E171m set aside for factory shells

Based on this fact, Simelane said there was no way that the structure could sink or make any form of movement to cause failure.

The communication officer mentioned that the site had plenty of underground water, especially the hotel site.

However, she said all precautionary measures were considered to mitigate any negative effect to the structural integrity of the structure.

Accreditation

To prove that there were no serious issues with the structure; government announced that the ICC would receive silver accreditation. It is said that the ICC’s multipurpose hall, theatre and exhibition space were designed to allow flexibility in usage.

The FISH is expected to receive a silver LEED accreditation for water and energy efficiency.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is the most widely used green building rating system in the world.

It (LEED) provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings.

It is understood that the whole ICC building was designed according to LEED energy and water efficiency principles.

The silver accreditation can put the ICC on the world tourism map as green tourism is associated with quality and high standards.

Green tourism businesses’ focus on sustainability is demonstrated through three grading levels; bronze, silver and gold.

They are ordinarily assessed every two years to ensure that standards are maintained.

Rigorous

It means that the ICC will be assessed by a qualified grading advisor against a rigorous set of criteria, covering a range of areas such as energy and water efficiency, waste management and biodiversity. For a hotel or facility to get silver accreditation, it needs to be able to demonstrate that it is working extensively to source supplies locally and ethically, as well as maintaining standards, minimising damage to the environment and meeting good standards of practice at all while providing a high quality service.

“This facility will be receiving silver accreditation in this regard,” says the ministry’s annual performance report for the financial year 2021/2022.

On the other hand, government has maintained that the ICC&FISH is a viable project. The convention centre is seen as a good facility that will derive revenue from hosting international meetings organised by various bodies. The ministry stated in the report that the ICC would accommodate a range of government, public and corporate activities.

MANZINI – Government has committed to building factory shells, to stimulate the entry of new investors into the local market, by setting aside E171 million for the projects.

This was announced by the Minister of Finance, Neal Rijkenberg, when he was delivering the budget speech yesterday.

He said investment in infrastructure to support industrialisation was key. Thereafter, he said government had committed to building factory shells to stimulate the entry of new investors into the local market.

He said this included developments such as the construction of the Gamula, Ndzevane and Mantambe factory shells, which would create over 3 000 jobs for emaSwati.

Crucial

He added that factory shells played a crucial role in attracting investment by creating a conducive and enabling environment, drawing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country’s borders.

Furthermore, he said government would complete the Johnson Workwear factory shell in Nhlangano and the rehabilitation of the burnt down factory shell at Hlatikhulu.

“In this budget, government has provided E171 million for the construction of factory shells,” the minister said.

In addition to infrastructure, he said the legislation which guides this investment was key to attracting additional economic activity into Eswatini. He said the coming financial year would see the development of the National Export Strategy, amendments of the Eswatini Investment Promotion Act (EIPA) and the Special Economic Zones Act.

Promoting

He said all of these programmes were crucial to the business environment for both local and international investment, and would go a long way in further promoting investment from both within and outside of the borders of the country.

The minister added that government was continuously accelerating industrialisation within its available financial resources to upgrade and develop infrastructure, such as industrial estates to promote domestic and foreign investments into the manufacturing sector.

To attract investment and strengthen value addition, he said government would reinvigorate the development of the Sidvokodvo Industrial Estate of 310 hectares, which would alleviate the shortage of industrial land for investors and create employment for emaSwati. This initiative, he said, was anticipated to create 600 jobs during the initial phase of the construction and 4 000 jobs in the second year.

Meanwhile, the Amalgamated Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (ATUSWA) Secretary General, Wonder Mkhonza, said that as an organisation, they believe that building factories for investors was a waste of time and money.

Enticed

He said this was because they had seen that most of the investors who wanted to be enticed with factory shells in order to come into the country, were not real investors and they end up not valuing the workers.

“Real investors come to a country and build their own structures,” he said.

In that regard, he said government should channel the money which it had set aside to build factory shells, towards defending workers’ right. He said by so doing, the country would attract internationally recognised companies, who would come and give emaSwati decent jobs.