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About time GEP got its act together for SME's sake

Picture: 123RF/JAMESTEOHART
Picture: 123RF/JAMESTEOHART

The appointment of a new permanent CEO to the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP) is long overdue.

This entity of the department of economic development in the province has been plagued by numerous issues, which has now led to an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into any unlawful activities that may have taken place between January 1 2017 and April 1 this year.

I truly hope that with the appointment of Saki Zamxaka as the CEO, small businesses in Gauteng who are supposed to be assisted by the GEP receive the assistance they need, including the distribution of the R250m that was allocated to the GEP last year to aid small businesses.

Furthermore, I hope that a suitably qualified senior management team will be appointed to this entity; the backlog of applications that are outstanding, especially the Covid-19 relief applications, is cleared; and that a complete skills audit at the GEP is completed so that the right people are in the correct positions.

I will also be monitoring the progress of the SIU investigation into the GEP as this is the first step to rooting out any corruption or mismanagement that may have taken place over the last four years. 

Makashule Gana, MPL

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