Johannesburg – Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition Fikile Majola on Saturday put his head on the block that the government will facilitate cooperation among the three tiers of the government to fast track the OR Tambo International airport special economic zone ( SEZ’s) operations.
The SEZ, housed in the manufacturing hub of Ekurhuleni, has been touted to create thousands of jobs.
However, its progress has been hampered by the tiers of government working in silos.
Majola visited the SEZ, accompanied by officials from the Gauteng government and the leadership of the Gauteng Industrial Development Zone, which has been tasked with setting up the SEZ. Majola said he was concerned about the pace at which operations were unfolding and undertook to bring onboard stakeholders from the Gauteng government, Airports Company South Africa, and Ekurhuleni municipality to iron out the challenges .
“SEZs are one of the critical tools that the government has identified, not only to encourage investment both domestically and internationally but to create jobs. We have to make sure that they are fully functional and effective to assist economic recovery efforts. Gauteng is the economic hub of the country and therefore we should spare no effort because SEZs will play an important role in building the economy of the province. ”
The SEZ’s acting CEO, Thandiwe Ngqobe, said the SEZ was working to address its capacity and financial woes.
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