ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESS GROWTH
The City of Ekurhuleni’s Economic Development Department has implemented numerous programmes over the past four years to spur enterprise development.
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n line with the City’s Growth and Development Strategy (2055), there are consolidated efforts working towards building a capable City between 2012 and 2030. The department – in its endeavour to facilitate enterprise development and a response to government’s mandate of radical transformation, modernisation and re-industrialisation of the Gauteng City Region economy – has implemented various programmes that support and promote SMMEs in the City. One such intervention is the roll-out of economic infrastructure in townships, as part of the township retivalisation strategy. The revitalisation of township economies is a systematic intervention to rejuvenate townships in a manner that addresses spatial inequalities through the development of economic infrastructure to drive economic activity. This intervention is responding to government’s vision of developing vibrant and sustainable township enterprises by transforming these areas into sites for productive activities, contributing to
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socially inclusive wealth creation and helping to foster sustainable livelihoods through job creation, social cohesion and active citizenship. The department, in its endeavour to encourage township economic development, completed Phase 2 of the Etwatwa Industrial Hub in FY 2018/19. Kwa-Thema Business Hub Phase 2 was completed during 2018/19 and the installation of special equipment at the Khulisa Multipurpose Centre in Vosloorus was completed ahead of the operating date of 1 September 2018. Furthermore, the construction phase of the Automotive Centre in Geluksdal commenced in 2019/20. Other hubs/ hives completed in previous years include the following: Industrial hives: • Daveyton Bus Shed • Etwatwa Industrial Hive Phase 1 • Tembisa Business Hub Business hubs: • Tsakane Business Hub • Tembisa Business Hub • Kwa-Thema Business Hub Phase 1
Innovation hubs: • Tembisa Fab Lab • Tsakane Fab Lab • Thokoza Fab Lab • Duduza Resource Centre Fab Lab Informal traders: • Barcelona Informal Trading Market. One of the business sectors that has been identified is the automotive aftermarket industry, a secondary market of the automotive industry. This includes the manufacturing, remanufacturing, refurbishment, distribution, retail sales and installation of vehicle parts, equipment, and accessories after the sale of the automobile by the original manufacturer to the consumer. The City of Ekurhuleni has collaborated with Automotive Industry Development Centre to establish automotive and aftermarket hubs in various townships within the municipality. The five areas that have been identified by the City for the township automotive hubs are Labore, Reigerpark, Tembisa, Katlehong manufacturing and Katlehong automotive.
