MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Getting small business on board

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The developers of the Baywest Mall in Port Elizabeth, Abacus Asset Management and Billion Group, are targeting small-to-medium sized businesses for involvement during the construction phase of the centre.

With more than 400 SMMEs registered on the mall’s database for possible work on the mammoth project, developers recently held a workshop for SMMEs struggling to get the required paperwork required by law for registration.

Mondli Kweyama
Department of Labour compliance officer Mondli Kweyama

A Compliance Workshop, held at the Newton Park Methodist hall on 6 November, was headed by the project’s principal contractor Murray & Roberts and saw about 100 SMMEs in attendance.

To assist SMMEs in understanding how to become compliant in terms of legislated building industry requirements, SARS, the Department of Labour and Murray & Roberts all gave presentations and took questions from the audience.

SMMEs were told how to apply for letters of good standing, tax clearance certificates, and other important documents required by construction industry developers when considering which companies to sub-contract to.

In turn, some SMMEs raised frustrations with the Department of Labour over government’s laborious bureaucratic processes, which often meant they could not get the paperwork needed to register for building big contracts. It was an issue the department’s Mondli Kweyama promised to address.

Addressing the workshop, Murray & Roberts quantity surveyor Loyiso Bomvana said that at present the local labour contingent on the Baywest site stood at 86%, with PDIs (previously disadvantaged individuals) comprising of 81% of the on-site labour.

The Baywest Mall primary contractor Murray & Roberts, through the mall’s Community Liaison Officer (CLO) Azola Tybosch, is looking to SMEs throughout the city – particularly from the Northern Areas suburbs and townships – to register on their database for possible work during the R1.3-billion construction phase.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.