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Makhura urges Diepsloot residents to venture into business

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Gauteng Premier David Makhura is urging residents of Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, to venture into entrepreneurship and start small-scale businesses to boost the township economy.

Makhura was speaking during a visit to Diepsloot on Tuesday to educate the community about the Township Economic Development Bill that was recently passed. The Bill seeks to make it possible for people living in townships to start and run their own businesses.

Hundreds of disgruntled community members in Diepsloot staged a protest last week in response to an increase in crime in the area. To date, eight people have been murdered since October last year.

Outreach Programme

Following last week’s violent protests, Gauteng Premier David Makhura visited Diepsloot as part of the “Premier’s Community Outreach Programme”.

Speaking to residents at the local community hall, Makhura says that entrepreneurship is the only way to boost the township’s economy.

He went on to state that the government will be working closely with community members to help them start their own small businesses. Makhura says if more unemployed residents start their own businesses, it will lead to lower crime in the area.

“You want to establish your own business, you want to run a proper clean business. Not involving criminality and not selling illegal stuff. You just want to run your own business to generate an income for your family and ensure you can employ and when your business grows you can also employ more people because it has been very difficult for small businesses in South Africa.”

Gauteng Premier David Makhura addresses Diespsloot residents:

Police presence in Diepsloot 

Diepsloot residents say they feel much safer now that members of the police’s Tactical Response Team (TRT) are patrolling the area.  Last week, police Minister Bheki Cele deployed the TRT officers to the area to ensure that criminals who are terrorising the community are brought to book.

“I must say the deployment of TRT in Diepsloot has indeed improved the safety of the people. We are so happy because they are now doing stop and searches and that is what makes us very happy because that will now squeeze the space of criminals in Diepsloot,” says community leader, Scelo Shezi.

Last week, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi also visited the township where he deployed 25 immigration officers for the next three months to verify who is documented and who is not.

Shezi says the community hopes that immigration officers will root out all the undocumented foreign nationals from the area.

“Those that are here without the necessary documentation will be dealt with by the law enforcement which means the home affairs (officials) that are here are working with police to ensure that they do capture those who are here illegally and take them back to their country.”

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