Ramaphosa calls on state departments to cut red tape

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged government departments to cut red tape when dealing with businesses, warning that bureaucracy hinders growth.

Ramaphosa gave a keynote address at the Limpopo Economic Summit in Polokwane on Friday which was attended by government and private sector stakeholders.

The summit was aimed at charting a path for rapid industrialisation and creating sustainable jobs while reducing poverty in the province.

Ramaphosa said that, in most instances, entities willing to do business with government departments were frustrated by unnecessary delays as officials sometimes sat on their applications.

“You are actually stopping trading from thriving,” he said.

Ramaphosa said they had resolved that provinces should have a one-stop shop where businesses could forward their applications and get assistance.

He commended Limpopo for developing a development plan in line with the National Development Plan.

He said the province had a unique opportunity to lead the way by becoming a thriving industrial hub in the country.

The province has also been approved to have two special economic zones in the Musina- Makhado and Tubatse areas.

Ramaphosa said partnerships with the private sector were indispensable if the country was to achieve its industrialization mission.

He warned that this could only be successful by rooting out corruption.