A Multibillion Rand ‘Marshall Plan’ needed To Assist SMMEs after Lockdown: Black Business Council

Thebe Mabanga

The South African government will need a ‘Marshall Plan Worth Billions of Rands’ in order to assist Small Medium and Micro Enterprises when the COVID-19 crisis blows over after the national lockdown.

This is the core message the Black Business Council is aggressively taking to the government, according to its President Sandile Zungu, who spoke to Inside Politics as various forms of aid kicked-in last week.

“This will realistically happen after the lockdown, but we need to move with haste” says Zungu.

When he announced the 21-Day nationwide lockdown two weeks ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa also presented measures by both government the private donors to assist companies, including small businesses.

Government has put up R500 million through the Department of Small Business Development, R200 million for the tourism sector through the Department of Tourism, R3 billion worth of funding from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Department