Delays in the payment of contractors and suppliers within a month are stifling growth in black businesses and forcing some to close after the government failed to pay traders R4bn worth of invoices.

A 2020/2021 financial year National Treasury report shows that a total of 41,535 invoices from provincial departments worth more than R4bn were not settled within 30 days. The Eastern Cape was responsible for 12,651 unpaid invoices worth more than R1.8bn, followed by Gauteng with 20,911 invoices worth R1.4bn. The Western Cape was the best-performing province as it settled all invoices on time...