Johannesburg – The widely used term gandaganda has been brought to life with the launch of a tractor brand underpinned by African identity and aims to be the only brand on the continent to manufacture tractors from start to finish.
The more than R800-million investment into the first phase of the Gandaganda brand, owned by Nqanawe Holdings, was launched recently at the Richards Bay industrial development zone on the KwaZulu- Natal north coast. Nqanawe Holdings’ director and executive chairperson, Noah Nyawo, told Sunday World that the concept Gandaganda was a product of extensive research conducted in South Africa and other African countries.
“Our research informed us that in the entire African continent, the term gandaganda resonated with everyone regardless of race and geographical location,” said Nyawo.
He said the groundbreaking project was a gamechanger, that would revolutionise the tractor manufacturing sector, ensuring that black industrialists control the means of production.
“Those who control the means of production, dictate who should benefit in the value chain. The means of production remain in white hands who in turn ensure that whoever benefits meaningfully in the value chain is a white-owned business. We want to see more black people being directly involved in the origination and management of big industries. In addition, all the tractor brands are not manufactured on our shores, they are only assembled here. Our aim is to change this.”
Nyawo said in the next six months, engineers and surveyors would be hard at work preparing the manufacturing plant, promising that it would be up and running in less than a year.
The project involves a partnership with a Belarus-based tractor manufacturing company Minsk Tractor Works.
“The project will create more than 2 000 jobs in the agricultural value chain. We also want to absorb graduates into the programme because every district will have a service garage and this where graduates will be placed as engineers .”
Ravi Pillay, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for economic development, tourism and environmental affairs’ said the north coast region was fast-becoming a key economic and investment driver for the province and the country.
He said despite the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy, the special economic zone was able to attract more than R11-billion.
“As government we are fully committed to this partnership as we believe it augurs well for our recovery plans especially in relation to manufacturing,” said Pillay.
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