Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism
Question by:
Hon Duwayne Jacobs
Answered by:
Hon Ivan Meyer
Question Number:
2
Question Body:
- How many foreign nationals have trading permits in the province;
- whether there are plans to prioritise Western Cape citizens in economic development plans; if so, what are the relevant details?
Answer Body:
- The issuing of trading permits is the purview of local government. The department assisted in the collation of information submitted by municipalities, as required by national directive for the Joint Action Plan reporting. As of 27 February 2025, four hundred and forty-eight (448) applications by foreign nationals had been approved across fourteen (14) municipalities in the province.
- All the programmes’ projects and interventions prioritise the citizens of the Western Cape. Our Enterprise Development has interventions that cover, inter alia, entrepreneurship development and promotion, business support and access to markets, across the province. Our Red Tape Reduction (RTR) programme through interventions linked to regulatory reform and business process improvements (that relate to government business-facing services, such as building plans) support municipalities to improve local business environments for local citizens and businesses. In addition, the RTR unit provides a platform for Western Cape businesses (and citizens) to log any complaints or enquiries that relate to bureaucratic blockages and other delays that negatively impact on business development and growth.
Date:
Thursday, May 22, 2025
