Mayor jets off to China for aerotropolis investment
Ekurhuleni executive mayor Clr Mondli Gungubele will, on May 8, jet out to China on a mission to woo investors to invest in the city.
The mayor will also attend the annual World Airport Cities Conference and Exhibition, in China, from May 13 to 15.
“In an attempt to turn the economy of Ekurhuleni around and create jobs for the thousands who are unemployed in the city, a few years ago the metro adopted the aerotropolis concept as an economic growth trajectory,” said mayoral spokesman Zweli Dlamini.
An aerotropolis is a city that anchors its economic activities around the existence of an international airport – in this case the OR Tambo International Airport.
“The Ekurhuleni Aerotropolis programme is an overarching flagship programme, which encapsulates other flagships, such as the Digital City, Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network, Beautification of Lakes and Dams, Urban Regeneration, Development of Township Economies and the Revitalization of the Manufacturing Sector, among others, to drive the radical economic development and transformation agenda of Ekurhuleni.”
According to Gungubele, these interventions may not have the envisaged impact if they are not coupled with a systematic programme to crowd strategic investment into the city.
“We are, therefore, putting a concerted effort towards the redistribution of the wealth of the city, as envisaged in section 217 of the Constitution of South Africa,” he said.
“We are going to China to tell the world that Ekurhuleni has adopted a posture that is welcoming to strategic partnerships and private sector investments.
“We want the world to know that we are the preferred destination for investment in the Southern hemisphere.
“There is no doubt that the aerotropolis concept is now mainstreamed in the city and has ignited a new wave of investments in and around the airport catchment area,” he explained.
“It should be noted that the implementation of the aerotropolis programme intends to balance the distribution of economic activity between the nine affluent areas and the 17 townships of Ekurhuleni.
“This will be achieved through a systematic spatial and economic programme, to enable the geographic spread. This way, our people will enjoy its benefits and improved quality of life from wherever they are, without moving closer to the airport.”
The mayor said that, after having leveraged the best global expertise in the development of the aerotropolis programme in Ekurhuleni, the five-year Strategic Implementation Plan has identified 10 economic clusters that will be prioritised for development in the metro.
“Ekurhuleni has also recorded several interesting developments in and around the aerotropolis catchment area.
“To date, approximately R789-million has been invested in a number of projects along the Albertina Sisulu Corridor, creating at least 1 506 jobs,” he added.
“As a result, the R21 freeway now features iconic buildings that house companies such as John Deere, DB Schenker, DBZ Eng, DHL Global Warehouse, the DHL Global head office, Wurth, TAL Warehouse, Fast Freight, DHL Supply Chain, Takealot and many more.
“Judging from what has been happening around the OR Tambo International Airport, it is clear that the aerotropolis has taken off in a big way and we cannot look back now.”
The mayor and the Ekurhuleni delegation are expected back in the country in a couple of weeks.
