfolio, which is made up of the DSBD, the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) and the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa).

a) An update and/or details on the GEYODI Mainstreaming Strategy:

The central problem that this Strategy seeks to address is the persistent economic differentials experienced by women, youth and persons with disabilities in South Africa amidst the existence of policies and programmes aimed at the economic empowerment of these targeted groups and their small, medium and micro enterprises.

The Gender, Youth, Disability (GEYODI) Mainstreaming Strategy (2023) is developed to guide the SBD Portfolio in identifying and allocating critical resources and interventions to support and enable targeted groups to participate fully and equitably in the mainstream economy by supporting their enterprises. It also seeks to highlight the strategic leadership and coordination role that the department should discharge in allocating and distributing resources for equitable economic empowerment and opportunities of GEYODI groups, including jobs, financial services, property and other productive assets, skills development and market information with other stakeholders.

The Strategy outlines a department-wide approach towards the integration of GEYODI groups and responsiveness to their needs and challenges in the planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, auditing and reporting processes as well as aligning departmental processes and programmes with the current Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) and the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) to assist in efficient monitoring and evaluation and reporting processes.

• Strategic objectives of the GEYODI Mainstreaming Strategy

The GEYODI Mainstreaming Strategy is guided by the human rights of GEYODI groups, including the right to human dignity, equality, non-discrimination, participation, self-representation and development, which obliges the State to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the human rights of GEYODI groups.

The Strategy is underpinned by two strategic objectives namely:

Strategic objective 1: Integration and alignment of existing programmes for GEYODI rights

1(a) Accountability, coordination, and leadership

Provide, demonstrate and strengthen accountability, coordination and leadership in the SBD Portfolio on the constitutional rights of GEYODI groups in a strategically and institutionally coherent and collaborative way with adequate human, technical and financial resources and appropriate institutional arrangements, systems and processes.

1(b). Sector and market development

Advocate for sector and market development, improve the regulatory and administrative environment of SMMEs for GEYODI groups and remove red tape that creates barriers to full and equal participation.

1(c). Development Finance

Increasingly resource and capacitate fund managers to facilitate and provide support to empower GEYODI groups to access development finance to participate fully and equally in the SMME sector and remove barriers to the full and equal benefit and participation in development finance programmes.

1(d). Entrepreneurship and enterprise development support

Increasingly resource and capacitate programme managers to facilitate and provide support to empower GEYODI groups to start and grow their enterprises to participate fully and equally in the SMME sector and remove barriers to their full and equal participation and benefit from development finance programmes.

Strategic objective 2: Implementation of programme interventions aimed at empowering the GEYODI groups

2(a). GEYODI-responsive programme planning, budgeting, monitoring, evaluation and auditing

Undertake diagnostic assessments, situational analyss and audits to determine the needs, capacities, vulnerabilities and challenges of GEYODI groups and their priorities in the SME ecosystem for effective GEYODI-responsive planning, programme design and setting of targets and budgets based on policy priorities and evidence; Strengthen GEYODI-responsive budgeting (GRB) initiatives and the application of GRB as a means of providing organisational support to empower GEYODI entrepreneurs and their enterprises to participate fully, equally and competitively in the economy.

2(b). GEYODI-responsive procurement

Strengthen the participation of GEYODI-owned SMEs in public procurement and capacitate the Supply Chain Management function of the DSBD Portfolio to create enabling policies and plans that would empower and enable GEYODI groups to participate and benefit equitably from public procurement. The DSBD Procurement Policy should also indicate clear and measurable targets for GEYODI, in line with the MTSF requirements. The attainment of the GEYODI procurement should be monitored and reported in line with the DSBD Portfolio M E Framework reports should reflect the quantity and value of procurement awarded to each GEYODI group.

b) The date on which the implementation and roll-out of the strategy is envisaged:

The GEYODI Mainstreaming Strategy was approved by DSBD EXCO on 27 March 2023 and envisaged that the strategy will be rolled out with effect from 1 April 2023.