Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi says his government of provincial unity (GPU) has attracted crucial investments worth more than R137bn from a global brewer, US bank, food companies and a mobile operator.
In his state of the province address in Katlehong, east of Johannesburg on Thursday, Lesufi said his government would partner with the private sector to bring innovative solutions to create jobs.
Gauteng is SA’s richest province, contributing nearly 40% to national GDP. However, it is dogged by poor service delivery, high unemployment, mismanagement of funds, fraud and corruption.
Lesufi said the Airports Company SA intended to invest just under R6bn in the next four years to add extra cargo capacity to make OR Tambo International Airport globally competitive.
Vodacom, SA’s largest mobile operator, had committed to invest R3bn in information and communications technology (ICT) network infrastructure, while Heineken Beverages would also be investing R3bn in the next three years with a potential to create 1,000 jobs, he said.
Global financial services company Citibank had pledged R1.4bn to develop a new infrastructure project near the Vaal river, “which will include a significant new international airport”, Lesufi said.
“In keeping with the spirit of partnering with the private sector, we will soon launch the Absa partnership, valued at more than R200m, to expand SMME access to affordable funding,” the premier said.
“To give effect to the agriculture and agro-processing master plan (AAMP), 15 Gauteng smallholder grain farmers have been approved for funding of about R70m, in partnership with Land Bank and PepsiCo.
“Further to that, we will be signing the memorandum of agreement totalling about R55m with eight commercial farming entities operating across different subsectors. These include sunflower processing, poultry farming, hydroponic vegetable farming, rooftop farming and retail.”
A partnership with CNS Beverage and Food Supply had resulted in the setting up of a food and beverage factory in Midrand with R150m having already been invested. A project to modernise the railway line between Tshwane and Gqeberha would result in nearly 4,000 construction jobs and just more than 1,000 permanent operations jobs, he said.
“In less than two years, the Gauteng government will invest R120bn in the expansion of Gautrain to the following areas: Soweto via Fourways, Mamelodi, Atteridgeville, Lanseria and Springs. The bid to construct these lines closes at the end of October this year,” he said.
“We are expanding our investment in ICT infrastructure by R2.3bn to roll out a stable GPN network and ICT connectivity across the Gauteng city region. We are broadening access to ICT by providing Wi-Fi connectivity to hospitals and schools, and to the 26 proclaimed townships.”
The GPU would soon convene the provincial investment conference to “further attract and expand private sector investments”, he said.
“Public-private partnerships remain central to our policy, fostering joint development projects that catalyse economic growth. We cannot realise this investment if armies of the unemployed are not reskilled to take advantage of these opportunities.
“It is within this context that we signed a ground-breaking agreement with the national skills fund at the value of R 1.1bn and the Unemployment Insurance Fund, with whom we signed R8bn, to reskill almost 500,000 unemployed residents of Gauteng. And from next month the training programmes will resume.”
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