The Xolani Gwala Show

Despite the country's ongoing job crisis, there have been some improvements made by government in boosting prospects for SMEs in South Africa.

That's according to South African startup support organisation SiMODiSA which has released a review report on its 2014 paper looking at factors impacting the growth of SMEs in South Africa.

We are about assessing the policy environment of our country.

— Matsi Modise, Vice chairperson - SiMODiSA

Some of the recommendations in the 2014 report looked at exchange control and limitations around intellectual property.

We have seen some improvement because some of the restrictions about 2 years ago were removed.

— Matsi Modise, Vice chairperson - SiMODiSA

Another key takeout was improving the Section 12 tax incentive for venture capital companies.

— Matsi Modise, Vice chairperson - SiMODiSA

But it's not all good news, Modise says there is still work to be done.

Another factor was how do you increase the attractiveness of the South African business visa?

— Matsi Modise, Vice chairperson - SiMODiSA

No changes have been seen in this regard, it still remains a constraint and makes South Africa an unlikely and unattractive business destination for startups to come and start business in South Africa.

— Matsi Modise, Vice chairperson - SiMODiSA

Listen to the full interview here:

This article first appeared on CapeTalk : How is the landscape looking for South African SMEs in 2019?