PROJECTS worth billions were announced at the executive mayor’s recent state of the city address.
The city will invest R12 billion over the medium term revenue and expenditure framework period: R3.6 billion will go to urban restructuring, R4.8 billion will be spent on upgrading and renewals and R3.6 billion will be invested in economic development.
The metro had activated a process to develop a township economies development strategy which focused on the five township complexes of Ekurhuleni, with the main focus on the development of township economic hubs.
These township enterprise centres all have a collection of more than one business use, including access to industrial parks, fabrication laboratories, business incubation centres, skills development centres and trading facilities.
The construction of the Thokoza Enterprise Hub in Kumalo Street, and the Tembisa Enterprise Hub on Thami Myele Street, have both been completed; and the construction of the Duduza, Barcelona (Etwatwa) and Khulisa (Vosloorus) enterprise hubs is underway. The projects will cost the City R30 million.
The first ever Ekurhuleni construction incubation centre was opened in Chloorkop in July. Thirty-three local emerging construction companies are being incubated into sustainable enterprises over a three-year period, all to the value of R6 million.
The metro had also undertaken to developing its youth economically through empowering them with necessary skills. One of these ways was through the Vukuphile development programme.
“We are now preparing to launch the EPWP Vukuphile 3 programme, wherein we are targeting an intake of at least 40 learner contractors for a three-year development programme. It remains our resolve to increase the volume of projects allocated to them from R210 million to R500 million,” Mondli Gungubele said.
“From July 1, R2,9 billion of procurement value shall be ring-fenced for pre-qualified businesses owned by the youth, women and people with disabilities; black industrialists and community job creation initiatives.”
These businesses will be facilitated into partnerships to enable skills transfer and localisation of the procurement spent in Ekurhuleni.
However, the metro experienced a setback through the effects of the global economic meltdown which meant that almost 28 000 people in the formal sector lost their jobs between 2011 and 2012.
Despite these challenges and through the metro’s job creation battle plan, over 55 000 new jobs were created in 2013 and 2014.
