launch of Tata Steelâs Ferro Chrome Smelter Project
21 August 2006
Deputy President of South Africa, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
Mayor of Umhlathuzi, Mr DD Moffat
Mr Ramon Dhawan, Managing Director of Tata Africa
Mr B Muthuraman, Managing Director of Tata Steel
Staff of Tata
Ladies and gentlemen
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to address this ground-breaking
ceremony for Tataâs Ferro Chrome Smelter Project in South Africa, and in
particular, right here, in KwaZulu-Natal.
My tasks are for one to introduce the Honourable Deputy President of South
Africa, Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and also to say a few words on the sod
turning we are about to witness and the impact of this project on our
region.
The Honourable Deputy President is a strong campaigner of enhancing South
Africaâs energy and mineral wealth. After the Honourable Deputy Presidentâs
appointment as Minister of Minerals and Energy in 1999, she has steered the
industry successfully with reform initiatives, creating a stable and conducive
environment for investors, local and foreign, like you in the Tata Group to
invest on our shores.
Before I call upon the Honourable Deputy President to carry out the official
opening of the Ferro Chrome project, let me briefly congratulate Tata for
taking the bold step and venturing into this part of our province.
KwaZulu-Natal investorsâ paradise
As you know just mid term in office, this Provincial Government can boast
securing an investment of R5 billion in KwaZulu-Natal. Including and not
limited to the building of the R1,6 billion King Senzangakhona Stadium, and the
R2,5 billion for the new La Mercy Airport. Together with the building of the
Dube Tradeport (DTP) which for you as exporters and importers will have added
value.
The DTP as it is known, will have a cargo terminal, warehousing space, light
manufacturing, and an agri zone which will include an area of growing, packing
and fresh produce for the export market.
We will also be an Information Technology (IT) platform that will connect
the entire infrastructure and will serve as an electronic trading platform.
All this is expected to be in place in the next 30 months, and in seven
weeksâ time, we will get the bids from the two bidders and decide who will be
the preferred bidder. By March 2007, we are expected to hit the ground at La
Mercy.
Port advantage
As investors you would have learnt about our two ports, in Durban and
Richards Bay that are vital to our plans for economic development because of
the great potential that the import and export markets present. The port here
is virtually on your doorstep and is one of the largest ports in South Africa
and would minimise transport costs.
We hope that while power costs is cheap here, that the portâs mere logistic
advantage, and being the most efficient port in the African continent, will
lure other foreign investors here.
You have received land and environmental clearances, and construction of the
plant is set to bring about confidence in our province and economic prosperity
in several ways including but not limited to job creation.
Originally, when the project was conceptualised over a year ago, Tata Steel
had also kept Australia in view. Its final choice of South Africa is
welcomed.
For South Africa, which is keen on investments by Indian companies, it is a
matter of satisfaction that India's largest industrial house is coming forward
to set up a major project.
On a recent visit to India we swept across the motherland from Tamil Nadu to
Chandigarh in Punjab and we were impressed with the co-operative advantages our
two countries have. We are already fast tracking many projects between our
province, KwaZulu-Natal and other provinces in India.
Let me now hasten to call our esteemed and honourable Deputy President, Ms
Phumzile Ngcuka to officially launch the Ferro Chrome Smelter Project.
Familiar to many in the mineral and energy sector, the honourable deputy
president has been a Member of Parliament since 1994, was the Deputy Minister
in the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) of the Republic of South Africa
from 1996 to 1999, and has been a member of the National Executive Committee of
the African National Congress since 1997.
I present to you the honourable deputy president
Thank you
Issued by: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
21 August 2006
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kwazulunatal.gov.za)
