Industrial park a white elephant threat

T he proposed revitalised industrial park in Seshego – a R21 million undertaking by the national government – poses the threat of becoming a very expensive white elephant to be maintained by Limpopo’s taxpaying populace.
Speaking to Polokwane Observer while in the city for an oversight visit to the proposed development, Democratic Alliance (DA) Parliamentarian and Shadow Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry Dean Macpherson stated that he was opposed to money being spent on what he called a white elephant, because there was nothing substantial to prove that the park in Seshego would become a hub of industrialisation. Instead half of the structure was found to be vacant or derelict while the remaining part was either occupied by funeral homes and panelbeaters or used for distribution points or warehousing, he pointed out. In the absence of any proposed incentives to possible tenants, Macpherson was not convinced that the development would attract any manufacturers from Gauteng either. Occupants were already complaining about rental being high and government would have to try to negotiate market-related rent for the benefit of tenants, he said.
Macpherson, who has visited the sites of five of the six proposed industrial parks mostly situated in former homelands, expressed concern over the fact that no feasibility study, long-term planning or agreement between national and provincial governments had accompanied the five-page plan made available to them.
He raised the question why government was spending money on the proposed developments that had no potential to attract investment. He described it as an obsession by the government to turn around apartheid parks into beacons of democracy.
Apart from Limpopo, Macpherson has also conducted oversight visits in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Free State, with the exception of North West. While the majority of the hubs were operational to some extent, the one in Queenstown in the Eastern Cape did not show any sign of life, he indicated.
He raised the suspicion that Minister Rob Davies would not have agreed to the inception of the revitalisation programme if he had been aware of the issues.
Macpherson said no doubt the undertaking coincided with an election year, but the problem was that government had to be able to fulfil its promises.
He indicated that within the next two weeks they would be putting together a national document with proposals on what needed to be done to turn the parks around. He suggested sustainable job creation and government and the private sector meeting each other half-way.
In an earlier press release DTI referred to the identification of the need to revitatlise industrial parks in various parts of the country as part of its efforts to promote industrialisation, manufacturing and job creation.

Story: YOLANDE NEL
>>observer.yolande@gmail.com

Photo: Democratic Alliance (DA) Parliamentarian and Shadow Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry Dean Macpherson accompanied by DA Provincial Chairperson Langa Bodlani during the oversight visit.