The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Bulelani Magwanishe officially unveiled the completion of the first phase of the R40 million revitalised Nkowankowa Industrial Park in Tzaneen, on Monday 29 April.
The first phase of the upgrading of the Nkowankowa Industrial Park included the installation of the CCTV system, perimeter fence, pedestrian and vehicular gates, refurbishment of high mast lights and the provision of waste skip structures. According to Magwanishe, the upgrade of the park was part of the DTI’s Industrial Parks Revitalisation Programme which the department started to implement in 2016.
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He said the main objective of the programme is to promote industrialisation, accelerate economic growth, attract investment, promote transformation and encourage the establishment of black industrialists in the industrial parks. The programme is also aimed at supporting job creation in manufacturing and related sectors.
“The DTI recognises that the industrial parks have the capacity to contribute significantly in broader economic and industrial development in their host regions which are mainly townships and rural areas. We would like to see them contributing to economic growth, diversification of economic activity, attracting investments to the areas they are located in, job creation and addressing the problem of inequality,” says Magwanishe.
According to the MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET), Seaparo Sekoati, the revitalisation of the industrial parks by the DTI in Limpopo will contribute in attracting both domestic and foreign investors to the parks. The parks are managed and owned by the province’s investment promotion agency, LEDA, which is the entity of LEDET.
“We are confident that the improvement of the security infrastructure as part of the first phase of the revitalisation programme will go a long way in providing a sense of safety and security to private investors. It will also provide a conducive environment for the companies that are already operating in the park to expand their operations and increase production. Attracting more investments to the park will create more job opportunities and assist in promoting economic transformation and boost our industrialisation efforts,” added Sekoati.
Greater Tzaneen Municipality Mayor Maripe Mangena says the renovation of the Nkowankowa Industrial Park is good news to the business people in particular, and community of Greater Tzaneen at large.
“We expect the revitalisation process of the park to have positive spin-offs both within and outside the park. As more factories come to set up operations inside the park when investors realise that the security infrastructure is upgraded and their investment is safe and secure, more job opportunities will be created for members of our communities. Small enterprises and cooperatives that are operating in various parts of our municipality are also expected to benefit from the value-chains as manufacturing inside the park increases,” says Mangena.
The Industrial Parks Revitalisation Programme is part of the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) aimed at promoting industrialisation in the country and boosting the country’s manufacturing capacity to increase the production of exportable goods
