South Africa cannot afford international partnerships that look good on paper but fail to put jobs, skills and opportunities in the hands of its people.
That was the blunt message from the deputy minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, as she called for stronger economic ties between South Africa and China.
Letsike was delivering the keynote address at Aberdare Cables’ 80th birthday celebration at the Houghton Hotel in Johannesburg on Friday.
Stronger local industries
She said South Africa’s relationship with China should go beyond investment figures and translate into stronger local industries, skills development, technology transfer and access to markets.
“Our relationship with China presents an opportunity to strengthen South Africa’s productive capacity, create jobs, transfer skills and technology and open access to new markets,” said Letsike.
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Established in 1946, the cable manufacturer has operations in Pietermaritzburg, Gqeberha and Gauteng, including its facility in Pomona on the East Rand.
The company employs about over 1,000 South Africans directly and supports more livelihoods through its supply chain and for Letsike, that is the real value of manufacturing.
“An 80-year history is not simply a milestone. It represents generations of workers, skills, families and industrial knowledge that have remained part of our economy. This is why manufacturing matters,” she said.
Women must move from jobs to ownership
With Women’s Month being observed, Letsike turned the spotlight on youth and women’s economic participation.
“As we celebrate Aberdare’s 80 years, our shared task is to ensure that the next chapter connects South Africa to the industries of the future and connects more women, young people and persons with disabilities to meaningful economic opportunity,” she said.
She said 70 years after the historic Women’s March of 1956, South Africa still needed to ask whether women had genuine access to the modern economy.
The answer, she suggested, lies in opening doors at every level from education and engineering to management, entrepreneurship, supply chains and ownership.
“As we commemorate 70 years since the Women’s March of 1956, we must ask how freely women are able to move through the modern economy,” she said.
Letsike said the private sector had a responsibility to ensure that women were not confined to the lower rungs of the economic ladder. She also called for greater opportunities for persons with disabilities, saying inclusion should be built into workplaces and technology from the beginning.
“South Africa cannot afford to exclude talent while confronting high unemployment and skills shortages,” she said.
A changing workplace
The Deputy Minister warned that the workplace of tomorrow would look very different from today’s, with artificial intelligence, automation, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing reshaping the skills companies need.
She said young South Africans needed practical routes into these emerging industries through technical education, apprenticeships and workplace experience.
“Our responsibility is to connect young people to the opportunities of the future through technical education, apprenticeships, workplace experience and pathways into enterprise and ownership,” Letsike said.
- South Africa seeks stronger economic ties with China that enhance local industries, skills development, technology transfer, and market access, according to Deputy Minister Mmapaseka Steve Letsike.
- Aberdare Cables, established in 1946, employs over 1,000 South Africans directly and supports additional livelihoods through its supply chain.
- Letsike emphasized the need for increased economic participation and ownership opportunities for women, youth, and persons with disabilities during Women’s Month.
- The private sector is urged to ensure women are not restricted to lower economic roles and to integrate inclusivity for persons with disabilities in workplaces and technology.
- The Deputy Minister highlighted the importance of preparing young South Africans for the future workforce shaped by AI, automation, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing through education and apprenticeships.
