We've turned a mountain of red tape into a molehill, says Cape Town city council

The city of Cape Town has rejected business criticism that its obsession with red tape is hampering growth and job creation.

But James Vos, the mayoral committee member for economic opportunities, said on Friday: "If we are missing the mark, we ask our partners to be upfront with us."

On Wednesday, the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the city council had become a "disabling force" when it came to encouraging business and good development.

Chamber president Geoff Jacobs said in some cases planning approvals took between four and eight years to come through, while incompetence and bungling destroyed viable projects.

But Vos said Cape Town was the antithesis of what Jacobs had described. He said:

• The time to issue building permits had been reduced from 45 days to 17;
• The enterprise and facilitation department was a one-stop shop for investors and businesses looking for a "smooth landing";
•  In 2018, the World Bank said Cape Town was the best metro in SA for ease of doing business; and
• It also said Cape Town was the best city in SA in dealing with construction permits, and in the top 25% globally.

"Our commitment is to be the go-to city for all investment, and to do that we need to make it easy for people to invest in Cape Town and constantly improve our offerings to the business community," said Vos.

"I am proud to say that Cape Town is running with the best. As the second-largest municipal economy in SA and the second most important contributor to national employment, we will do everything in our power help stimulate job creation and grow the economy."

Vos said the city council had recently piloted an "I mean business" staff development programme which aimed to "embed an ease-of-doing-business culture, mindset and deed".

He added: "The aim is to ensure employees, systems and processes are all aligned towards improving the internal and external business environment for potential businesses to invest and grow."

He said the chamber of commerce and the Western Cape Property Development Forum, another business organisation that has criticised council bureaucracy, had “regular engagements with the relevant city departments about development and bottlenecks in the system”.

Jacobs also criticised the city for allowing Transport and Urban Development Authority head Melissa Whitehead to “sit at home for more than a year on suspension drawing a salary in excess of R3m a year while questions about expensive Chinese electric buses and Volvo bus chassis remain unanswered”.

City of Cape Town media manager Luthando Tyhalibongo said: “The disciplinary process against Ms M Whitehead is ongoing and she remains suspended with full benefits in accordance with the applicable legislation.

“The city will not comment any further until such time as the process has been concluded.”