Chairperson, Ministers present, members of the NCOP, MECs, heads of departments, officials of the DTI and the Council of Trade and Industry Institutions, led by Director-General Lionel October and the Acting Director-General Saleem Mowzer, and ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
The ANC-led government is increasing its efforts to support the small, medium and micro enterprises sector, as we believe that the SMME sector is critical in stimulating economic development. It is also a pivotal area in terms of innovation, skills development, entrepreneurship, labour absorption and job creation.
We also believe that the SMMEs are critical vehicles in ensuring inclusive growth and benefits, so as to deal with the challenge of displaced economic centres and industrial areas in our townships and former homelands. I am sure that we all agree that as a government we are resolute in our quest to revitalise displaced economic centres and industrial areas in our rural and peri-urban areas and townships. We believe this will ensure inclusivity and broad-based participation in the economic mainstream of South Africa.
Also, the creation of value chains across sectors is critical, because it connects the SMMEs to big corporations in the production of a plethora of goods and services.
The department's partnership with agencies such as the National Youth Development Agency seeks to ensure that we stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit of our youth, in particular the Gauteng chapter under the leadership of its visionary chairperson, Mr Simon Molefe, and the Eastern Cape chapter under the leadership of its activist chairperson, Mr Ayanda Matiti. We have undertaken a number of youth-focused "Taking the DTI to the people" activities with them, because we also intend to strengthen our relations by making sure that the hon chairperson of the select committee, Mr Gamede, will be able to strengthen this programme and expand it - within our limited budget, of course.
We also wish to make sure that we launch a lot of co-operatives. I'm sure we all know that the UN declared 2012 the International Year of Co- operatives. As such, hon Abrahams, you must also look at co-operatives that are working well. We are looking at the Co-operatives Act and trying to deal with the proposed academy and all the other training opportunities we have. We must understand that some of the people who have been in the co- operatives are still the products of Jan Van Riebeeck and De Drommedaris, De Reiger and De Goede Hoop. It is not the ANC-led government that led to that. We are trying to make sure that we change them into entrepreneurs and businesspeople, and that is a process.
Look at the positive side as well, because we do have co-operatives that are working very well. For your information, in the gallery this afternoon we have a young entrepreneur, Zibuko Mchunu, from the successful SmartXchange incubation programme. As the Minister indicated, we are going to roll that out. At present it is in KwaZulu-Natal and it is working very well. Look at the positives too, instead of focusing only on the negatives. He is in the gallery as our guest because we believe in our youth. We like those who are entrepreneurs like him, because they are not job seekers but job creators. The Small Enterprise Development Agency is doing a good job and we hope we'll see much more of that.
Also showcasing our resoluteness is the fact that the DTI has beefed up its capacity to focus specifically on informal trading in townships and peri- urban areas. We would also like to take these co-operatives and small businesses to international markets. Hon Abrahams, for your information, in our attempt to expose these SMMEs to international markets we've been part of a number of international trade fairs, including in countries like Cameroon in January. Again, in our gallery today one of our guests is sculptor Mr Robert Tshimungwa, who was named Best Foreign Exhibitor in Cameroon in January this year. If we were getting it wrong as a country, he would not have won at that exhibition. We also received a gold award for the best overall foreign stand in India, showcasing 20 entrepreneurs from rural areas. It was a collaborative effort. The contestants were divided into two teams of 10, equalling 20, and we won the gold award. Of course, this is under the leadership of Minister Rob Davies. [Applause.] We are doing a good job because he is driving the department in the right direction. Don't underestimate his leadership.
Just three weeks ago we had the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, ZITF, to which we took about 32 companies - small businesses and rural co- operatives. They exhibited there, and we again won a gold award as the best foreign exhibitor overall. [Applause.]
That shows you that we in this department are not just talking, but acting and working. We would not have succeeded had it not been for the leadership of Dr Davies, who is driving us and making sure that we do the work. At that ZITF exhibition the company Unica Plastic Moulders secured a deal to supply 133 stores with orders. What does that tell you? It tells you that job creation is going forward. They had to increase their capacity. Some of those who attended and struck deals are here. The department has implemented a lot of practical things. So, please, go back and do your research, and then come back and talk about the positives. I am not saying you must be the DTI's imbongi [praise singer] but you must learn to criticise in a positive manner.
As the Minister has indicated, in our endeavour to promote the development and growth of cooperatives we are going to bring the Co-operatives Act of 2005 back to Parliament. We want to make sure that it is in line with the broader strategy, the regulatory burden and all the issues that I've just mentioned, because we believe this is the right way to do things. Yes, indeed, we want our people to know and understand the concept of co- operatives but this will not take four or five years, especially with the budget the department is given.
As the DTI, we have been utilising vehicles such as the SA Women Entrepreneurs' Network, the Isivande Women's Fund and Bavumile Institute for Training to buttress our intent to make strategic interventions in women's economic empowerment. Some members of these bodies are in the gallery, including the acting president and board members.
The Technology for Women in Business programme is another one that we support as a department. This year, or even early next year, we will make sure that we deal with the strategy for the economic empowerment of women to get a better strategy that will take us somewhere. We must also recognise its sister programme, Techno-Girls - some of these girls are in the gallery or in S12A. We are nurturing these young girls while they are doing Grade 10, 11 and 12. They are students today, but they might well be good businesspeople in the future, or achieve in other sectors. They might become entrepreneurs. They innovate and come up with very good proposals. Later on, at the dinner, you'll listen to them and hear what we are trying to do. These are all things we are doing under the leadership of our Minister, and we hope to expand on them.
We all know that due to the apartheid spatial economy our development as a country remains locked in centralised economic activities. However, through these programmes, and similar ones that will strengthen them, we can make sure that we reach our desired goal of decreasing unemployment. Also, we will ensure that we get more entrepreneurs, in other words more "job creators" instead of "job seekers". We'll achieve this through the programmes we have, but also with your partnership. As members, you assist us in your constituencies by enabling us to reach out ... [Time expired.]