DA calls for an Urgent sitting of the committee for Small Business Development

18 July 2021

The Parliament committee for Small Business Development must urgently convene to consider government’s assistance to small and medium sized business effected by the widespread looting and vandalism of the last two weeks.

In light of this, on Friday I spoke to and wrote to honorary Violet Sizani Siwela, chairperson of the Parliamentary committee for Small Business Development, requesting an urgent sitting of the Small Business Development committee. The committee needs to urgently convene to consider the following:

A Press statement from the committee, giving assurance that government will begin an urgent process to assist in the rebuilding of lost SMMEs

Potential assistance actions from the Department of Small Business Development, which includes using the agencies of SEDA and SEFA.

An urgent committee oversight in KZN and Gauteng to assess the damage and talk to Business Owners, to understand their needs on the ground.

Whilst the committee considers my request, on Sunday the 18th of July, I will be joining the DA leader, John Steenhuisen in KwaZulu Natal. We would like to observe firsthand the destruction of businesses effected by the widespread vandalism and looting. We will be meeting with various local business owners and employees, whose lives and livelihoods have been severely disrupted.

As government finally starts to stabilise the crisis, thousands of business owners will need to start rebuilding what was lost. Government must assist the rebuilding effort in any and every way possible. In light of this, it is crucial that the committee for Small Business Development urgently convenes to find constructive ways to help our small business owners, employees and stakeholders in the affected areas.

Issued by Jan De Villiers, DA Shadow Minister of Small Business Development, 18 July 2021