Members of Plein Chamber and representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, hospitality sector and entrepreneurs met with Mayor Dan Plato to discuss the council’s economic recovery path since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also showed how the City of Cape Town enabled businesses to navigate the lingering pandemic.
Mr Plato said the current Covid-19 global pandemic had placed huge strain on our residents and on the City’s capacity to deliver financially sustainable services.
“The City is undertaking parallel processes aimed at mitigating the effects of the pandemic, likely future waves of the outbreak and also supporting the rollout of vaccinations.
“Our plans are focused on short, medium and longer-term economic recovery and development,” said Mr Plato.
Sean Achim, Plein Chamber of Commerce chairman, said last week the City had outlined its plans and that today, Wednesday April 14, they would discuss the needs of and development plans for Mitchell’s Plain.
“It is important that the people of Mitchell’s Plain make the decisions, pertaining to their needs and where they want to be, with respects to the area in which they live and do business,” he said.
Mr Achim also requested more opportunities for the community of Mitchell’s Plain.
He noted that crime remained an issue and that more SAPS and law enforcement were needed in the area.
The chamber also asked that more information was shared for local businesses to register on the City’s vendor database to help create job opportunities.
A number of the ongoing and new initiatives implemented to support business in a Covid-19 landscape were outlined by James Vos, mayoral committee member for economic opportunities.
These include:
- an inclusive economic growth strategy, focusing on revitalisation of economic nodes;
- an economic action plan, with the City’s strategic business partners’ equipping businesses with new ways of working;
- that the City intends to become a remote-working destination, offering many benefits to the digital nomad;
- business rescue programme partnership with Productivity SA focusing on businesses employing 15 to 50 people;
- and launching a mobile business hub to take advice and assistance directly to community entrepreneurs, which will supplement the work of the Business Hub office located in the Cape Town central business district.
They are also working on a six- pillar destination marketing strategy, to position Cape Town as the premier destination to visit, live in, work, study, play and invest in.
