With the support of Flanders, the Department of Economic Development and the International Labour Organization are currently developing a social economy policy document. A draft Green Paper on Social Economy was launched earlier this year by minister Ebrahim Patel. Subsequently it was consulted in the provinces to get feedback from community organisations. Between mid August and the beginning of November, all 9 provinces have been visited, with over 700 people, representing co-operatives, stokvels, non-profit organisations and social entreprises, attending the consultation sessions.

The consultation session on 29 October at the George Conville Community Hall was joined by Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Economic Development, Ms Nomalungelo Gina, and General Representative Geraldine Reymenants. They engaged with the participants to get a deeper understanding of the experiences and views on the ground.