Finance and Economic Opportunities:

With reference to the Western Cape Government’s plans to assist companies that wish to move to the province:

1. Which programmes or units in his Department are responsible for assisting these companies;

As the Official Destination Marketing Organisation of the Western Cape, the Investment Promotion Unit of Wesgro, actively markets the Western Cape as a destination of choice as part of investment recruitment. This entails encouraging local businesses located outside of the Western Cape to expand into the region. The Western Cape’s competitiveness in various areas is demonstrated as part of this investment recruitment focus to show how investing in the Province can provide the business with enhanced operational efficiency and/or reduced costs.

2. whether the provincial government has assisted in these types of matters before; if so, (i) what challenges can be expected and (ii) what plans are in place to address these;

Through ongoing investment promotion activities, Wesgro is approached from time to time to assist companies which wish to set up or expand into the Western Cape. Some challenges experienced include local companies seeking funding for the expansions due to the cost of setting up operations and concerns around the impact of moving operations, including the impact of such potential moves on the local economies from which the businesses move.

3. whether any companies have approached the provincial government in the last year seeking such support; if so, what are the relevant details?

In the past year, two companies have been in contact and engaged with Wesgro, one company from Gauteng and one company from Kwa-Zulu Natal.