MINISTER DAVIES TO TAKE the dti TO LANGEBERG FACTORIES IN THE WESTERN CAPE

MINISTER DAVIES TO TAKE the dti TO LANGEBERG FACTORIES IN THE WESTERN CAPE

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies will visit factories in the Langeberg Local Municipality, near Worcester, Western Cape to interact with factory owners and workers on Monday, 20 October 2014.

After the site visits, Minister Davies will address businesspeople and workers from the Langeberg towns of Ashton, Bonnievale, Robertson McGregor and Montagu at the Callie De Wet Hall in Robertson from 12H00.

 Minister Davies’ visit to Langeberg is part of the initiative to take the Department of Trade and Industry’s (the dti) to the factories throughout the country. Its purpose is to afford factory owners and workers an opportunity to exchange ideas with the Department’s political leadership on their role and contribution in achieving the objectives of the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP).

According to Minister Davies, the South African government has deployed a range of complementary and integrated measures to grow the economy and create jobs. IPAP is one of the key pillars of this broader approach.  The overriding goal of the IPAP in this policy context is to prevent industrial decline and support the growth and diversification of South Africa’s manufacturing sector.

“IPAP is based on the need for sustainable, long-term development that is underpinned by higher growth, exports and labor-intensive, value-adding economic activity in the production sectors, led by manufacturing. IPAP’s central focus is on manufacturing because the sector has the highest economic and employment multipliers of any sector, is central to our export strategy, based on value-added, labor-intensive tradable products that generate revenue. It also generates among st the strongest forward and backward linkages across the economy, which are important transmission mechanisms for growth and poverty reduction,” says Minister Davies.

He adds that IPAP is located within both the New Growth Path and National Development Plan which aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by creating 11 million jobs by 2030, amongst others.

“In order to achieve this objective, it is incumbent upon the dti and government in general to build partnerships between the public sector, business and labor to facilitate, direct and promote support and investment in labor-intensive sectors of our economy.  Our visits to factories in various parts of the country are informed by our recognition of the need for close consultation and co-operation with the dti’s stakeholders, including business, labor and the community,” says Minister Davies.

He adds that the visits will enable him to see first-hand the impact of the financial assistance that the department has provided some companies with. It will also enable the Department to provide businesspeople with information on the dti’s manufacturing incentives that they can access in order to grow their businesses and create more employment.   

The manufacturing sector is the largest sector in the Langeberg Municipality which includes the towns of Ashton, Bonnievale, McGregor, Montagu and Robertson. The sector has been identified as offering the most potential for growth in the area. Manufacturing is the primary employer in Langeberg, followed by agriculture, trade, catering and accommodation.