SA not open for business due to immigration laws – expert
Cape Town – On international travels president Jacob Zuma keeps repeating the mantra that South Africa is open for business, but the country’s immigration laws make this not really true in practice, according to Gary Eisenberg, immigration lawyer at Eisenberg & Associates in Cape Town.
“If a country is open for business, however, it means the rest of the world must be able to engage with the economy through foreign direct investment (FDI) and come here if they decide to make business investments,” Eisenberg told Fin24.
“The German economy, for instance, shows how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the strength of an economy and not necessarily large companies.”
He is experiencing a lot of frustration among owners of SMEs who want to bring their experience – for instance in the technology industry – to South Africa. They are willing to bring their intellectual property (IP), employ South Africans and transfer skills.
