Parliament, Thursday, 17 August 2017 – The Select Committee on Trade and International Relations has congratulated the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Department of Trade and Industry (Dti) for the support provided to the Saldanha Industrial Development Zone (IDZ).

The Chairperson Mr Eddie Makue said the Committee appreciates that Dti and the IDC have prioritised training of young black industrialists. “This kind of support is required to fight poverty, inequality and unemployment. We have to get many young people into the mainstream economy through these major infrastructural programmes and capital support is a necessity,” Mr Makue said.

“We need to see the impact of such projects. They need to be beneficial to the local communities. We need to see more partnerships with the private sector and the training institutions so that manufacturing is enhanced,” he said.

The Committee is on a week-long oversight visit to the West Coast and has been to various sites, including Saldanha port. The Committee was also made aware of challenges relating to the drought in the Western Cape, and how water has become a challenge for industries. The Committee is accompanied by a representative from the Saldanha District Municipality.

Mr Makue said the oversight has so far given the Committee an idea of the challenges faced in the region, the distance that has been covered with regards to the Saldanha Bay IDZ, and a sense of what still needs to happen in order to realise the objective of inclusive economic growth in the area.

“There are obviously massive growth opportunities for business and local communities in this area once the expansion projects around the port kick in. All that is needed is coordination of efforts and funding,” he said.

ISSUED BY PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND INTERNATIONALRELATIONS, MR EDDIE MAKUE 

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