KwaZulu-Natal premier Thamsanqa Ntuli says his administration has placed the revitalisation of the Isithebe Industrial Estate located in Mandeni, northern KwaZulu-Natal high on the agenda to help create jobs.
Isithebe was the biggest employer in the province providing over 50 000 jobs and was touted as the backbone of the provincial economy with people across all provinces and neighbouring countries flocking to the rural town in search of job opportunities.
Underpinned on manufacturing, the industrial park attracted global brands in chemical, pulp and paper, steel and household appliances, including the textile industry and many other sectors.
Over the years, investors have shied away from the area due to frequent violent social unrest and unreliable electricity supply costing factory owners billions of rands.
“Revitalising Isithebe Industrial Park is top of the agenda for the 7th administration. We cannot allow such a critical investment to die. The plan augurs well with our job-creation drive as the new government of provincial unity,” Ntuli said.
However, previous provincial governments’ pronouncements to revive the entity have not materialised. In 2016, the Department of Trade and Industry under then minister Rob Davies injected just over R50-million into Isithebe through the Industrial Park Revitalisation Programme, which was aimed at giving the industrial area a much-needed facelift. The industrial estate holds sentimental value for Ntuli’s party the IFP, which is often credited to the legacy of the late party founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
Buthelezi was key in driving investment in the area of Mandeni and other surrounding rural towns during his tenure as the head of the KwaZulu homeland government. He conceived the Isithebe Industrial Estate through Ithala Development Finance Corporation, a provincial development finance agency, which also owns Ithala Bank. The financial institution itself is credited to Buthelezi.
Ithala is a government entity under the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
Metso Foundries, a world-leading company offering equipment and services for the sustainable processing and flow of natural resources in the mining aggregates, recycling and processing left the area citing volatile external factors. More than 200 people lost their jobs. Other key industries followed suit.
In 2019, residents who were calling for the head of ANC former Mandeni mayor Siphesihle Zulu went on the rampage, torching trucks and petrol bombing 11 factories.
The standoff also led to prominent retailers not receiving their stock. Businesses have also lamented the high rental costs.
The Isithebe Industrial Estate is nestled midway between Durban and Richards Bay ports making it a strategic investment destination.
