Cape Town: City invites businesses to shape the 2026 Ease of Doing Business Index. The Ease of Doing Business programme is a key priority for the administration.
Considering this, a media statement has been released by the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth – Alderman James Vos.
He stated that when they introduced it, the intention was clear: to build a culture of service, accountability and speed within the City. In business, time is money, and their role is to ensure that municipal processes support growth, not slow it down.
In 2024, they conducted the first Business Satisfaction Survey, with over 400 responses and in-depth engagements that established a credible baseline of business sentiment across core regulatory services.
Involving feedback from the 2024 survey they included concerns relating to timing, processes, and costs. That feedback has helped shape reforms and sharpen their focus. Such as, 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).
James Vos added that from factory floors to boardrooms, they have seen how their Economic Growth programmes and projects are making a meaningful difference. But they have also said from the start that if they are serious about reform, they must measure the City’s performance honestly and improve continuously. That means asking businesses directly about their experience when interacting with the City of Cape Town.
The 2026 survey will allow them 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
- informal trading permits
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 Economic Growth Directorate of the City of Cape Town as part of the commitment to measurable service improvement.
Alderman James Vos encouraged businesses to take part. He stated that their feedback helps them in refining systems, cut red tape and improve turnaround times. Together, they can ensure that Cape Town remains competitive, responsive and focused on enabling growth and job creation.