Harris, a former Democratic Alliance (DA) MP and finance spokesperson, has been appointed to head up Wesgro, the province's trade and investment promotion agency. He joins after a brief stint working in Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille's office as head of trade and investment.
His selection as Cape Town's head of trade and investment in May also attracted heavy criticism, with Cosatu asking Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to investigate.
Harris said his first priority as Wesgro CEO is to work with shareholders in the government and companies in the Western Cape, to make sure the province and the Cape Town region remain the most business-friendly destinations in SA.
The long-term strategy would be set by the Wesgro board early next year, he said. It would centre on helping companies to export more, attracting investment, and promoting the province's considerable tourism assets "to ensure that we entrench our status as a world-class business and leisure hub on the southern tip of Africa".
Wesgro chair Brian Figaji announced last week that Harris would take over from outgoing CEO Nils Flaatten, whose contract expires early next year.
The ANC and Cosatu in the Western Cape claimed Harris's appointment had exposed the corrupt practices of the City of Cape Town. "The city had clearly given Tim Harris a parking bay to wait for this appointment. The process to appoint Harris as the CEO was also questionable," said Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich.
Harris told Business Day last week his appointment was not a political process, "so the accusations are entirely groundless".
"Wesgro has an independent board that led the recruitment. The chair of the board, Brian Figaji, is on record describing a rigorous recruitment process where 119 applicants went through three stages run by a subcommittee of the board," he said.
Asked why he was leaving his position in the mayor's office after only six months, Harris said: "The opportunity to lead Wesgro into the future was one that was too good to turn down and I look forward to working with my successor in the mayor's office to continue telling a new story of Cape Town as a leading city for business in Africa."
In the past six months, he had established a directorate of trade and investment in the City of Cape Town that includes a cross-cutting development facilitation team to make the city more open to investment, Harris said.
"This is a fundamentally new approach to making faster economic growth possible in Cape Town and is a legacy that will be taken forward by the trade and investment team and the new director," he said.
Source: Business Day, via I-Net Bridge
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