Question NW1387 to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

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06 July 2016 - NW1387

Profile picture: Van Dyk, Ms V

Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

Whether (a) his department and (b) all entities reporting to him are running development programmes for (i) small businesses and (ii) co-operatives; if not, why • not; if so, in each case, (aa) what are the relevant details, (bb) what amount has been budgeted and (cc) how many jobs will be created through the specified development programmes in the 2016-17 financial year?

Reply:

(a) Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG)- and Department of Traditional Affairs (OTA

The Department of Co-operative Governance and Department of Traditional Affairs do not have any developmental budgeted programmes on small businesses and co-operatives. However, DCoG and National House of Traditional Leaders (NHTL) do work together with the Department of Small Business Development and the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries in areas of interest within the municipal space.

DCoG approach towards the development of co-operatives focuses on capacitating municipalities, facilitating and coordinating support by national sector departments. Through a partnership with the German Co-operative Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV), DCoG provides municipalities with training skills for implementing co-operative programmes. LED officials from 188 municipalities were trained on Cooperatives Establishment and Management, between 2012/2013 to 2015/2016 financial years. The training covered KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and North West Provinces.

DCoG and NHTL do not have the number of jobs created through these development programmes. The database on the number of jobs created is administered the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Department of Trade and Industry.

(b) Associated Institutions of CoGTA: South African Local Government Association (SALGA), South African Cities Netwrok (SACN), Municipal Demarcation Board (MOB), Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL) Rights Commission and National House of Traditional Leaders.

The associated institutions of CoGTA namely SALGA, SACN, MOB and CRL are not running formal developmental programmes for small businesses and cooperatives for the 2016/17 becuase it falls outside their mandate. However, NHTL strategic objective is the development and promotion of socio-economic development programmes for traditional communities. Therefore. members of the House must participate in programs relating to the improvement of food security and revival of cooperatives in rural communities. Thus, in promoting those socio-economic programmes, traditional leaders have been allocating land for development projects, small scale farming in order to assist SMMEs and Cooperatives. for example, the NHTL has played a very instrumental role in engaging the Bakwena Ba Mogopa Traditional Council to allocate land to the community and cooperatives for agricultural projects and also ensuring that the local mines assists the agricultural cooperatives with seedlings and gardening equipment.

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