LETTER TO THE EDITOR/OPINIONS
President Cyril Ramaphosa hailed the recent KwaZulu-Natal District Development Model (DDM) Presidential Imbizo as a powerful example of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in action.
The President underscored the collaborative efforts of various political leaders to address pressing community issues.
Addressing community members at the Umnini Sportsfield in Umgababa, the President said the imbizo was “a fairly productive session”.
“As I end, I think we have held a fairly productive imbizo session. Today has been a clear demonstration of how our Government of National Unity is also working. I have Ministers from our various political parties that are part of the GNU.
“I would like to thank them all and I want all the parties in the GNU to see the value of izimbizo. They are important because they enable us to interact with our people and hear their views, and answer their questions and at the same time, follow up on their issues that they have raised,” the President said.
The Presidential Imbizo is a platform for communities to interact with government leaders from all three spheres of government on service delivery challenges, and for the executive to respond to the community on what they are doing to resolve those issues.
Community members gathered at the Umnini Sportsfield raised issues such as crime, unemployment, the rising cost of living and matters concerning education.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union asked President Ramaphosa to intervene on the issue of safety and security at KwaZulu-Natal schools, highlighting previous incidents where teachers were attacked, shot and killed at schools.
Before the Ministers took to the podium to respond to the above issues, President Ramaphosa apologised for the delayed start due to technical issues, stressing the need for better preparedness at such events.
Ministers in the GNU accompanying the President responded to the issues respectively and promised residents that they will follow up and provide solutions.
Durban tourism sector
Turning to the eThekwini municipality, the President also spoke about plans to rejuvenate Durban’s tourism sector, which has historically made the city the "holiday mecca" of South Africa.
With tourism numbers currently in decline, President Ramaphosa expressed optimism for a revival through the planned reopening of key hotels like the Hilton and lease renewals for iconic establishments such as the Maharani and Elangeni.
“The business sector has pledged to invest billions of rands to revive tourism, so I am looking forward to the revival of tourism so that Durban can go back to being the jewel of South African tourism. It must once again become the mecca of tourism in South Africa,” the President said.
Tourism Minister Patricia De Lille said that her department is working hard to rebuild the tourism sector in the province.
“Tourism is a very important sector for this province. It is making a significant contribution to the Gross Domestic Produce and economic growth of the province. The tourism sector has gone down in KwaZulu-Natal, but we are working hard with the Presidential Task Team and the private sector to rebuild it.”
The President also drew attention to ongoing infrastructure challenges, particularly highlighting the partial collapse of a bridge on the N2 highway, which has disrupted local transportation.
He expressed confidence in South African engineers, who have devised a plan to restore the bridge, calling it a testament to the country’s engineering expertise.¥ - SAnews.gov.za
LETTER
I trust you are well.
I just registered a private company.
Can you offer help with funding, even if it's a loan for newly-registered small businesses?
LETTER TO THE EDITOR/OPINIONS
Dear Lyra
Thank you for writing to Vuk’uzenzele with your query.
Here are some institutions you can call for help with start-up funding:
1. The Department of Trade and industry
Customer Contact Centre: 0861 843 384
E-mail: contactus@thedti.gov.za
Website: https://www.thedtic.gov.za/
2. The Department of Small Business Development
Tel: 0 861 843 384 and Select Option 2
E-mail: info@dsbd.gov.za
Website: www.dsbd.gov.za
For a list of funding programmes visit https://www.dsbd.gov.za/sites/default/files/2024-06/DSBD-PROGRAMMES%28F…
3. The Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA)
Tel: 0860 103 703 Email: info@seda.org.za
Website: www.seda.org.za
4. The Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA)
Tel: 012 748 9600 Email: helpline@sefa.org.za
Website: https://www.sefa.org.za/
5. The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA)
National office: Switchboard: 087 158 6345 / 5738
Customer Service: 0800 58 58 58
WhatsApp Line: 064 758 5058
Email: info@nyda.gov.za
Website: https://www.nyda.gov.za/
6. The National Empowerment Fund (NEF)
Tel: 011 305 8000
Call Centre: 0861 843 633 / 0861
Email: applications@nefcorp.co.za (Funding)
info@nefcorp.co.za (General Enquiries)
Website: https://www.nefcorp.co.za/
7. Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)
Call Centre: 0860 693 888
E-mail: callcentre@idc.co.za
Website: https://www.idc.co.za/
Warm regards,
Vuk’uzenzele
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