CAPE TOWN – President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday officially launch a new, multibillion rand train manufacturing factory at Dunnottar Park in Nigel, Gauteng.
The launch of the train factory is expected to create more than 8 000 direct jobs throughout the Gibela Consortium’s supply chain, with this factory targeting the creation of 1 500 jobs.
Gibela Consortium is a new empowered South African rail company tasked with the revitalisation of rail transport in South African metro areas.
In his address President Ramaphosa said: “After years of decline, we are determined to restore manufacturing as a growing sector of our economy, in large part because it has great potential to create jobs, support secondary industries and increase our export capacity.”
The President said the factory was helping to address the most important challenge in South Africa today: unemployment, especially among the youth.
“These are new jobs in an industry that is relatively new in our country, and which has great potential for expansion.
“This is the kind of decent work that the social partners spoke about when they convened at the Jobs Summit; work which draws in young people without much experience or prior training and provides them with skills that will serve them well beyond the life of this project,” read part of the President’s address.
The plant is scheduled to deliver two new trains by December 2018, a further nine trains by March 2019 and an estimated 56 trains over the next two years.