Minister Abrahams must unlock potential for SMME participation in concentrated renewable energy manufacturing industry
4 August 2022
Note to editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Henro Kruger MP.
With the increasing drive for renewable energy adoption in South Africa, the DA finds it concerning that the Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Ndabeni Abrahams, is not actively working to promote increased SMME participation in the renewable energy manufacturing sector.
I will be writing to Minister Abrahams requesting clarity on what her department’s plan is to guarantee inclusion of SMMEs in Small Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) and the amendment of the National Integrated Small Enterprise Development (NISED) Masterplan to reflect this.
Recent media reports indicated that South Africa only has two companies that manufacture modules or panels for solar energy generation. Clearly, an opportunity does exist to reduce barriers for entry to a multiplicity of small to medium enterprises which will create jobs and provide skills to the unemployed.