The priority in encouraging small businesses must be to create an enabling environment that ensures they are targeted by the procurement policies of government and the private sector alike, said finance minister Pravin Gordhan. New preferential procurement regulations, gazetted in January 2017, require large firms awarded tenders of R30m or more to set aside one-third of the value for small or black-owned enterprises, where feasible. The budget allocates R3.9bn over the medium term to support small, medium and micro enterprises and co-operatives.

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