Public works minister eyes R12bn investment

PUBLIC works minister Thulas Nxesi has set a target of attracting R12-billion in investment by next year to develop the state’s harbours and coastal properties.

He said this would help in creating “more than 1 000 stable jobs directly linked to approved projects in the same timeframe”.

Nxesi was addressing delegates attending the two-day investment conference held at Hemingways Hotel in East London, which ended yesterday.

His department said an additional R8-billion in investments would be attracted between 2019 and 2020.

“This will lead to the creation of more than 2 000 work opportunities through secondary activities linked to identified projects,” he added.

The conference was attended by the province’s coastal region municipalities, including Buffalo City Metro, Kouga, Mbhashe, Port St Johns and Makana, as well as potential investors in the oceans economy. The summit forms part of implementing a new letting framework, which was developed by the department and the national Treasury for state-owned small harbours and coastal properties.

Department spokesman Thami Mchunu said the new leasing framework offers a more progressive method of collecting revenue and further addresses the empowerment of local SMMEs, cooperatives, women, youth and persons with disabilities.

Mchunu said the framework also addresses the standardisation of the letting out process, the renegotiating and regularisation of all existing leases, issuing longterm leases appropriate for different types of businesses and empowerment of blackowned and local businesses through radical economic transformation measures.

Nxesi said the conference – which had also given coastal municipalities an opportunity to showcase investment opportunities available in their areas – had brought the department one step closer to achieving national goals and building a profitable relationship between the private sector and the government through the development of state coastal property.

“It is through engagements like these that we will jointly improve the economic condition of small rural coastal towns, upgrade our metropolitan coastal cities and ultimately create viable economic zones along the country’s coastline,” said the minister.

The Dispatch yesterday reported on plans by the same department to invest in small harbours in Port Edward in KwaZulu-Natal, Port St Johns on the Wild Coast, Port Nolloth in the Northern Cape, and Gonubie in East London.

Nxesi said these ports will assist in the formalisation of marine activities.