Makhura sees cannabis playing role in Gauteng’s future
With South Africa facing a stagnant economy and widespread unemployment, Gauteng Premier David Makhura yesterday delivered his State of the Province address (Sopa), pledging to stimulate economic growth by tapping into the potentially lucrative multibillion-rand cannabis industry.
Makhura is the second premier to show an interest in cannabis, following Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, who has been hard at work to woo investors into the dagga-rich province.
Makhura explained that Gauteng planned to focus on dagga “for medicinal use only”.
“Working with the department of trade and industry, we are looking at the industrialisation and agroprocessing of the cannabis industry for medicinal purposes, which includes skin care.”
Create three fully operating special economic zones, in Ekurhuleni,
Tshwane and Sedibeng, by 2025, as well as a special agroprocessing zone on the West Rand.
Create 15 revitalised industrial parks, 12 agri-parks and five agroprocessing facilities across five corridors.
Develop Gauteng into the biggest inland logistics hub and dry port in Africa by 2030.
Spend R60 billion in the next five years in building and maintaining infrastructure, creating an additional 100 000 jobs and facilitating the development of 50 black industrialists.
Upscale the provincial welfare-to-work programme to enable 100 000 young, unemployed women currently dependent on state grants to become self-employed in the township-based economy.
Spend R4 billion annually in buying goods and services from 2 000 township enterprise.
Support 50 emerging black farmers and 20 black agroprocessors “to help turn them into full-scale commercial agri-food enterprises”.
On the ailing Gauteng infrastructure, Makhura said: “From May, the installations, repairs and maintenance on our public facilities will be done by artisans from townships. We are extending this programme to willing private sector partners.
“I am happy to report the German Chamber of Business is very keen to bring German companies to support this initiative.”
In line with a commitment he made last year, Makhura said the provincial government would in June introduce the Township Economic Development Bill to empower previously disadvantaged businesses.
On the energy crisis, Makhura said the Gauteng government had adopted the energy security strategy and established the Gauteng energy office in 2016.
“The key objective was to diversify our energy mix and expand energy generation capacity in the three metropolitan municipalities.
“The strategy could not be implemented because there was no national policy to support decentralised energy security initiatives.
“Some of our metros undermined the initiatives by putting politics before the interest of Gauteng,” he said.
Makhura said he welcomed initiatives announced by Ramaphosa during Sona to allow municipalities, the private sector and citizens to bring additional capacity to the grid from renewable energy.
“Through the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency, we intend to increase exports to the continent by 15% by 2025 [and] to major regions of the world by 10% by 2025,” Makhura said.
Some metros undermined our energy initiative