“The metro is taking care of business and is creating long term partnerships that will enable economic growth in the region.”
This was said on Thursday, November 13, when the metro’s executive mayor Clr Mondli Gungubele and members of his mayoral committee met with businesses at the launch of a new platform called City Meets Business.
At the launch business owners were briefed on the Ekurhuleni Growth and Development Plan 2055, Aerotropolis and Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network projects.
City Meets Business is specifically formulated to enable the leadership of the metro to engage with big business as a collective in an endeavour to improve communication channels between the parties.
“We want to use this opportunity to get a better understanding of the challenges being experienced by business in our vicinity and how best these can be resolved,” said Gungubele at the launch.
“As a city, we are gunning for the active participation of business in development and investment opportunities and if all goes according to plan, City Meets Business will strengthen public private partnerships in various socio-economic areas.”
The metro is home to just over a quarter of Gauteng’s population and the current contribution to the Gross Geographic Product for the metro is estimated at R204-billion or 6.4 per cent of the national GGP.
“Since 1994 the municipality has facilitated and approved public and private investments with a market value of approximately R75-b.
“Amongst these are notable developments such as Carnival City and Emperors Palace casinos; Carnival Mall; Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre; Glendower, Ebotse and Serengeti golf estates; Toyota Parts Centre; and the expansion of the O R Tambo International Airport,” said Gungubele.
Despite this the unemployment rate remains a major concern, particularly the 36.9 per cent youth unemployment.
Partnering with businesses in economic development, poverty alleviation and job creation projects and initiatives is one of the spurs of the City Meets Business forum as well as creating and sustaining relations with business; promoting the metro as a viable location for business; and recognising business as an important stakeholder in realising the city’s goals.
“This is a good platform for engagement, as it provides us with access to departments that we can approach to do business with.
“However, the city needs to communicate more on the big projects it has so that we can solicit our involvement as the business fraternity,” said the Ekurhuleni Business Initiative founder, Chris van Biljon.
Exposing business to the metro’s major developments and flagship projects is one of the objectives of the forum.
