Economic Development, Dr Zweli Mkhize at the breakfast meeting with Italian
delegation
13 March 2007
Good morning. I would like to recognise our distinguished guests from Italy
who are with us today:
Italian Under-Secretary of State for International Commerce, Honourable Mauro
Agostini; Diplomatic Councillor for the Ministry of International Commerce;
Director-General for the Ministry of Commerce Abroad; the Director-General of
Italian Society for Investments; Director-General of the Institute for Commerce
Abroad; Director-General of the ICE in Johannesburg and Representatives of
Italian Economic, Tourism and Sports sectors.
Let me express my appreciation to all of you for coming to KwaZulu-Natal to
examine the opportunities available for investments. I am grateful to the
Ambassador of Italy in South Africa Alessandro Cevese and Consul of Italy in
Durban Mr Ugo Ciarlatani for their assistance in putting this event together. I
would like to extend a special welcome to my fellow colleagues in the
provincial executive council, MEC for Sports and Recreation, Honourable Amichad
Rajbansi; MEC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs Honourable Mtholephi
Mthimkhulu; MEC for Arts, Culture and Tourism Ms Weziwe Thusi.
His Worship, Mayor of eThekwini Municipality, Obed Mlaba and the Municipal
Manager Mr Mike Sutcliffe. Head of Department (HOD) Economic Development Ms
Carol Coetzee, other HODs present, the Chief Executive Officer of Trade
Investment KwaZulu-Natal Mr Zamo Gwala and other distinguished guests.
Investments in Information and Communication Technology
Through this visit, we hope you will gain insight on a full range of
investment opportunities. Honourable Premier Sbu Ndebele will elaborate more
about the province's strategy which seeks to raise investment in infrastructure
and human development. Make no mistake: there is widespread and passionate
interest in this issue, even among people in rural areas.
One area that the provincial government is focusing on is encouraging
investments in information and communication technology because that's the
driving force of economic growth. Information and communication technology
offers a faster path out of poverty to development. It also plays a major role
in bridging the gap between developing and developed countries.
President Thabo Mbeki in his state of the nation address in 2001 outlined
government's initiatives aimed at developing the telecommunications sector. He
announced the establishment of a Presidential National Commission on
Information Society and the establishment of a Presidential International Task
Force on Information Society and Development. The main purpose of these bodies
is to ensure that the country "get onto and stay on the information
superhighway."
Employment opportunities
The more profound reason why the provincial government supported the bid to
host the 2010 Fifa World Cup is that we want to make substantial progress
toward reducing poverty. Employment has generally been on an upward trend since
March 2003. The number of employed persons rose from 11,9 million in March 2001
to 12,4 million in March 2006. From March 2002 to March 2006, the number of
persons that were employed grew by over 800 000.
This data speaks volume about the combined efforts of the provincial
government, civil society and the private sector. I do not want to downplay the
enormous challenge we are facing but this is a significant achievement.
Concluding remarks
As you enjoy our warm sun you will begin to understand why KwaZulu-Natal should
be your future investment destination. Since Honourable Joel Sbusiso Ndebele
became the Premier on the 22 April 2004, there have been many meaningful
accomplishments.
Honourable Ndebele is the member of the National Executive Committee of the
African National Congress (ANC) and has been the Chairperson of the ANC in
KwaZulu-Natal since 2002. Strong political leadership is essential in advancing
the reconstruction and development agenda. Premier Ndebele has ensured that we
all move forward without hesitation, knowing well the meaning and the
importance of our mission.
Thank you,
Issued by: Provincial Treasury, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
13 March 2007
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kwazulunatal.gov.za/)
