Port Shepstone Civic Centre under Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality was a hive of activity on Tuesday, 30 January 2024 as local SMEs attended the Investor Workshop on the modern Ugu District One Pause Shop. Hosted by South Coast Tourism & Investment Enterprise (SCTIE) in partnership with Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN), the workshop showcased investment opportunities on the KZN South Coast.
Local business people were invited to learn about the services offered by various government departments – including those under the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) – to assist them and contribute to the economy of the area. The workshop was attended by Ugu District investors and SMEs, among them Out of Woods, Pour Bake, Apt to Glow, Flowers & Gifts, Sunny Rock BnB, Amandlenkosi Farms, and JayChem. This was an opportunity for them to showcase their investment potential while discovering how the One Cease Shop will assist in unlocking this.
Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) Acting CEO, Sihle Ngcamu, opened the day’s events by outlining the purpose of the Ugu District One Halt Shop:
“Whether you’re selling in a mall, whether you’re manufacturing, providing services, or moving or transporting goods… every of these are contributing to the growth of our economy. But businesses are facing a number of challenges that decrease their profits. Some of those are policy-driven, and some of those are process-driven. So, how can we produce doing business easier?
“Government is here to provide an environment that is conducive for businesses to be sustained and to thrive. One of those programmes is the One Stay Shop services so that businesses don’t gain to creep from door-to-door or office to office just to see one department. Every [services] will be in one area. Today we are discussing how we can fabricate doing business easier.”
Speaking on behalf of SCTIE, Deputy Chairperson of the Board, Nongcebo Vukile McKenzie, said: “We are deeply appreciative to every partners and every stakeholders – among them Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal and InvestSA – for making this OSS a reality. This is the fourth One Stay Shop being launched and we survey forward to what will arrive from making doing business easier.”
McKenzie also commented on the region’s necessary tourism economy, with the highest number of Blue Flag beaches in the province, and the incredible rural experiences: “This is supported by other economic sectors, and we’re looking to grow these, including agribusiness, property development, logistics and transport, manufacturing, and the ocean economy. This is one of the steps to unlocking the potential.”
CEO of SCTIE, Phelisa Mangcu also noted the region’s diverse nature, outdoor, and adventure tourism experiences before commenting on the significant investment potential: “We proactively package investment opportunities, link business to government, market business offerings, and now we gain the One Stay Shop. We develop rural tourism products, attracting visitors to the hinterland region to support small businesses as well. In doing that, we are diversifying the region’s products beyond the ocean offerings, while supporting emerging growth sectors.”
She also indicated the support provided by the Buy Local membership, forming fraction of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition’s (the DTIC) Buy Back SA initiative that encourages local business support. Several businesses in attendance on the day were Buy Local members. They were joined by Ugu District and Local Municipal Mayors, representatives from the EDTEA, Ithala, the Food Safety Agency & Tourism Grading, as well as other stakeholders and government representatives.
In providing brokering services for catalytic projects or infrastructure projects, Ndumiso Mlambo, the General Manager of KZN Provincial One Cease Shop indicated that the One Stay Shop – which is based at SCTIE offices at 16 Bisset Street in Port Shepstone – co-ordinates input from various role-players including investors, developers, industry, civil stakeholders, and provincial and municipal officials. This is supported by the collaborative efforts of various government departments and organisations that work with the One Cease Shop to assist in addressing regulatory constraints.
To find out more about these and more investment opportunities, acquire in touch with SCTIE, the Ugu District’s One-Stop Shop for investment at 16 Bisset Street, Port Shepstone. Contact SCTIE on 039 682 7944, email oss@sctie.co.za or visit www.investkznsouthcoast.co.za.
Support our Buy Local businesses by visiting the online directory. To become a Buy Local member or find out more, visit the Buy Local tag at www.investkznsouthcoast.co.za or click here for a membership form.
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Author: Agnes Matladi from Olivia Jones on behalf of South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise.
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