Gauteng launches One Stop Shop investment hub

Johannesburg - The Gauteng One Stop Shop, which aims to facilitate seamless international investment in South Africa, was officially opened by Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies and Gauteng Premier David Makhura in Johannesburg on Tuesday afternoon.

The InvestSA One Stop Shop in Sandton aims to bring together special economic zones, provincial investment agencies, local authorities and government departments to reduce inefficiencies and red tape for investors looking to invest in Gauteng.  

The launch of the investment hub follows the opening of similar structures in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal in 2017.

At the launch Davies said the hub was part of a presidential priority to improve service delivery for investors.

"This is a partnership from national government into the provinces and an excellent model of intergovernmental collaboration between the three spheres of government," he said.

"The aim of the One Stop Shop is to provide a convenient, professional service for setting up a business. The One Stop Shop will remove the hassle and red tape to an investor by providing a more coordinated, streamlined and professional service to companies. All these services will be available under the same roof."

Services offered to investors include access to the departments of home affairs, labour, environmental affairs and trade and industry.

The hub will also give investors access to agencies such as the Companies and Intellectual Properties Commission, the SA Revenue Service and state power utility Eskom, among others.

Ease of access

The minister said that since the launch of the National One Stop Shop in March 2017, government has hosted 624 investor consultations.

"The One Stop Shop is a national priority project… [and] the success of the One Stop Shop will depend on all stakeholders at the three spheres of government supporting this initiative and improving service delivery timelines," Davies said.

"South Africa is indeed an attractive destination and government is committed to improving the investment climate and ease of doing business. I urge the investment community to make use of these services and look forward to the roll out of One Stop Shops in all provinces."

Gauteng Premier David Makhura said the hub signals that South Africa is open for business

"The task of countries who want to be competitive in the global economy is to make it easy for companies to invest," Makhura said.