EMBARGOED AGAINST DELIVERY AT 12:30 ON 5 NOVEMBER 2014
CITY OF CAPE TOWN
5 NOVEMBER 2014
SPEECH BY THE CITY’S EXECUTIVE MAYOR, PATRICIA DE LILLE, AT THE
OPENING OF THE GRI WIND TOWER MAST MANUFACTURING PLANT
IN ATLANTIS ON 5 NOVEMBER
Minister of Trade and Industry, the Honourable Rob Davies
Minister of Economic Development, the Honourable Ebrahim Patel
MEC of Transport and Public Works, the Honourable Donald Grant
GRI Renewable Industries CEO, Javier Imaz Rubalcaba
Gestamp Wind CEO, Dionisio Fernandez Auray
IDC Divisional Executive for Agro and New Industries, Khuma Morolo
GRI South Africa Plant Manager, Christiaan Botha
Distinguished guests
Good morning, goeie môre, molweni, as-salaam alaikum, shalom.
The City of Cape Town recognised the social and economic challenges in
Atlantis.
But we also saw opportunity.
Where some saw unemployment, we saw a large labour pool.
Where some saw an isolated town, we saw ample land with great land
values, strategically located on transport networks.
By investing in Atlantis, we are breathing new life into this economy and into
the economic prospects of our residents.
As part of our commitment to building an opportunity city, we want to create
an economically enabling environment that attracts investment.
We understand that in order to achieve this, we need to make it as easy as
possible for companies to do business in the City of Cape Town.
Today, this 12 000 m² wind tower mast production facility is testament to the
fact that we are turning our vision into a reality.
The GRI Wind Steel production facility in the Green Technology Industrial Park
in Atlantis is the first major investment that the City has attracted through our
pilot Investment Incentive Scheme in Atlantis.
In December 2011 the City took the decision to establish a green technology
manufacturing cluster on vacant City-owned land in the Atlantis industrial
area.
To streamline this process, we also approved and established an accelerated
land release process in Atlantis.
This meant that the City would fast-track the application process of
businesses from the green technology sector.
By dealing directly with green technology companies, the City was able to
overcome the significant time pressure we were facing.
As a result, factories such as GRI have gone from blueprints to being built in
record time.
In 2013 we launched the Atlantis Investment Incentive Scheme, in response to
investment-limiting challenges on the ground at a local level.
This includes non-financial incentives such as fast-tracking land use and
building plan applications.
We also provide biodiversity offsets to ensure that we remain focused on
taking care of the natural environment and managing natural resources
more efficiently, together with businesses.
The hard financial incentives that we make available include the exemption
of application fees for land and building plans and waiving development
facilitation fees.
We write off debt when businesses meet employment targets, enabling job
creation through direct investments.
And as part of the scheme, we also offer an electricity tariff subsidy incentive
that fixes prices at the previous financial year’s rate, greatly helping large
employers with high energy costs.
Through this particular incentive, businesses have been able to retain 1 200
jobs in the first half of this year.
In the past year we have seen 33 companies take up the non-financial
incentives, and 34 companies making use of the financial incentives.
Too many people associate governments with slow turn-around times and
empty commitments.
Government doesn’t have to be this way.
The City of Cape Town is determined to push beyond expectations.
It was for this reason that we decided to launch the Atlantis Investment
Facilitation Office about four months ago right here in Atlantis.
This facility has been tasked with creating an economic enabling climate
and business environment in the broader Atlantis area in order to promote
growth and job creation.
In addition to facilitating the uptake of our incentives, they also facilitate role
player engagement, provide focused research and strategy development,
and project management to both current and potential investors.
The Atlantis Facilitation Office also works quite closely with Green-Cape.
Established by the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government,
Green-Cape works towards unlocking the manufacturing and employment
potential in the green economy.
They have come to play a pertinent role in ensuring that we minimise the
hurdles to the growth of the green economy in the Western Cape.
They help drive our vision of making the sure that we are the investment
destination of choice for the green sector, under the able leadership of Evan
Rice.
In conclusion, together with the Department of Trade and Industry, the
Western Cape Government, and Green-Cape, we are working towards the
designation of a Special Economic Zone here in Atlantis where even more
green technology companies will be incentivised to do business here.
In so doing, the City of Cape Town will be playing its part in the protection of
our environment, the strengthening of our economy, and improving the lives
of residents.
We would like to commend both national and provincial government for
their enthusiasm and their willingness to make a success of this project with us.
I do believe that the GRI launch we celebrate today is but the beginning of
the process of making progress possible together in Atlantis.
Thank you, baie dankie, enkosi.
End
Issued by: Integrated Strategic Communication and Branding Department,
City of Cape Town
Media enquiries: Pierrinne Leukes, Spokesperson for the Executive Mayor –
Patricia de Lille, City of Cape Town, Tel: 021 400 1302 or Cell: 084 272 7614, Email: Pierrinne.leukes@capetown.gov.za