The City of Cape Town has driven 51 documented reform actions across nine key business-facing services since 2022, as part of our efforts to cut red tape, improve municipal efficiency and make Cape Town the easiest place to do business in Africa.

Through our Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) programme, we are working across City departments to simplify processes, reduce delays and make it easier for businesses to interact with the municipality.
 
Our approach is straightforward: government processes should help businesses grow, not stand in their way. Every unnecessary delay and complicated procedure costs businesses time and money that could be spent expanding operations and creating jobs.
 
We are already seeing tangible improvements. Average wayleave approval times have dropped from approximately 40 days to just six days, while median business licensing turnaround times have fallen from 44 days in July - September 2025 to 18 days in April - June 2026.

Caption 1: Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, cutting red tape.

Other reforms are simplifying informal trading permits, improving electricity and water connections, modernising revenue clearance certificates and streamlining development application processes. Digital platforms are also making it easier for customers to submit applications, track progress and access municipal services.
 
We are tackling unnecessary bureaucracy through our Stupid Rule initiative, which has attracted more than 1 500 submissions from City staff identifying rules and processes that could be simplified or removed. Our Cost of Doing Business Study is also helping us better understand the challenges and costs facing businesses.
 
These efforts are delivering encouraging results. The City’s latest Business Satisfaction Survey recorded an overall Public Service Quality score of 92, up from 86 in 2023/24, with businesses reporting improvements in several key services.
 
We know there is still work to do, particularly in land use applications, building plan approvals and public land transfers. We are also advocating for national regulatory reforms and improvements at the Port of Cape Town, recognising that the cost of doing business extends beyond municipal processes.

Caption 2: Alderman Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, speaking to a business audience about the Ease of Doing Business Index dashboard. 

Looking ahead, digital transformation will be a major focus as we build on the reforms already implemented and continue to make municipal services faster, simpler and more accessible.
 
Ultimately, this is about more than completing 51 reform actions. It is about giving businesses greater certainty, reducing unnecessary administration and creating an environment where entrepreneurs can spend less time navigating bureaucracy and more time growing their businesses.
 
When it becomes easier to do business, Cape Town becomes more attractive for investment, our economy grows, and more jobs can be created.