The Select Committee on Trade and International Relations has emphasised the importance of government and state entities to prioritise local procurement and beneficiation at Special Economic Zones.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Mr Eddie Makue, said this was critical in getting South Africans employed with improved skills.
“The option to import should be the last, and should be informed by absence of a commodity in the country. This is the only way South Africa is going to improve its manufacturing capability, and in essence improve on job creation ideals,” Mr Makue said.
The Committee, together with the Select Committee on Economic Development, on Tuesday visited projects in the Coega Industrial Development Zone situated at the Ngqura Port. The Committee are undertaking a week-long oversight visit to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
Mr Makue said the Committees were impressed with what they found in Coega but a lot more needed to be done in order to maximise the economic impact of the project.
He encouraged management at Coega to align targets on employment creation with the objectives of the National Development Plan (NDP).
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact:
Sibongile Maputi (Mr)
Tel: 021 403 8041
Cell: 081 052 6060
E-mail: smaputi@parliament.gov.za
