R200 million has been earmarked to rebuild abandoned industrial parks in the Eastern Cape. The factories closed in the 1990’s and were later vandalised.
The Eastern Cape government is seeking to attract investors. More than a hundred factories in Dimbaza were closed.
Nonceba Mgengo used to work in one of them and now she has lost hope of finding a job.
“All we do is roam around the sun. There’s nothing you can do. You can’t even sell. You are going to open a business because who are you going to sell to? Everyone is unemployed. We all get money on the 1st when we get the child support grants,” says Mgengo.
The revitalisation project is a ray of hope to the people of Dimbaza.
“Things are better now that we have been employed to do this job of putting the fence, and we hope that this will bear fruit and the factories will open and people who are doing nothing at home will also get jobs,” says a resident.
Investors are the key to the success of this project.
Economic MEC, Mlungisi Mvoko says they are putting security so that investors can see that the government is doing something, trying to produce a conducive environment for them to come do business.
Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane is expected to outline plans to deal with unemployment in his State of the Province Address (SOPA).
