Address the announcement of cannabis investor event by Eastern Cape MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, Ms Nonkqubela Pieters, Gqeberha , Coega SEZ
Programme Director, Mr Dayimani, the Acting Head of Department
Honourable, Premier Mabuyane
MEE Mvoko and other colleagues from the Executive Council
Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Cllr Gary Van Niekerk
All Councillors here present
Chairperson of Coega Board, Mr Damoyi
Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tiya
Government officials from all spheres
Our Investor and leaders of Business
Distinguished Guests
Members of Media
Ladies and Gentlemen
We are gathered here this morning, still fresh from Freedom Day celebrations. Celebrating thirty (30) years of Democracy. Most of you might have seen the picture of the President of the Republic in weekend papers and on the television, dancing with Lady Smith Black Mambazo in a celebratory style. You could tell, he was over the moon, justifiable so. All of us were singing and dancing in all the corners of our country. Some South Africans gathered in various places of the continent and the world, including members of the International Community and in the United Nations Head Quarters in New York.
Programme Director, the commemoration of this milestone, thirty (30) years of Freedom is among the most important public events in South Africa’s post-democratic history, and requires celebration, reflection and thought forward. This is why we are here in one of the province’s championing investment venues to continue with our celebrations, reflect and pave a way forward, honouring the invaluable progress, resilience and collective efforts to ensure that all our people, especially the most vulnerable, walk with dignity and are able say, we too, are free from poverty, inequality and underdevelopment.
The announcement of the investor today, which is the purpose of this event forms part of our efforts to speed up service delivery in our country and our province in particular. The landmark investment, the Premier is about to announce is a culmination of work pronounced by the Premier himself in the beginning of the 6th Administration.
The Province approved the Eastern Cape Cannabis Strategy aimed to champion legislative reform that allows for commercialization of cannabis. We laid the foundation of developing this sector in the province to have skills base, business case, incubation, research and development.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are positioning the province as the Industrial hub of cannabis from primary production to processing, packaging and manufacturing done in the Eastern Cape.
It is important to note that the sector has provided support to more than 120 cannabis farmers to acquire hemp permits. We trained 126 cannabis farmers and 20 agricultural advisors through Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency, the ECRDA. We are procuring 6 tonnes of hemp seeds, 1000 litters of herbicides, 1.3 tonnes of fertilisers, fencing material to distribute to farmers in the province for them to plant hemp in the province and benefit from the economic opportunities.
Our ongoing trade and investment promotion programmes are targeting private sector for them to invest in the Eastern Cape Province.
We are diversifying our provincial economy to complement the good impact of the manufacturing sector in creating jobs and business opportunities for SMMEs.
Agriculture sector is one of our growth engine sectors and its growth in other commodities show what can be accomplished when we have investors, financiers, entrepreneurs and government joining hands to grow inclusive economy.
Through ongoing trade and investment promotion initiatives, as far as investment in manufacturing, we will continue building our industries to achieve an inclusive economy. Such an economy must expand to create opportunities for all. We must modernise our industrial capacity in that we are able to service both local and internal markets.
We will continue investing in infrastructure for economic transformation and inclusive growth to benefit the people of our province, especially young people and women.
Part of transforming the financial sector is to ensure that it has policies that support entrepreneurs, particularly those owned by young people and women to support employment and industrialisation.
Honourable Premier, I must confess that you continue to surprise us as Members of the Executive Council. We are most fortunate to have you as our leader. A person with such a foresight who would make sure that at all times, he works with us and achieve our government vision without forcing anything but with such a humility, at the same time remains firm. It is neither difficult nor easy to work with you but comfortable. You always ensure that we all do our work with the total commitment, vigour and enthusiasm. You are able to divide yourself and give equal support to all the Departments and much improvement has been a testimony for all to see. Sometimes we doubt that some of the programmes you envision will be realised, yet at the end, they do. You envisioned this in the beginning of the term, the 6th Administration. Today we yield the fruits of that vision.
We can confirm that you are indeed equal to the task and I am all over the moon, just like the President the day before yesterday that this day has finally come.
This historic event reminds me of wise and inspirational words by Nelson Mandela after he handed over the Presidency to President Mbeki. It was in his address at the farewell banquet in his honour hosted by President Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria on 16 June 1999 and he said,
“Today a worthy son of Albert Luthuli and Oliver Tambo takes his place amongst the new generation of leaders. It is not merely the passing of the baton from one President to another, a transition from the so-called Mandela era to the Mbeki era, but indeed a significant changing of generations. The task of this generation is to help make a reality of our long-cherished dreams of peace, equity and development within and amongst the nations and regions of the world. Their challenge is to deal with the plight of the developing nations and the poor, above all in Africa.
South Africa has elected a President who is equal to the challenges we face: whether it is as a country seeking to strengthen the unity it is building and to speed up the change it is achieving; as a region in reconstruction; as a continent renewing itself.”
As I conclude, I wish to say to you, the people of South Africa have so much confidence in the African National Congress and they know that the ANC has the ability to conquer any challenges that might emerge. I am confident that our people will give the ANC a decisive majority vote so that we continue with our contract that they signed with us.
The enemies of democracy have already placed the African National Congress below 40% in the upcoming elections. They are determined to destroy gains of our democracy and freedom. I can assure all of you gathered here, they will fail. Our people will continue to surprise the prophets of doom and the sceptics, not once but many a times. Certainly, they will do it over and over again. It is a decisive victory, nothing less.
Ladies and Gentlemen, let me indicate yet again that the purpose of this event is for the Honourable Premier to announce the investor for Cannabis.
Thank you very much.
