-- --
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Pinterest
On 5 December, the tech start-up sector in the Western Cape came together to establish a panel of volunteers to raise the sector's collective voice in the national policy dialogue regarding the immigration system. This took place at a Town Hall discussion organised by Silicon Cape, in partnership with LaunchLab and de Saude Attorneys, and hosted by Wesgro.
Representatives from the tech start-up sector ecosystem agreed that it was becoming increasingly critical for their voice to be heard at a national policy level, particularly with regard to challenges they face with the immigration framework. It was therefore agreed to establish a panel of volunteers to advocate on behalf of the tech start-up sector and entrepreneurial ecosystem in lieu of amendments expected to the Immigration Act and critical skills list early next year.
-- --
In particular the panel will advocate for a start-up visa, and for the inclusion in the Critical Skills List of skills that are scarce in South Africa but critical to building and strengthening local innovation and entrepreneurship. Brandon Paschal, Incubation Manager at LaunchLab, highlighted that in Europe many countries have a start-up visa, and that it plays an important role in the development of the sector.
It was also agreed that the difficulty of obtaining visas for entrepreneurs and founders from across Africa to attend conferences and mentoring sessions in South Africa is a major challenge to South Africa being the continent's entrepreneurship and innovation capital.
This tech sector Town Hall follows a broader stakeholder engagement in October hosted by Wesgro about the intersection between the immigration system and foreign investment in South Africa. The immigration policy initiative launched in Cape Town yesterday is also in alignment with the formation of a multi-sectoral task team under the auspices of Business Leadership South Africa to take up challenges related to the immigration system.
Kerry Petrie, Interim manager at Silicon Cape said: Silicon Cape is stepping up into the space of policy advocacy for the tech sector in response to calls from our members and partners. Immigration will be the first issue being tackled that advocates on behalf of the collective of entrepreneurs and start-ups and other ecosystem stakeholders in the tech start-up space. She also stated that the current visa system was causing South Africa to miss out on huge opportunities for collaboration and learning across the continent.
We are told that a draft immigration bill will be available at the end of March next year, and a new critical skills list will be implemented and commence on 1 April next year. All we are calling for is more engagement and more opportunity to comment. What we want to achieve through all of this is to get a regime that works for everyone, added Immigration lawyer, Stefanie de Saude-Darbandi, who is also working with the BLSA forum.
MEC of Economic Opportunities, Beverly Sch fer, said: The Western Cape has set a goal of becoming a global tech hub and in order to do so, we will require visa regime needs to be reflective of a region that is open for business.
Executive mayor, Dan Plato, commented: We are very proud of the tech sector that has developed in Cape Town and the Western Cape however, there is still much to be done to unlock this sectors full potential to become one of the top tech destinations in the world. We applaud the efforts of this sector to come together to further drive development in local tech.
Tim Harris, CEO of Wesgro, concluded: Cape Town and the Western Cape is fast becoming the start-up capital of Africa, and has a tech sector that employs more than double that of Lagos and Nairobi combined. It is very important that South Africa's regulatory framework not only allows this thriving sector to achieve its potential, but also allows this ecosystem to support the development of entrepreneurship and innovation across the African Continent.
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Pinterest
-- --
Most recent headlines
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
23/12/2025
New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell Scripps Research scientists developed a technique that maps drug binding in individual cells th...
22/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Neerav Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
-- -- 
