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

Job creation plan launched

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Dear MyPE

Nelson Mandela Bay needs a game-changing trade and industry strategy to turn this Metro into an investment hub and economic hotspot. The DA can win the Metro, ushering in the change we need to move forward again.

With unemployment at 33.2%, rampant corruption and paralysing political instability, the ANC has failed to create the right environment for economic growth.

By winning the Bay, the DA will create jobs through investing in infrastructure-led growth that creates an environment conducive to private sector growth.

Through opening the doors to small business growth, and establishing small business one stop shops to help our entrepreneurial residents thrive, we can turn the tide on unemployment in NMB.

With the right vision, political will and determination, Nelson Mandela Bay can become an engine room of unprecedented economic growth.

In order to do this, The DA will implement a 5-point growth plan:

1. Invest Nelson Mandela Bay

This government entity will coordinate marketing, investment and trade in the Metro. INMB would become the first point of contact for foreign and local investors, importers, exporters and entrepreneurs wishing to start or expand businesses. By building working relationships with business and all spheres of government, INMB would become the driver of investment into the Bay.

2. Barrier Eradication

Where it has the ability to do so, A DA-run NMB will offer rebates on input costs to businesses, linked to job creation targets. This will be done through rates rebates and assistance on electricity, water and internet costs. These costs pose significant barriers to growth for manufacturers competing with cheap imports, but more importantly for small businesses and start-ups.

3. One Stop Business Establishment

Securing an electricity connection in NMB takes a staggering 333 days. This crushes business start-ups and is indicative of a government that doesn’t care enough to grow industry and the economy.

Job Zones anchored to Opportunity Centres will become one stop shops for budding entrepreneurs and small business owners. The centres will be equipped with high speed internet access, direct phone access to INMB, a Metro Service Desk for utilities and rates assistance, and onsite mentors to guide entrepreneurs on how to access opportunities the Metro has to offer. Government will also partner with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to streamline the registration of new businesses.

4. Infrastructure Turnaround

A connected metro that creates jobs can only be so if infrastructure is maintained and developed. Driven by the Mayor’s office, special focus will be placed on ensuring that residents are safe in the knowledge that water, electricity, road and lighting infrastructure is kept up, high-speed Wi-Fi zones exist in identified nodes, and that economic opportunities can be accessed on time and in a safe manner through an integrated public transport system that works.

5. Investing in the Future

Under a DA government, NMB will subsidise bursaries in engineering and business degrees at NMMU to ensure that those with the willingness to work hard can further their education in the interest of creating opportunities. In addition to this, internships and mentorships will be offered in the municipality for those wishing to get experience in working for an efficient, clean government.

The DA is ready to govern the Bay to deliver change we need to move forward again. By being honest and responsive, a DA-led government in Nelson Mandela Bay will make our Metro safe again, provide opportunity, deliver better services and work tirelessly to redress economic inequality.

Regards

Athol Trollip

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Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.