the dti leads efforts to make industrial parks hubs hives of economic development
The Department of Trade and industry (the dti) is working closely with other national and provincial government departments to make the country’s townships and industrial parks hives of economic development. This was said by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies in Parliament this week. Minister Davies was delivering the dti’s Budget Vote speech in the National Assembly.
“Our Special Economic Zones Programme has been bolstered with the addition of a major new initiative to revitalise our local industrial parks. Ten state-owned industrial parks located in under-developed and former homelands have been identified for revitalisation.
We cannot simply continue to lament that South Africans are not entrepreneurial enough without investing in the infrastructure which all business but especially township business needs to be able to operate,” said Minister Davies.
He added that it was for this reason that the dti contracted the Development Bank of Southern Africa to oversee the infrastructure implementation phase with the first phase involving security infrastructure upgrading, fencing, street lighting, top structures and critical electricity requirements.
“We will be investing R189 million covering six industrial parks in this financial year.
This initiative is a critical element of our inclusive growth imperative and we are pleased to report that other national departments such as the Departments of Small Business Development, Rural Development and Land Reform, Economic Development and some provinces such as Gauteng are working closely with the dti to make our townships and industrial parks hives of economic development.
The more equitable provision of economic infrastructure to under-developed areas is a key tenet of our inclusive growth strategy,” added Minister Davies.
In his Budget Vote speech also delivered at the National Assembly, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Mzwandile Masina said the revitalisation of industrial parks would unlock entrepreneurial capabilities and provide institutional support to township businesses.
“The reactivation of industrial parks is systematically linked to the bigger programme of the Special Economic Zones. Its main focus is to break the spatial profile of investment flow that is concentrated in metropolitan and mostly coastal regions to the exclusion of township and rural spaces,” said Masina.
He added that government’s efforts aimed at achieving the country’s industrial objectives that are outlined in the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) also took the growth of industrial activity in townships and rural regions into consideration.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe
Tel: 012 394 1650
Cell: 079 492 1774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
