The Acting Group Chief Operating Officer of the Department Trade and Industry (the dti), Ms Nontombi Matomela says the services that are rendered by the department are crucial and key in developing aspiring entrepreneurs and Black Industrialists for the future. Ms Matomela was speaking during the Taking the dti to the People outreach event hosted in Joza Township, Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape today.
The outreach formed part of the Public Service Month where South Africans are given an opportunity to reflect on the public service and its ability to deliver quality services that meet their expectations in line with government’s Batho Pele Programme.
The outreach enhances government’s commitment to work together with communities to encourage sharing of information and create structures which give genuine participation and involvement, to better the lives of all South Africans.
Matomela said it was necessary for the services of the dti and its entities to be taken to communities and entrepreneurs that reside outside big cities and also those that are based in the rural areas in order for them to be active in the economy.
“By coordinating all these outreach campaigns, we as the dti are trying to broaden the pool of employers to ensure job creation, and also encourage those who have business ideas to access our services in order for them to be employers in their communities too. We are also making it easier for communities to have direct access to services provided by the department and its entities,” said Matomela.
Matomela also said in future the department a look at other avenues and platforms that will make it easier for it to provide information and increase access.
The community welcomed the initiative. However, they emphasised the need to bring government services in clusters in order to address all issues that affect businesses in different sectors. They also indicated that there should be synergy between policy development at national level to policy implementation at local government.