MEDIA STATEMENT BY MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH, ALDERMAN JAMES VOS
City invites businesses to shape the 2026 Ease of Doing Business Index
As the City of Cape Town continues to strengthen our business environment, I am calling on businesses to participate in our 2026 Ease of Doing Business programme’s Business Satisfaction Survey. Read more below:
The Ease of Doing Business programme is a key priority for this administration.
When we introduced it, the intention was clear: to build a culture of service, accountability and speed within the City. In business, time is money, and our role is to ensure that municipal processes support growth, not slow it down.
In 2024, we conducted our first Business Satisfaction Survey, with more than 400 responses and in-depth engagements that established a credible baseline of business sentiment across core regulatory services.
Feedback from the 2024 survey included concerns relating to timing, processes, and costs. That feedback has helped shape reforms and sharpen our focus. For example, on the electricity connection indicator, the team introduced two pivotal initiatives alongside several other efforts to simplify and expedite the process. These included the Online Application Process (OAP) and the integration and deployment of the Outage Management System (OMS). For further in-depth findings on the 2024 survey, see: Ease of Doing Business index 2024.
From factory floors to boardrooms, I have seen how our Economic Growth programmes and projects are making a meaningful difference. But we have also said from the start that if we are serious about reform, we must measure the City’s performance honestly and improve continuously. That means asking businesses directly about their experience when interacting with the City.
The 2026 survey will allow us to assess progress since 2024 and identify where further improvements are needed. The results will feed directly into the 2026 Ease of Doing Business Index.
The Ease of Doing Business indicators are: public land transfer, land use rights, building plan approvals, wayleaves, electricity connections, water connections, revenue clearance certificates, business licensing and informal trading permits. See: Ease of Doing Business Dashboard
The survey evaluates issues such as process clarity, turnaround times, communication, administrative burden and overall service quality. Responses are confidential and reported only in aggregated form.
This initiative is being undertaken by the City’s Economic Growth Directorate as part of our commitment to measurable service improvement. Participation is through a secure online registration link available which you can access. Start the survey here..
I encourage businesses to take part. Your feedback helps us refine systems, cut red tape and improve turnaround times. Together, we can ensure that Cape Town remains competitive, responsive and focused on enabling growth and job creation.
