We will connect aspirant entrepreneurs to microfinance and loans. Home ownership for the poor will be facilitated. As the work of Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto Polar has proven, formalising property rights in informal settlements is pivotal to helping our poor residents become small business owners.

The DA believes in the power of small business to change lives.

Under the DA, big supply-chain and procurement tenders will be carved up into a set of smaller contracts. Many more SMEs can then bid for them successfully. This will reverse the egregious effects of tenderpreneurs who are closely aligned to the ANC.

Consultant bills will be slashed and millions more will be directed to service delivery instead. New jobs will be created in dynamic businesses. Expertise will assist Johannesburg’s businesses to evolve from start-ups to scale-ups. Acting as a grand facilitator, we’ll also partner large, sector-focused companies with smaller businesses that want to grow.

The Internet of Everything will determine the future of successful cities. As I’ve written about previously in Daily Maverick, by 2021 we will develop a customised software-defined network. All aspects of the city’s infrastructure will be connected. By centralising city data, we can improve service delivery from repairing potholes to energy saving.

Visionary mayors must be highly visible in a highly connected world. I will bang the investment drum loudly. City and state trade missions to South Africa will be encouraged.

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Read the full article on the website of The Daily Maverick