1 000 NEW ELIDZ JOBS
ICT manufacturer largest of its kind in southern Africa
OVER 1 000 jobs will be created by the 100% blackowned Buffalo City Metro based Yekani Manufacturing plant, which is producing cellphones, tablets and laptops.
The R1-billion information and communication technology (ICT) plant, said to be the largest of its kind in southern Africa, was officially launched at the East London Industrial Development Zone yesterday.
Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies, ICT industry experts, premier Phumulo Masualle, and Eastern Cape business leaders were among a small crowd of about 200 people who witnessed the occasion.
Yekani group CEO Dr Siphiwe Cele, 61, said the world-class, technologically advanced, 28 000m² facility would push the limits of innovation and was an investment that was expected to create around 1 000 jobs.
“It was an ambitious undertaking to form a Pan-African company that will span different sectors to create more employment. Yekani will create waves not just in this country and continent but in the whole world.
“We wanted to show African talent and expertise rather than relying on outside partners,” Cele said, adding the factory would manufacture 4G mobile phones, laptops and tablets.
He said 90% of the workforce were young women.
“This has been the plan for 20 years. We have been determined to do this. We have started recruiting people as we move from the old factory [in Wilsonia] to this one,” he said.
“We need people, but we need people who are skilled, because we can’t just take people from the street to train them. The immediate intake will be graduates.
“By the middle of next year all 1 000 people will have been employed.”
More jobs would be created next year, he said.
He said they chose East London because there were fewer disruptions to production.
“Interruption of power in East London is not that much.
“There is labour stability. And lastly electricity is not expensive here.”
The project was funded by the Department of Trade and Industry, private financial institutions and some of it came from Yekani’s coffers.
Cele challenged the government to support their products. “We are challenging government to start using our technology that will be manufactured from this facility.
“If you do not give us that support, we will not be able to employ the people that we want to employ.”
Chief operations officer Rajesh Ramkawal said the plant was the largest electronics facility in southern Africa. Its machinery is capable of assembling 1.5-billion components per hour.
Board member Mothibi Ramasi said their products would help reduce the cost of communication in South Africa.
“We have always had the issue of cost to communicate in SA and within the continent. We looked at the value chain in the mobile industry.
“We have been using components that are manufactured outside South Africa. Now we are going to be able to manufacture them here.”