President Jacob Zuma officiated over the official opening of the first provincial InvestSA One Stop Shop in the Western Cape on Friday.

Speaking in Cape Town, Zuma described the launch as historic, following the launch of the national One Stop Shop in Pretoria in March this year.

“For a long time there have been concerns from the business and investor community that bureaucratic hurdles in the state make investing in South Africa difficult. The launch of InvestSA One Stop Shop for the Western Cape Province this morning is our concrete response as government to these concerns,” he said.

The facility will house 14 partners, including national, provincial and local government departments, to facilitate easier access to the South African market for investors.

Zuma acknowledged there was concern among investors, both domestic and foreign, about the South African economy, including sluggish growth, growing government debt and the poor performance of State-owned companies.

“We share these concerns, they are our concerns too, and we are taking steps to address them,” the president said.

“We are accelerating the implementation of the National Development Plan because we believe that it is the only plan that will lead us to inclusive growth and help us create jobs.”

The One Stop Shop would provide a host of professional services for establishing businesses in the province.

“All an investor needs to do is to make an appointment with the relevant government representative at the One Stop Shop to explain the services required and the government representative provides guidance and support to the investor.

"From permits to water or electricity services, tax issue, licensing – it should be easy for an investor to get all these services under one roof,” said Zuma.

Two other provincial InvestSA One Stop Shops are expected to be launched in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal later this year.