MMSEZ is now becoming a reality, reckons Majola

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08-07-2022
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Zoutnet
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The Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Fikile Majola, said the current generation had the responsibility of building a strong economic foundation for the future generations to come.  Majola was addressing invited guests during the oversight visit to the Musina Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) North Site and the unveiling of the 3D model at Antonvilla Farm, Musina, last Tuesday (28 June).

The oversight visit was meant for various stakeholders to have an opportunity to understand the offerings of the North Site MMSEZ as it becomes ready to welcome investors and tenants alike.

MMSEZ is a state-owned company registered in terms of the Public Management Finance Act (PFMA), the Companies Act and the Special Economic Zones Act. It is currently wholly owned by the Limpopo Enterprise Development Agency (LEDA) with its own board of directors that is representative of various stakeholders, including the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.

The entity commissioned the development of the internal master plan for the North Site in 2020 that streamlined the land-use plan and also outlined the infrastructure requirements to prepare the site for investors. The bulk infrastructure, estimated at approximately R2.9 billion, will be implemented in phases.

In 2021, the provincial government allocated R600 million over a medium-term expenditure framework for bulk installations. The targeted bulk services projects include a water pipeline, water-treatment plant, reservoir, ten Megavolt-amperes (10MVA) electricity substation, internal roads, storm-water drainage system and integrated security infrastructure. 

The oversight visit follows the appointment of a contractor for the construction of a 14km road infrastructure in Antonvilla, while water, electricity, sanitation and fencing projects are at tender stage.

Majola said he had noted the developments of the North Site zone and emphasised that the time for speeches was now over as the MMSEZ was now a reality. “People are no longer interested in ideas; they want to see real work on the ground. We are celebrating this major development here in Musina today, but when I come back, I don’t want to come back and address people in an open field like this one. I want to come back and officially open various factories here which will provide our people with jobs. This site is positioned in a strategic area which will allow easier cross-border trade and economic links with the rest of Africa,” he said.

Majola said for the MMSEZ to succeed, the government needed everyone in the same room. “I am happy because I could see all spheres of government and various stakeholders represented here today. This clearly demonstrates that we are on the right course to realise our economic developmental goals.”

Shortly after unveiling the MMSEZ North Site 3D Model, the MEC for the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, Mr Thabo Mokone, said the event marked a new era in the economic development of the Limpopo Province. “This initiative will definitely change the structure of our province’s economy, because it is one of the huge economic drivers in our lifetime,” he said.