President Jacob Zuma says the launch of the Invest SA One Stop Shop in the Western Cape on Friday will make doing business easier and in the process, attract more investment to the country.
He said the launch of the centre, where investors can access a variety of services from government departments and agencies such as SARS under one roof, is an indication of how all three spheres of government can collaborate to cut red tape.
“Creating an environment where the economy can grow and jobs can be created for our people comes first for our government. Our people … need to be able to put food on the table. Young people need jobs. They are sitting at home with degrees and diplomas.
“The economy must come first for all of us… We are establishing the One Stop Shops to make it easier for investors to do business in South Africa,” he said.
The launch of the Invest SA Western Cape comes after the launch of the national centre in Pretoria.
Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Bulelani Magwanishe said since the launch of the national Invest SA centre in the first quarter of this year, 101 walk-ins have been recorded at the centre and 277 investor consultations were done. Four investor blockages were identified and escalated to the relevant departments and they were later resolved.
President Zuma said for a long time, the investor community has complained about being met with bureaucratic hurdles in the State, which made it difficult for them to do business. He said Invest SA is government’s concrete response to the concerns.
“The idea of One Stop Shops is simple. All key regulatory and administrative departments and agencies are housed in a single location to provide an integrated service to investors. This is happening for the first time in our history,” he said.
Western Cape Acting Premier Alan Winde said, meanwhile, that the launch of the centre was a demonstration of how national, provincial and local government can work together to facilitate investment.
