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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.

While in KZN Gina will also address the Tourism Trade and Investment Seminar in KwaDukuza on 21 April 2021. The seminar, which is hosted by the Department of Tourism, will bring together the industry experts in the tourism economy and political leadership to share inputs on the global and local trends on trade and investment, and seek to coordinate efforts to address challenges hampering investment.

Deputy Minister Gina’s KwaZulu-Natal schedule:

DATE VENUE TIME

19 April 2021 Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone 10:00

19 April 2021 KwaSithebe Industrial Park 14:00

20 April 2021 Protea Leather Natal - Tongaat 10:00

20 April 2021 Dube Trade Port SEZ - Durban 14:00

21 April 2021 Tourism Trade and Investment Seminar - KwaDukuza 09:00

22 April 2021 Bata Footwear - Estcourt 10:00

23 April 2021 Msinga Clothing Factory - Msinga 10:00

Issued by The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic)