Joburg Inclusive Economic Growth
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Joburg Inclusive Economic Growth
The City of Johannesburg’s Department of Economic Development has reaffirmed its commitment to driving inclusive economic recovery and strengthening collaboration across traditional leadership, academia, business and government.
Speaking at the Royal Business Breakfast in Soweto over the weekend—an official C20 (civil society wing of the G20) side event—the Department’s Head, Mathopane Masha, highlighted Johannesburg’s role as South Africa’s economic anchor and a vital platform for uniting diverse leadership sectors.
“Today’s gathering represents a powerful collaboration where traditional leadership, government, business and civil society come together to advance inclusive socio-economic development,” he said.
Masha added that Johannesburg’s role in hosting G20 processes presents an opportunity to channel inclusive growth at local and regional levels. “Our metropolitan diversity makes the City an ideal neutral space where urban and royal leadership can collaborate at the intersection of tradition and modernity,” he said.
The Deputy Minister for Small Business Development, Jane Sithole, emphasised the importance of centring rural transformation and traditional structures in national development. “South Africa’s traditional leadership is more than a custodian of culture — it is a strategic partner in unlocking inclusive economic growth,” she said. She noted that development must reach communities where potential remains largely untapped.
Sithole also highlighted government efforts to improve access to development finance for rural small businesses and cooperatives. “These interventions are not merely economic tools — they are instruments of dignity, independence and community resilience.”
Adding the voice of academia, Carol Keshy, Acting Director of the Johannesburg Business School, stressed the pivotal role of education, entrepreneurship and traditional leadership in advancing local economic empowerment. “Every community, from major metros to the most rural village, holds extraordinary potential waiting to be unlocked,” she said.
The Royal Business Breakfast concluded with a shared commitment from government, business, academia and traditional leadership to drive sustainable, inclusive economic growth and ensure that communities — both urban and rural — benefit from emerging opportunities.
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