The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Sasol on Thursday inaugurated the ChemCity Business Incubator (CBI), which will support and promote the development of small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs).

Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies and Sasol Group executive of public affairs Maurice Radebe opened the first building of the CBI.

The R60-million facility, in Sasolburg, forms part of a DTI national campaign to roll out 200 businesses. Sasol, contributing R41-million of the overall funding, will develop and manage the facilities as part of its contribution to sustain development.

“Job creation comes from small enterprises and our challenge is to create productive entrepreneurs. So far, the DTI has granted R409.9-million for the development of business incubator programmes,” said Davies.

Once completed, the CBI will comprise five separate buildings on ChemCity’s 172 ha Eco-Industrial Park in Sasolburg. The facility will cater for start-ups and early-stage SMMEs that operate in various sectors, focusing on the chemicals, energy and related sectors, as well as the manufacturing, agribusiness and food processing sectors.

Four of these buildings will be production units and will focus on manufacturing activities, while the fifth will house knowledge-intensive, office-based activities. The facility will occupy a total of 4 000 m² and is being built using various alternative building technologies incubated by Sasol ChemCity. 

“The CBI is aligned with our aspirations for local economic development in the Free State province. A key focus for Sasol is to always ensure that we uplift the communities we operate in,” said Radebe.

ChemCity is Sasol’s enterprise and supplier development vehicle that develops new black economic-empowerment (BEE) suppliers and supports existing BEE suppliers through business development initiatives, technology improvements and funding.

In addition, ChemCity incubates start-up businesses and it has, since 2005, supported or established over 700 SMMEs, which have created over 12 500 direct jobs.

Davies reiterated that the recently amended BEE Codes of Good Practice would be gazetted soon, adding that these would significantly reduce the costs for SMMEs as 100% black-owned businesses will constitute Level 1 businesses and 51% and above black-owned businesses Level 2 businesses.

“There will be no more expensive certificates to obtain; all they will have to present as proof is an affidavit,” he said.