Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Gina assesses progress and impact of KZN Special Economic Zones and factories, 19 to 23 Apr

The Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ms Nomalungelo Gina will visit  Special Economic Zones (SEZs), an industrial park, and government-supported factories in KwaZulu-Natal from 19-23 April 2021.

The visit is part of the  national Siyahlola Programme whose purpose is to assess progress made in the implementation of the Special Economic Zones Programme, Revitalisation of Industrial Parks Programme, and the sector-specific Master Plans that are part of the re-imagined national industrial development strategy.   ,

Gina will use the visits to receive updates on progress registered at the Richards Bay and Dube Trade Port SEZs. KwaSithebe Industrial Park, as well as Protea Leather Natal factory based in Tongaat, Bata Footwear in Estcourt, and the Msinga Clothing Factory.

According to Gina, the visits will provide her with an opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of  the impact that government programmes and interventions are making on the country’s businesses in particular, and the economy at large.

“I will be meeting with the leadership of these SEZs, industrial park and companies and then undertake tours of their facilities to see the difference that government support makes in the daily lives of the people whose factories operate in the SEZs and parks. The clothing and leather companies are direct beneficiaries of our incentives and the roll-out of the Retail, Clothing, Leather and Textile Master Plan and it would be inspiring to observe how we are turning around the clothing, leather and textile sector as government through our interventions,” says Gina.

She adds that the Siyahlola Programme will provide an opportunity for government to reiterate its support for SEZs, industrial parks, township and rural development,  and manufacturing.

“We will also use our interaction on the ground to learn about the challenges that they experience as well as identify opportunities that government can explore in order to deepen, improve or extend the implementation of the programmes. The successes and best practices that we will observe during the visits will be taken into consideration and replicated in other parts of the country as the roll-out of our programmes continue,” adds Gina.

Gina says that the SEZs and Revitalisation of Industrial Parks programmes form part of many important instruments that government uses to drive industrial development as a key contributor to employment in the country.

“South Africa, like many other developed and emerging economies, recognises industrial development as a critical route to sustainable economic development, prosperity and success,” says Gina.

Deputy Minister Gina’s KwaZulu-Natal schedule:

Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe
Departmental Spokesperson
Tel: 012 394 1650
Cell: 079 492 1774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za