About 300 new businesses in W Cape per month

Cape Town - On average, more than 300 new businesses were registered in the Western Cape each month, since the start of this year, the province's Minister of Economic Opportunities Alan Winde said on Monday in his monthly economic update.

"Entrepreneurs are important job creators. It’s our job, as Government, to create the right environment for these entrepreneurs to thrive. This means getting rid of regulations and policies which hamper economic growth," said Winde.

In his view the biggest threat the economy is currently facing are the national visa regulations.

"It is estimated that the Western Cape economy will experience a R384m loss in the first
quarter of this year as a result of these onerous laws," said Winde.

He announced that at the start of September, the Western Cape Government’s Red Tape Reduction Unit will launch its Biz Challenge.

"Through this initiative, we will work with businesses to identify the most problematic aspects of the visa regulations. I’d like to encourage local businesses to submit their comments and help us make it easier to do business in the Western Cape," he said.