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KZN investment projects make a difference
The Deputy Ministers in the Presidency on Friday led a media tour to KwaZulu-Natal to showcase the South African investment projects taking place in the province.
The tour was led by Deputy Ministers Kenneth Morolong and Nomasonto Motaung to the Serenity Hills R800 million eco-estate and the R500 million Renishaw Coastal Precinct respectively.
Speaking after the tour at the Renishaw Coastal Precinct in Scottburgh, Morolong said the community programmes that are linked with the two projects are making a significant impact in the lives of those who were unemployed previously.
According to Morolong, the skills and entrepreneurial opportunities that have been created for young people at both projects are very impressive.
“The investments of both Serenity Hills and Renishaw Coastal will make a serious economic transformation for the country. Government is also committed to continue mobilising investment in order to create sustainable jobs for the future of this country,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal, Neville Matjie said he was pleased with the progress of the projects which are important for the province.
Open for business
“We have worked with both projects, coordinating the unblocking of bottlenecks in municipal processes so that the developments run smoothly and timeously,” Matjie said.
“As the provincial investment promotion agency, we confirm that KwaZulu-Natal is open for business. We will continue to work and showcase the province’s competitive advantage and position as a world-class investment destination,” he said.
The Serenity Hills R800 million eco-estate in Margate, is meant to attract foreign investment while uplifting local communities in the mid-South Coast. It has been included in the South African Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan after being honoured by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the 5th South African Investment Conference in April this year.
The second project visited was the Renishaw Coastal Precinct, the 1 300 hectares mixed-use development on the KwaZulu-Natal mid-South Coast, is considered as one of the country’s biggest developments.
The projects have employed local communities who have benefited through skills development.
South Africa hosted its fifth South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC) in April 2023 in Johannesburg. The conference was the final leg of the drive to attract R1.2 trillion into the country over a period of five years.
The target of reaching R1.2 trillion worth of investments was successfully reached.
These investments have resulted in new factories, call centres, solar power plants, undersea fibre optic cables, expansion of production lines and the adoption of new technologies.
Serenity Hills was selected for attracting both national and international interest, contributing significantly towards the country’s socio-economic goals of creating sustainable jobs, driving back inequality, and positioning the region as a key investment destination.
Serenity Hills launched Phase 1 in the second half of last year and has already sold 50% of its units, with national and international buyers also coming from Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Germany.
Community development
Through the Sweetdale Skills Centre, the development committed to investing in local communities to revitalise the area.
There are several community-driven projects already underway, with 100 jobs already created.
Forming part of the Centre is the Sweetbike Community Project, a non-profit organisation that provides vulnerable schoolchildren with bicycles.
Mxolisi Mthwana who fixes bicycles at the centre, told SAnews that his happy with what he is doing.
“It’s been five years now fixing bicycles, I love what am doing,” he said.
According Mthwana, the centre had already donated 50 bicycles to learners in nearby schools.
“We doing this to assist the learners to get to school on time and to encourage them not to abscond,” he said.
Mlonde High School Principal Linda Mkhize told SAnews that there had been an improvement in school attendance since the school received the bicycles.
“I thank the centre with the bicycle donation because even school attendance has improved a lot, with learners no longer coming late,” she said of the bicycles donated to matric leaners.
Quality bicycles are imported from Europe and refurbished at the Sweetbike Workshop, employing and upskilling people from the local communities.
Once ready, these bicycles are donated to the learners attending rural schools from Umzumbe to Port Edward, with recipients given training in mechanics to maintain and look after the bikes. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Sat, 08/05/2023 - 07:51
Minister reflects on Energy Action Plan implementation
Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says at least half of the actions set out in the Energy Action Plan (EAP) are either completed or on track.
He was briefing the media on the progress made on the one year implementation of the Energy Action Plan on Sunday.
The EAP was introduced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July last year and thrashes out work that must be done by both Eskom and government to ensure that load shedding is reduced and eventually eradicated and to ensure energy security for the country in the future.
“About 56% of the work we are doing is either completed or on track. About eight of these actions that the President has set out in the Energy Action Plan we have completed. Twenty of these actions are on track so essentially what that means is that we are in keeping with the timelines that we had set for ourselves.
“Twelve of these actions are delayed but progressing well. Of course that is a dent because what we want to is to be either ahead of time or on time. Eight of those are off-track and intervention is on the way…so we are missing our own targets that we set ourselves,” he said.
All of the actions that government is undertaking are underpinned by five interventions, namely:
According to Ramokgopa, actions that government has taken include:
The Minister said although these interventions are contributing greatly to the reduction of load shedding, South Africans must also contribute by taking actions to reduce demand on the grid.
South Africans can contribute by switching off non-essential appliances, switching off geysers and pool pumps during peak periods and also switching off plugs and lights when not in use.
“Demand management is the fastest and most efficient way to reduce demand particularly during peak hours. There are a few things that we can do and the aggregate of those things is going to lessen the intensity of the demand. It’s quicker because we don’t have to spend money, we don’t have to have new generation capacity [and] we don’t have to improve the energy availability factor.
“It has to do with our own behaviours and how we treat consumption in our own homes. It does not mean we need to deteriorate our quality of life. We can achieve both. Just by switching off lights [you are not using], you are switching on the South African economy.
“By reducing the amount of electricity that we use through simple actions, we can reduce load shedding while saving on energy bills,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Sun, 08/06/2023 - 11:57
The Electrical Contractors’ Association of South Africa (ECA SA) is warning households and businesses to scrutinise the qualifications of solar system installers. This, as demand for solar systems has risen rapidly in recent years, attracting a flood of solar system installation professionals, some genuine, while others are rogue. The ECA has also labelled the Green …
The Solar Africa Expo 2023 ended perfectly. HINEN (www.Hinen.com) achieved great success at the exhibition with the innovative concept “Bring the Sunshine at Night”, generating the sunshine and storing it in the battery system in the daytime, then outputting solar power at night.
During the exhibition, what drew people's great attention was HINEN's 3000W Portable Power Station PS3000, which could totally replace small diesel generator sets, the savour for home users and small business owners.
As a whole-chain energy storage company, HINEN also showcased its latest solar energy solutions, which included LiFePO4 battery cell production and recycling, small storage systems, home battery systems, and C&I storage systems.
HINEN is actively establishing relationships with distributors and partners in Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria to expand the practicality and impact of its energy solutions, thus helping to address Africa's energy challenges in areas with power shortages. For more information about HINEN and its solutions, please visit www.Hinen.com.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Hinen.
National Treasury will in the coming weeks introduce Bounce Back measures to assist with the rollout of rooftop solar for households to encourage electricity generation and expand the renewable energy tax incentive for business. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said this on Tuesday in Parliament where he tabled the department’s Budget Vote for the 2023/24 financial …