Local entrepreneurs network at Bellville Business Expo
Velda Derrocks from TUHF Property Finance, was among the guest speakers at the Bellville Business Expo which took place at the University of Stellenbosch’s Business School, Bellville Campus, on Thursday June 8. PICTURE: KEANAN HARMSE
Various local businesses and entrepreneurs were treated to an informative workshop that highlighted the complexities of running a business at this year’s Bellville Business Expo.
The expo, hosted by The Greater Tygerberg Partnership and The City of Cape Town, was held at the University of Stellenbosch’s Business School, Bellville Campus, on Thursday morning.
The City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for economic growth, James Vos, addressed the business owners and guests with a keynote address on the day.
“I think it’s safe to say that our programmes have started to cause a shift in Cape Town’s business environment. For example, our Productivity Efficiency Programme assisted 18 businesses, resulting in the retention of 588 jobs.
“On a far bigger scale, we can see that 279 000 new jobs have been created in the last year in this metro. 1.7 million Capetonians now get up to go to work every day, the highest recording of employment in this metro since at least 2008,” Mr Vos said.
He also shared the progress of the City’s “Better.Bellville.Together” campaign, which is defined as an economic development initiative aimed at beautifying parts of Bellville to make it more attractive for investors.
“Since kicking off in February, the campaign has seen the clean-up of more than 160kg of recyclable waste such as cardboard, paper and plastic. More than 330kg of compostable waste, such as food scraps, have been collected.
“Over 950 illegal posters and graffiti have been removed and almost 50 public benches have been repaired and painted. Not only is this beautifying Bellville and surrounds, it has also led to the creation of much-needed jobs while reducing the impact of valuable reusable waste on landfills,“ he said.
Mr Vos added that he tabled the City’s budget for 2023/24 last week, in which nearly R200 million has been allocated to various programmes to uplift entrepreneurs.
“R200 million has been allocated to various programmes aimed at assisting all sectors and levels of the economy from work seekers, entrepreneurs, small business and high growth sectors. Furthermore, the Economic Growth Directorate is planning on spending around R100 million on capital works on the City’s strategic economic assets and informal trading infrastructure,” he said.