Entrepreneurs Diepsloot hire Gauteng Premier

“It seems that the Diepsloot government has seriously forgotten about,” fish-and-chip shop owner Samuel Seema told Gauteng Prime Minister David Makhura on Tuesday at a meeting of about 200 small business owners and residents.

Makhura and MEC for Transport Jacob Mamabolo were at the Diepsloot Youth Center to discuss and discuss the new Township Economic Development Bill.

But many in the crowd expressed their anger at both Makhura and Mamabolo, and their frustration at the lack of basic services making it difficult to run a business in Diepsloot.

The new law will do nothing if Diepsloot remains filthy, crime-ridden and poorly maintained, the owners of small and micro-enterprises told the prime minister.

“I’ve been staying in a cabin here for 23 years,” Seema said. “We see all the developments taking place in the area, but not in Diepsloot. We can’t run a business in such a community.”

He said that crime from Diepsloot acted.

“In Diepsloot, it is difficult to turn around a bend without encountering rubbish. It has become a norm here,” says Sandile Shoba. He sells stewed chicken and meat.

“Nobody wants to buy food near a smelly shop,” Patrick Madonsela, an Extension 6 small business owner, told Makhura.

“Our biggest problem is how bad the service to Diepsloot is. This place is very filthy and pushes businesses away from us, uncollected waste and poor water infrastructure are central issues,” he said.

Vuyelwa Dube has had a fast food business in Extension 2 since 2014, she said, “This place stinks and there are flies everywhere.” She said the city of Johannesburg had been piling up garbage for weeks. “We need a sustainable solution, because even the neighboring liquor store is badly affected by this dumping”.

“Our leaders are failing us miserably when it comes to road infrastructure,” Gilbert Chikopo, a local entrepreneur in the construction industry, told the prime minister.

He said the roads in parts of Extension 8 were in a sorry state.

Residents also criticized MEC Mamabolo for slow progress on the K46 road project on William Nicol Drive. The road should be ready in 2017.

Electricity is yet another problem paralyzing the business.

“There’s also the electricity problem,” Chikopo said. “For example, you can’t run a food business with recurring power cuts… In Extension 8, our transformer exploded two months ago and Eskom has promised to come, but nothing.”

“Government incompetence is also setting us back. Take that!” Chikopo told Makhura.

Entrepreneurs also indicated that it is impossible to run a business from the sidewalks of Diepsloot. They want to build stalls and other business infrastructure at the various taxi ranks.

About 200 small business owners and residents came to see what the new Township Economic Development Bill will mean for them.

In his speech, Makhura said the new bill is a “first of its kind legislation strictly targeting SMEs”.

He said the bill, which he will sign into law in April, will remove statutes that “make it difficult for township businesses.”

“We’ve seen it. Where casual traders are harassed while trying to fend for themselves. So the laws criminalizing small businesses will now be replaced by one law,” Makhura told business operators.

“We are urging young people to get into business and create jobs. Not everyone has to wait for the government. We know that if township companies get the right support, they can generate a lot of income. We want Diepsloot to be a place of opportunity,” said Makhura.

“If you have a business and need space, come to us. We will be able to help you. Because some people come to us and say they don’t need money but land to expand their business… Our goal is to support production in the townships as well,” Makhura says.

He urged local businesses to be compliant, pay taxes, operate within the law and said health inspections were planned.

Residents said Makhura needs to address the realities on the ground in implementing the law.

Gauteng Prime Minister David Makhura and MEC for Transport David Mamabolo were at the Diepsloot Youth Center to discuss the new Township Economic Development Bill.

© 2022 GroundUp. This article was first published here.