The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is calling on the Department of Economic Development to convert all Gauteng Enterprise Propeller Offices into one-stop shops. This will allow businesses that need to apply for Covid-19 business relief to do so.
If the department does this then these one-stop shops have the potential to bring under one roof, municipalities, SARS, CIPC and lending institutions.
By doing this the department will be focusing on saving jobs as well as job creation which is needed to stimulate the economy during this time.
Furthermore, loan holidays on payments should be extended until the end of the year for small businesses which owe money to GEP. While the rent payment holiday for businesses operating in industrial hubs of Gauteng should also be extended until next year.
The department should assist small businesses and informal traders with a Business Safety Kit that will include sanitizers, reusable cloth masks and information pamphlets to enable businesses to operate safely as we approach the Covid peak in Gauteng.
In addition, the department should also ask municipalities to stop confiscating the goods of informal traders who are trying to make a living.
It is our mothers, sisters, uncles and brothers who are bracing the cold Gauteng winter to try make a living and provide for their families.