South Africa

South Africa is the most meridional country in Africa, with Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe limiting its northern border, Mozambique and Swaziland its eastern border, the Indian Sea its western and southern borders, and totally surrounding Lesotho. Its three capitals are Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein.
The country's history actually began during the XVII century, with the permanent dutch occupation of the Cape of Good Hope. In 1909, the British colonies' Cape, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange River united and gave birth to the South African nation.

The South African government is based on the parliamentary system. The President is simultaneously head of state and head of government. The president is elected during a joint session of the parliament, that consists of a National Assembly, or lower chamber, and a National Council, or upper chamber.

South Africa is divided into nine provinces: Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West Province.

The National Assembly has 400 members, elected by proportional representation. The National Council of Provinces, that substituted the senate in 1997, is composed of 90 members representing each of the nine provinces in South Africa, beside the great cities.
South Africa has a market economy based on services, industry, mineral exploration, and agriculture.

The country's main resources are minerals, such as chalk, asbestos, coper, magnesium, gold, chromite, uranium, platinum, iron, diamonds, and natural gas. However, gold is their leading resource on mineral exploration.

Cultivated land represents 1/10 of the country's total area, thus being that South Africa is a big exporter of food.
South Africa's main commercial partners are: US, Italy, Japan, Germany, Holland, Brazil, and United Kingdom.

South Africa's safari through the savanna is one of their main attractions, although others like national parks, business tourism, and summer vacation on the coast (ex. Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth) also offer many tourism possibilities.

SEDA – Small Enterprise Development Agency

The Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) was established in December 2004, through the enactment of the National Small Business Act of 1996, as amended. It incorporates the Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency (Ntsika), the National Manufacturing Advice Centre Trust (NAMAC), the Community Public Private Partnership Programme (CPPP) and the Small Enterprise Human development Programme.

The mandate of SEDA is to design and implement a standard national delivery network that must uniformly apply throughout the country. Its role includes the support and promotion of co-operative enterprises, particularly those located in rural areas.

In terms of its strategy, SEDA’s delivery network must reach all regions of the country and integrate government-funded small enterprise support across all tiers of government.

Regarding business infrastructure facilities, the strategy expects that the integrated strategy has to link up closely with current local economic development (LED) efforts in all municipalities.

The work of SEDA is carried out in line with the Department of Trade and Industry’s Integrated Small Enterprise Development Strategy, which aims to:

1. Strengthen support for MSC’s access to finance

1. Create an enabling regulatory environment
2. Expand market opportunities for specific categories of small enterprises
3. Locate small business support through a grid of SEDA-coordinated information and advice access points
4. Initiate a national entrepreneurship drive and expand education and training for small business
5. Co-fund minimum business infrastructure facilities in local authority areas across the country

SEDA is a partner of the CACB in South Africa.

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