SPECIAL FEATURE run by
SPECIAL FEATURE run by the Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubators (CFERI), the campus programme aims to transfer IT skills and help graduates start their own businesses. There will be courses on coding, programming, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. Tourism Tourism is one of the sectors that was hit hardest by Covid-19. Although times were tough for the “Adventure Province”, there was some good news out of a sector that still retains enormous potential for growth and has been identified by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) as a priority sector. The ECDC invested R2-million in attracting the TV series Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island and that investment has been shown to pay off both in monetary terms and in showcasing the spectacular Wild Coast to TV audiences. The immediate economic impact of the filming was estimated at R10-million. The north-eastern segment of the province is the site of a possible future national park, which would bring to five the number of national parks in the province, joining the Addo Elephant, the Camdeboo, Garden Route and Mountain Zebra National Parks. These parks not only look after animals but also protect quite distinct types of vegetation. If the proposed Grassveld National Park is established high in the mountains above the village of Rhodes and near to the border with Lesotho, it would be South Africa’s 20th. The conservation goal behind the park is to preserve grasslands through agreements with landowners and farmers who would continue to farm the land responsibly. The land of the Batlokoa community is near the famous Naude’s Neck Pass. As a source of clean water, the area is a hugely important resource and worth preserving for that reason too. The water that falls away from the highest point of this proposed park is described by Andrew Weiss of the WWF as “heading towards the Mzimvubu River and the Indian Ocean” while another small stream at the top of the mountain is destined to join the Orange River in the west. Weiss also described rock paintings of eland and reedbuck “with the unusual addition of dogs and a fat-tailed sheep”. The Grassveld National Park project of the South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI) has recorded 1 131 species of plant life on the iNaturalist app. In addition to national parks, the Eastern Cape has 15 provincial nature reserves and a multitude of luxury private game reserves. The events sector was just about to restart before the Omicron variant put a stop to all travel. This is something the Eastern Cape does well, with the National Arts Festival and a variety of sporting events such as Iron Man being hosted by the province. Two big new golf events have put the spotlight on the province’s tourism offering, the SDC Championship at St Francis Links (jointly hosted by South Africa’s Sunshine Tour with the DP World Tour) and the Nelson Mandela Bay Championship, an official DP World Challenge Tour event. ■ Andreas Brand, CEO of Mercedes-Benz South Africa, inspects the company’s rooftop solar installation. EASTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2024 14 PHOTO: Mercedes-Benz South Africa
MESSAGE FROM REGIONAL MANAGER The Industrial Development Corporation’s (IDC) Eastern Cape office has a primary focus on supporting South Africa’s cornerstone sectors, having a strong focus on supporting local automotive operations, agro-processing including forestry, as well as the plastic and textiles manufacturing sectors within the province. The office has a presence across the vast province, having offices in Gqeberha and East London and forms part of the IDC's larger national footprint. The IDC contributed just under R1 billion in approvals in the Eastern Cape in the IDC’s last audited results. Regional Drivers & Opportunities The IDC has played the catalytic funder role in green energy, derisking the renewable energy space and funding some of the early wind farm projects in the country. This has resulted in significant investments by the IDC in the wind renewable space in the Eastern Cape, with the intent to take advantage of the abundant wind resources in the province to assist in addressing South Africa’s energy challenges by funding further green energy projects. A fundamental strategy for our regional office is being a key role player within the automotive sector and its value chain, encouraging and developing localisation of automotive component manufacturing. IDC has supported catalytic projects in the automotive sector and through our support has developed Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which has further embedded localisation in the automotive value chain. The Eastern Cape has a diverse climate and landscape which ranges from deserts to lush forests of the Tsitsikamma and a sizable coastline. As a regional office, we have a vested interest in developing the agro-processing value chain and expanding existing forestry plantations and timber processing plants. The Eastern Cape is the second largest producer of citrus fruit in the country. South Africa is known for contributing 50% of the world’s mohair, most of which is produced within our province. Key agricultural sector drivers for the region lie within deciduous fruits, pineapples, chicory, dairy, goats, and sheep. Three harbours within the province give it an added economic advantage as they facilitate inbound and outbound logistics, enabling international trade. The further harbour developments within the industrial node of the Coega SEZ and East London SEZ are set to give this province an added advantage in the logistics and trading space. Supporting Communities The Eastern Cape office also played an instrumental role in assisting businesses that were impacted by the devastating floods that impacted the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal. Through the IDC’s special flood relief fund, IDC funded two businesses in the Port St Johns area, a river sand mining business and a 4 star resort. Through partnering with us, both organisations were able to repair building structures and replace equipment and furniture damaged by the floods. Our office is centred on growing our regional economy and financing entrepreneurs which reaches communities. At the heart of our operation is our commitment to assisting those in our communities who are marginalised and need a helping hand which includes both CSI initiatives and structuring communities into transactions. On the humanitarian front, we have teamed up with our Corporate Social Investment (CSI) unit in support of communities throughout the Eastern Cape which included relief funding for the damage from flooding. We have partnered with Ikhala TVET College’s Queen Nonesi Campus, building a computer lab and with the Ingwe TVET College campus to construct a simulation room for the college’s Maluti campus, located in Matatiele. These are just a few of our CSI projects in addition to several strategic partnerships with Non-Profit Organisations, with whom we have managed to build and upgrade schools and provide basic needs to name a few. Kingsley Dell-Robertson Eastern Cape Regional Manager Into the Future Our focus as a regional office is to continue to develop and build based on diverse and economically viable opportunities within the Eastern Cape. We intend to fully support SMEs through the various tailored funding instruments at our disposal and contribute towards growing the Eastern Cape’s economy. Businesses not only in our province but throughout the entire country, have suffered because of electricity supply constraints. One of our key offerings is being able to assist SMEs to alleviate the impact of load shedding through our competitive energy solution funds which will provide an alternative energy supply and ensure that their operations continue running with minimal impact on production. We remain committed to building and investing in strategic business partnerships, forging innovative collaborations with our various stakeholders, and supporting the growth of the Eastern Cape province’s economy. Case Study Carbo Ferrum is a black-owned steel fabrication company based in East London, in the Mdantsane Industrial area. The company was established in 2017 and its primary business is the manufacturing of galvanized monopoles and steel poles, plasma and laser cutting, sub-station steelwork as well as general and structural steelwork with a focus on the electrical transmission sector. Through partnering with the IDC and acquiring new machinery, Carbo Ferrum is now able to reduce its outsourced activities and increase its output capacity, growing it operation and creating jobs within the community of Mdantsane. East London 2nd Floor Block B, Chesswood Office Park, Winkley Street, Berea. Tel: 043 721 0733/4 Email: eceast@idc.co.za Gqeberha Southern Life Gardens, Block A ( Ground), 70 2nd Avenue Newton Park. Tel: 041 363 1640 Email: ecwest@idc.co.za https://www.idc.co.za/our-regions/eastern-cape/
