Johannesburg – The Limpopo government is forging ahead with the implementation of the Musina-Makhado special economic zone (SEZ) as the province ramps up its investment drive that culminated with the hosting of an investment conference this week.
Limpopo premier Stan Mathabatha said his administration has placed the Musina Makhado SEZ project as its apex priority and believed it will stimulate economic growth and create employment opportunities.
“I can confirm that the opportunities in the Musina-Makhado SEZ project are in abundance. These opportunities range from manufacturing, agro-processing, automotive, steel, pharmaceutical, logistics, so on and so forth,” Mathabatha said.
“We are implementing this project with the visible support of our national government. I speak without any fear of being contradicted when I say that our president and his cabinet are fully behind this project.”
The Musina-Makhado SEZ is located in the vicinity of the Beit Bridge border post, which is one of the busiest ports of entry to South Africa and a gateway to the South African Development Community countries.
The SEZ is headed by former ANC Youth League leader Lehlogonolo Masoga.
The project is expected to create more than 50 000 jobs over the next decade.
Despite the slight improvement in the relative contribution of the services sector since 2010, the Limpopo economy is still very much dependant on the mining sector that contributes 28%.
The manufacturing sector in the economy is underperforming when compared to national. Mathabatha invited investors to invest in the mining sector in the province.
“As we journey together to eradicate the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality, we call upon investors to explore our mining sector,” he said.
The Department of Trade and Industry said SEZs have att racted more than R56-billion worth of private investment in 10 operational zones, with 222 companies having invested in the zones across the country.
The acting deputy director-general of spatial industrial development and economic transformation at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, Maoto Molefane, said: “Our focus in the Musina region is to ensure that we develop a city.”
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