New gov’t website to make it easier to register a business

Government has launched the pilot phase of a new business portal, led by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC).

The portal for government e-services will “improve the time and ease for young people to start new enterprises and sends a great signal” ahead of the South African Investment Conference, said trade & industry minister Ebrahim Patel.

The Biz Portal is a single integrated company registration platform in South Africa. Through this platform, an entrepreneur will be able to register a business within a day, a dramatic improvement on turnaround times of 40 days recorded by the World Bank 2020 Ease of Doing Business Report.

The public has been encouraged to test the new portal while it is being piloted over the next three months at bizportal.gov.za.

The digital platform is aimed at bringing together business-related services from various public entities. Through collaboration with the South African Revenue Service, the Unemployment Insurance Fund and the Compensation Fund, the CIPC made it possible for applicants to obtain:

• Company registration
• Tax registration number
• Domain name registration
• B-BBEE certificate
• Compensation Fund registration
• Unemployment Insurance Fund registration
• Business bank account

Patel said the Biz Portal entails company registration functions that have already been tried and tested in the CIPC’s e-services environment. According to the department of trade & industry, four major banks are participating on the platform.

“Depending on the nature of the agreement the customer will be able to make a direct payment in relation to the registration services at the end of the transaction, be routed into a safe banking platform to apply for a business account or opt for their personal details to be passed on to a bank of their choice,” said the department.

Pilot phase

In the pilot phase, the system is being tested and strengthened. The next phase will make provision for other services related to running and maintaining a business.

Identity authentication will be via the real-time home affairs population register and other “sophisticated measures” will ensure integrity of the system.

“The applicants will also have an option to apply for a domain name and B-BBEE certificate thanks to the partnerships CIPC has with the domain name authority, ZADNA, and the trade & industry department, respectively.

“From a customers’ perspective, there is no need to visit multiple government institutions, saving them time and money. Such seamless registration services will enable entrepreneurs to focus on transforming innovative ideas into beneficial products and services, which will contribute to the creation of jobs in our country,” Patel said.  — SANews