Durban - The first phase of the revitalisation of the iSithebe Industrial Park in Mandeni on the North Coast, was to be launched on Tuesday.
The R49 million project is part of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Revitalisation of Industrial Parks Programme, and iSithebe is one of 10 industrial parks that have been prioritised for revitalisation.
The first phase includes an upgrade of the security infrastructure, fencing, street lighting and critical electricity requirements. The roofs of some of the factories would also be upgraded, said Rob Davies, the Minister of Trade and Industry, who will launch the project with Sihle Zikalala, the KZN MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA).
Ithala manages iSithebe on behalf of EDTEA.
Earlier this year, protesters who had an axe to grind with a local election candidate went on a rampage, torching factories and halting production. One factory, which employed 2 000 local people, has still not reopened.
Davies said the large variety of industries operating from iSithebe contributed significantly to the economy of the area and provided 15 000-20 000 jobs.
The DTI recognised that the parks had the capacity to serve as catalysts for broader economic and industrial development in their host regions, mainly townships and rural areas.
Zikalala said iSithebe was one of the biggest industrial estates in the province and the fact that so much investment was being injected into the estate to revitalise it was a vote of confidence in the growth prospects of the economy of the province.