Information at our disposal is the number of the number of SMMEs spread throughout the country in each and every municipality, those that are registered and those that are not. The information at hand is that, instead of SMMEs, small businesses dying, we see the number increasing. Of course, I can account for informal businesses, SMMEs that are not registered in the formal system. We can account for formal SMMEs that are registered. But the complaint that we have received is that these SMMEs that are doing business with government are not paid on time. Hence, some of them die. This is one element that we are going to attend to. The three spheres of government must do everything in their power to ensure that, once we enlist or require services from SMMEs, they are paid on time.
Some of the SMMEs are complaining about the infrastructure in their township and rural villages, hence the revitalisation of all these industrial parks that belong to government. I said more or less 670 small businesses have already occupied those industrial parks and we are sure that the number will increase. What is important probably, is to sustain and ensure that the aftercare when an SMME starts getting business, it must be supported in terms of business management. If it does
business with government, it must be paid on time. In that way, we think the rate of success will increase. But again, we think government should provide the necessary market for some of the products that are produced by SMMEs because they can't compete evenly with those big companies. There are SMMEs that are producing bricks and all materials that government uses to build roads, schools and clinics. SMMEs must be prioritised. Thank you very much. [Applause.]