PRETORIA, South Africa, May 10, 2018/ -- The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), in partnership with the Western Cape government, the City of Cape Town, Departments of Telecommunication and Postal Services, Small Business Development, Economic Development, Home Affairs and Water and Sanitation will host a business engagement session and career expo in Atlantis, Western Cape on 11-12 May 2018.

The business engagement session that is aimed at sharing information and business opportunities with the residents and businesspeople in Atlantis and surrounding areas will take place at the Protea Primary School on 11 May 2018 starting from 14:00. The career expo will take place at Saxonsea Primary School on 12 May 2018 from 10:00. The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Bulelani Magwanishe will deliver a keynote address at both sessions.

According to Deputy Minister Magwanishe, the session with the community, in particular those with business interests, including youth and women-owned business will create a platform for collaboration between the public and the private sector in creating and opening up support mechanisms for the local economy. He adds that it will focus on areas related to market access, incentive support, company registration, Black Economic Empowerment compliance and other areas of business.

He adds that government will present opportunities available in the short, medium and long-term, as well as the means and measures for accessing these opportunities in all spheres of government.

“The session provides an opportunity for our department to share more information on the Atlantis Special Economic Zone that is anticipated to be designated before the end of 2018. The zone is an enabler to drive the local economy and create sustainable jobs. As government, we are committed to attracting international investments to the Atlantis SEZ which will take the lead on the renewable energy space and support local entrepreneurs, Small and Medium Enterprises and the youth in the Atlantis area,” says Magwanishe.

The career expo on the 12 May 2018 will be in the form of an imbizo where learners will be addressed by government officials and government agencies that offer various services to the community. National, provincial and local governments together with their agencies and the private sector will exhibit their products and services on the day.

The Minister of Economic Opportunities in the Western Cape, Mr Alan Winde says South Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing green economies and through the Western Cape government’s partnership with GreenCape, we hope to cement the province as its epicentre.

“The establishment of the Atlantis SEZ will create a green economy hub that is set to provide an economic boost to Atlantis through investment and job creation. The SEZ has already created hundreds of jobs, but once fully functional it will provide even more opportunities for local suppliers and job creation, which the residents of Atlantis and the surrounding areas will greatly benefit from,” adds Winde.

Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, Mr Cassel Mathale; Deputy Minister of Telecommunication and Postal Services and Ms Stella Tembisa Ndabeni-Abrahams are expected to attend the events and deliver speeches.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa