Pretoria - Gauteng Finance MEC Jacob Mamabolo is adamant that the Special Economic Zone in Tshwane and at the OR Tambo International Airport have the potential to create more job opportunities despite local and global financial difficulties.
He also promised that increased investments in township economies would add more job opportunities.
Mamabolo made the pledge while delivering his maiden Mid-Term Budget Policy Statement in the provincial legislature yesterday.
Detailing opportunities in Tshwane, Mamabolo said the provincial government had secured a R4.3 billion investment for the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone, saying the initiative would generate 20 000 jobs once completed. To date, the project has created 344 permanent jobs and 219 temporary construction jobs.
In his separate adjustment budget of R2.4bn, Mamabolo said he had allocated R60 million to the Department of Economic Development, R40m of which was to fund the costs of diesel, to alleviate the electricity supply challenges that were affecting the operations of tenants at the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone in Rosslyn and surrounding areas.
“This is an interim measure while the City of Tshwane addresses the bulk electricity infrastructure; R20m will be allocated to the completion of the top structure at the jewellery manufacturing precinct of the OR Tambo International Airport Zone.
Mamabolo also said that progress was being made on the OR Tambo multi-site development projects focusing on different sectors, including jewellery and diamonds, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing and capital equipment.
The legislature also heard that the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) had been instrumental in the province in creating job opportunities for poor and socially excluded people.
“In the period April 2019 to March 2022, EPWP generated more than two million job opportunities in Gauteng,” Mamabolo said.
He said their administration was expanding infrastructure service delivery which would require them to employ 80 000 people from Evaton, Westbury, Soweto and Soshanguve over the next 12 months to construct residential fill-in units in townships.
Mamabolo said the signing of the Township Economy Development Act into law in April 2022 was a major milestone for the people of Gauteng, adding that through the implementation of this act they would be in a better position to unleash the full, untapped potential of the township economy.
“This will, in turn, significantly increase Gauteng’s share of the national GDP and contribute towards ‘Changing the living conditions in townships, informal settlements and hostels’.”
He said: “Last month, the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, Industrial Development Corporation, SA SME Fund and Standard Bank launched the SMME Crisis Partnership Fund, which immediately made R850m debt funding available to assist township businesses to rebuild and grow.”
According to Mamabolo, this was a game-changer as most township businesses were either unable to access or did not qualify for funding from the formal banking sector.
Among urgent tasks that the provincial government was implementing in relation to the act were refurbishing and support of 20 000 stores in townships, the completion of 7 757 fibre installations to create cloud zones for township use and the creation of 13 taxi economy zones, projected to stimulate the creation of 4 758 jobs.
Further support would be given to 9 000 subsistence farmers to up-scale their farms and release 10 000 hectares of agricultural land for use by small farmers, he said.
Mamabolo also announced the roll-out of a massive infrastructure plan that would add to creating jobs and expand development across the province, and assured locals that some of the projects would be delivered on time.
“To address these challenges and ensure that projects are delivered within budget and on time, including in the Special Economic Zones, the Gauteng Provincial Treasury will subject every project contained in the Estimates of Capital Expenditure to the Project Readiness Matrix or Project Readiness Lab,” he said.
Pretoria News