The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) needed assistance from investors, both inside South Africa and outside the country, if the government was to reach its goals of job creation and halving poverty by 2014, Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Bongi Maria Ntuli said on Tuesday.

“We urge investors … to have that relationship with us as the DTI, and not only the DTI, because we have realised the DTI alone will not be able to deliver the goods, but as the economic cluster, meaning the economic development department, agriculture, rural development, land affairs - coming together, working together, planning together. That will assist us, and that will assist you, as investors, as our partners in the economy,” Ntuli said at a Southern African German Chamber of Commerce and Industry function.

She noted that Germany was the largest importer of goods into South Africa in 2009, as well as being the third largest export destination for South African goods, and as a big investor in the country, had the support of the DTI.

Chamber CEO Matthias Boddenberg explained that German imports into South Africa could be split into three categories, namely: motor vehicles such as BMW, Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen; plant and machinery; and chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

The Deputy Minister emphasised that the DTI was a changing organisation, and said her door was open for consultation. This was met with enthusiasm among members in attendance at the Southern African German Chamber of Commerce and industry function, and the potential for strengthened relationships and skills transfer was anticipated.

In further encouraging investment in South Africa, which would lead to job creation and upliftment, Ntuli noted that the country still had a low electricity price, a favourable tax rate, good land rentals, a favourable cost of labour, a large skills base to draw from, and abundant natural resources. She also mentioned a number of incentives, under the DTI, to attract business to South Africa.

When questioned on what could make South Africa a more foreign direct investment ‘friendly’ destination, Boddenberg said that investors would like to see less bureaucracy and more efficiency in the government departments.

“Accessibility of government departments, ability to listen to problems and to solve problems, that is what we expect.”

With an emphasis on skills development, Boddenberg added that “without training, there will be no efficient empowerment for black people. Without training there will be no blooming and blossoming South African economy, and we feel, as good corporate citizens, that we need to put a lot of effort into training, not only basic training but also high-tech training.”

He noted that the Chamber had a number of programmes in this regard, with particular emphasis on a project starting in August at the organisation’s builders training centre in Soweto, on drainage training.

“Drainage is a big problem here in South Africa in the summertime, especially in the northern part of South Africa, and we want to enable young people who are unemployed until now to start their training and to be part of the build up of South Africa.”

Other training expected to start in October, was training in the field of solar-thermal installation. A lack of capacity to install solar water heaters has been identified in the industry as one of the bottlenecks holding back the uptake of this energy-saving technology.