The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and petrochemicals giant Sasol have inaugurated the first building of the ChemCity Business Incubator (CBI), in Sasolburg, 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 Sasol CBI.

The CBI aims to offer an ‘ecosystem’ designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies by providing an array of business support resources and services.

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

“The future of any economy in the world is that 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 consist of five separate buildings on ChemCity’s 172 ha Eco-Industrial Park, in Sasolburg. The CBI will cater for start-ups and early-stage SMMEs that operate in a variety of sectors, focusing on the chemicals, energy and related sectors, as well as on the manufacturing, agribusiness and food-processing sectors.

Manufacturing Activities Four of these buildings will be pro- duction units and will focus on manu- facturing activities, while the fifth will house knowledge-intensive, office-based activities. The facility will occupy 4 000 m2 and is being constructed using various alternative building technologies incubated by Sasol ChemCity.

“The CBI is aligned with our aspirations for local economic development in the Free State. A key focus for Sasol is to always ensure that we uplift the communities in which we operate,” 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 has supported or established more than 700 SMMEs, which has created more than 12 500 direct jobs, since 2005.

Further, Davies added that the new BEE codes would significantly reduce the costs for SMMEs to achieve BEE status by allowing 100% black-owned businesses Level 1 status and 51%-owned and higher black-owned businesses Level 2 status.

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