UDM wants grants for entrepreneurs
The United Democratic Movement wants to create a government-funded grant for budding entrepreneurs to start their own businesses and contribute towards job creation.
Speaking on how the UDM proposed the Distinct National Fund would work, party president Bantu Holomisa said this would be in the form of a grant, instead of struggling entrepreneurs seeking loans from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).
Holomisa introduced the idea at the UDM manifesto launch at Port Elizabeth’s Isaac Wolfson Stadium on Saturday.
A large crowd of party members in white UDM Tshirts listened as he unpacked the UDM promises to the voters, as political parties prepare for the May 8 elections.
“The National Fund is needed as in yesterday because [now] people who want to start businesses must go to the IDC and, when you’re there, they start asking you security questions, which means it’s running more like a commercial bank.
“With the National Fund, you could get a grant to start your business,” Holomisa said.
The IDC, which is a wholly state-owned development institution, makes loans to and invests in private-sector companies that promote industrialisation and development.
Speaking to The Herald on Sunday, Holomisa said successful applicants would be trained so that when they started their businesses, they had the knowledge and skills to run successful companies.
“We want to build our own wealth creators, who will employ more people,” he said.
“Once entrepreneurs have created their products, they need packaging, thus they employ people to assemble boxes.
“Once the product has been packaged, they need transport to deliver their goods.
“This creates a chain of jobs for people with those skills.
“We have to start from scratch because we cannot expect our people to go to the IDC because the IDC deals with millions and it’s borrowed, whereas our funding would come from the state.
“According to the auditorgeneral, we spend about R40bn per annum on wasteful expenditure – so imagine if you were to save some of that money and spend it on some of these businesses,” Holomisa said.
On Saturday, Holomisa also expressed a desire to occupy the position of deputy president of the country.
He said President Cyril Ramaphosa, Julius Malema and Mmusi Maimane could all compete for the No 1 position “but leave the east wing [office of the deputy president] of the Union Buildings for the UDM”.
He said coalitions had worked in the country and that in 1994 the UDM had worked with the ANC in KwaZulu-Na- tal to put the ANC in power.
“In Cape Town the UDM worked with the DA for [Helen] Zille to become the mayor.
“Irrespective of who comes into power, the work must not stop,” he said.
He called on the Independent Electoral Commission to regulate coalitions so that the principle of serving the people “is not suppressed by wanton political intimidation and playing the numbers game”.
“What I propose is that the IEC regulates coalitions and if you form a government today, you’re given a timeframe to make decisions, and if you don’t come to an agreement you have a by-election.
“If someone wins seats by a certain number but can’t form a government then they must know that they have not won, and when you bargain you must integrate the other political parties’ policies.”