Thank you. I'm sorry, hon members and Chairperson. The aim of the committee was to have first-hand information about experiences, challenges and successes of the entrepreneurs in Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and KwaLanga. This related to support for the small, medium and macro enterprises, SMMEs, job creation and whether there were relationships that promoted enterprise development.
Challenges were around transformation, destination promotion that excluded township tourism experiences, and tourism support structures, among other problems. The township's SMMEs did not have very effective representation as their level of organisation was poor.
We recommend better organisation of business in the townships, and improvement in government support and mentorship programmes, among other things. We believe that given their commitment to succeed, entrepreneurs stand a good chance of succeeding.
The committee intends to visit Manenberg and Mitchells Plain soon for the same reasons because of their proximity to Parliament and because of the same experiences they share with Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and KwaLanga. It is also easy to organise study tours to these areas because of their proximity to Parliament, whereas they give us experiences that are similar to many other townships.
Experiences in the townships are different, but need more support from municipalities who often see tourism development as not being as urgent as providing for basic needs. But we should all remember that job creation is now priority number one. The tourism sector is one of the primary job drivers, as stated by the President in the state of the nation address earlier this year.
We therefore humbly table this report before this august House, Chairperson. We thank you for the opportunity to present this report. [Applause.]
There was no debate.