BY Refilwe Mphirime
The Northern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works in collaboration with the Premier’s office held a three-day Provincial infrastructure summit from 2 to 4 December at the Mittah Seperepere Convention center. Stakeholders from other districts connected virtually.
MEC of roads and public works Fufe Makatong explained the purpose of the gathering as a platform to engage all relevant parties to craft a sustainable master plan.
“Government intends to create opportunities through skills development which will result in permanent jobs. We trust that through this Summit we will develop practical ways of rebuilding a better Northern Cape, free of poverty, inequality and underdevelopment, after the effects of COVID-19,” added Makatong.
Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul said the immediate goal is to resuscitate the economy through development and investments. “To date, we have invested more than R2 Billion in infrastructure and intend to invest R11.3 Billion in the next three years” reiterated Saul. He announced plans to invest R3.1 billion in a new space infrastructure hub as part of an ambitious post-pandemic government spending. The South African National Space Agency has secured R4.47 billion in funding as part of the government’s plan to boost economic growth through infrastructure development.
Saul touched on the vast array of mineral resources found in the Province. “Besides diamonds, the province produces the bulk of the country’s iron and substantial quantities of zinc, lead and manganese. Beneficiation would assist us to turn minerals into high-value intermediate and finished products to leverage long-term benefits from the province’s mineral endowment. In our endeavor to beneficiate locally The Kimberley International Diamond and Jewellery Academy (KIDJA) plays an integral part,” continued Saul.
Another advantage revealed was the ocean in the Province.
“The Northern Cape Province is developing a deep-water port at Boegoebaai. Investments are mainly focused on infrastructure development (in ports), marine manufacturing (boatbuilding), aquaculture, scientific and seismic surveys; coastal and marine tourism. Systems need to be put in place to demolish inequality created by apartheid. We also need state cohesion, for the government to function as a unit,” concluded Saul.
Professor Yanus Ballim of the University of Wits who joined the summit virtually gave insight, “Infrastructure development project is not a sustainable employment creator, look for sustainability beyond the project. Good infrastructure can create future economic opportunities that are often difficult to predict. The Northern Cape has a good opportunity for tourism with relatively small investments in infrastructure,” reiterated Ballim.
On the final day of the summit, Dr Steven Jonkers presented the Provincial Growth and Development Plan (PGDP), which aims to address economic growth, social development, environmental protection, employment creation, poverty eradication and good governance.
Advocate Justice Bekebeke who gave the implementation roadmap insisted that “there has to be a paradigm shift” and stated, “it is evident that the Province has competitive and comparative advantages that we need to harness to drive our growing provincial economy and place us on the path of a modern, growing and successful province.” Bekebeke said the last phase which will see the launch of the Provincial Growth and Investment council will be in February 2021.
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