Pretoria - Billions of rand injected into the Tshwane automotive special economic zone (SEZ) are expected to create thousands of jobs to benefit the local small businesses and the community of Mamelodi.
This emerged during the State of the Province Address (Sopa) by Premier David Makhura, who made the promise while taking stock of the Covid-19 negative effect on the government’s service delivery plans.
He reported that the government was forced to adjust and adapt the Growing Gauteng Together 2030 plan in light of Covid-19 pandemic.
He, however, reaffirmed that the Gauteng city region was taking a lead in the implementation of the economic reconstruction and recovery plan announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Part of the plan was to lead the way in the industrialisation agenda of the country and continent, he said.
The zone formed part of the industrialisation agenda, and Makhura said progress was being in its implementation currently taking place in Silverton. Three spheres of government were investing R3.3 billion in the project's infrastructure.
The gesture by the government, Makhura said, had unlocked R4.3bn investment by suppliers and a further R15.8bn investment announced by Ford Motor Company on February 8.
“Working with the Mamelodi community, entrepreneurs and small micro medium enterprises, Tshwane automotive zone is providing non-financial and financial support to 262 small businesses, Grades 1-7,” said Makhura.
Local small businesses would benefit from more than R1.7bn, which was 47% of infrastructure spent already allocated. At least R531 million of work would be allocated to township small businesses in the coming months to construct the first set of factories.
Makhura said: “Within the next 12 months, a total of 3 288 new permanent jobs will be created at this special economic zone – 1 200 by Ford and 2 088 by the suppliers. In addition, 8 600 construction-related jobs have already been created during Phase1.”
He hailed the success of the zone, saying it has created a new momentum for the development of the Gauteng-Eastern Cape freight rail corridor expected to be fully operational by 2025. “It (the freight rail corridor) will facilitate a swift movement of goods out of the Gauteng city region zone, industrial parks and agri-parks, including the much higher volumes of vehicles from Silverton and Rosslyn to the seaports for export,” he said.
He took an opportunity to assure residents that the province was still on track with its Covid-19 vaccination campaign.
“Gauteng has received 16 800 doses for the vaccination of health-care workers in the next two weeks. Steve Biko Academic Hospital received 5 720 doses and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital received 11 080 doses. To date, 5 214 health-care workers in Gauteng have been vaccinated," he said.
He applauded the province’s Education Department for maintaining the second position with a pass rate of 83.75% in the matric results.
“We are pleased that despite all the odds of Covid-19, six Gauteng districts are in the top 10 best-performing districts in our country. Of the six, five are placed number one to five best-performing districts. Some of these top five districts have township schools in Atteridgeville and Olievenhoutbosch,” he said.
Pretoria News