South Africa's critical socio economic challenges revolves around skills, unemployment and institutional capacity. Given the current environment and the reality that the ANC has been in power for 20 years, we must pursue a radical economic transformation to address poverty, inequality and unemployment. Broadening economic participation refers to the development of policies and strategies that create an enabling environment for small, medium and micro enterprises, SMMEs, and enhances the competitiveness of local and provincial economies to achieve equity growth and job creation. Chairperson, broadening participation is one of the strategic areas that were highlighted in the state of the nation address by the President. This is the third largest programme of the DTI with an allocation over R1 billion for the 2014-15 financial year. This funding is targeted at the following activities: providing business development support to co- operatives as per the Co-operatives Act and promoting broad-based black economic empowerment, BBBEE, and women empowerment through the Isivande Women's Fund, which provides affordable finance to rural enterprises in various sectors of the economy. Speakers always mention that there is no work done in the rural areas. This is a sign that they don't read government documents in order to fully understand that rural areas and other areas are visited by the ANC-led government.