Under ANC rule, there is small business destruction in South Africa instead of small business development. The country’s saving grace is entrepreneurs who are successful, despite all the obstacles placed in their path by the government.
The government was unable to implement the simplest measures to stimulate the economy.
The ANC boasts about a few success stories of small and medium enterprises, but makes no mention of the thousands that have been ruined due to its incompetence. No enterprise can be successful without basic service delivery.
In addition, there are bureaucratic obstacles and incompetent officials, which means that enterprises may have to wait for more than a year for the necessary documentation or a health inspector to show up. Even obtaining a motor vehicle licence could become a very drawn-out process.
The Department has no reason to exist and its funding should instead be allocated to infrastructure to ensure that existing enterprises have proper power and water supply. These problems are so serious that a town, such as Bethal in Mpumalanga, was forced to implement its own form of load shedding on top of national load shedding as a result of non-payment to Eskom.
Some towns in the Free State have been plagued by interruptions in their water supply for three years now.
The poor condition of roads hampers the transport of products. It is impossible for small enterprises to survive, let alone thrive, under such circumstances.
This has a direct impact on investor certainty and confidence. Moreover, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding property rights. The Department let enterprises down during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly with regard to the challenges created by the lockdown regulations.
The government likes to promote the idea of local interest in business, but sets the opposite example as public departments and enterprises do not support local businesses by buying their products. Ministers’ vehicles are a good example.
It may not be difficult to apply for a business licence, but everything that goes along with it makes completing the process a near impossible task.
Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Affirmative Action (AA) have failed. It has let black-owned enterprises and the broader South African community down. Only a small number of elites benefited.
BEE and AA must be done away with. Infrastructure and basic service delivery must be prioritised. Unfortunately, the ANC will not do that and, thus, South Africans must use their vote in October this year to bring about change that will help to reignite the economy to the benefit of everyone in the country.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Wouter Wessels on FF Plus
