More than 150,000 direct and indirect jobs are expected to be created in Nelson Mandela Bay through the N2 nodal development project near the Baywest Mall over the next 10 years.
This was announced during an oversight visit by public works and infrastructure minister Patricia de Lille and minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele on Tuesday.
They were joined by Bay mayor Eugene Johnson, municipal officials and property developers
The project forms part of the infrastructure investment plan approved by the cabinet in May 2020 and was gazetted as a strategic integrated project in July 2020.
The N2 nodal development is an integrated mixed-use catalytic project located along the N2 in Gqeberha.
Developments include residential, large-scale retail, commercial facilities, office, light industrial and warehousing, as well as community and social facilities.
De Lille said the project would assist the mayor in tackling the high unemployment rate and developing SMMEs.
“We will observe this project and we will come back again, but the good thing is that it’s going to play a key role in providing employment,” she said.
The R19.7bn investment project is expected to generate about R51.1bn in additional business sales throughout the Eastern Cape.
So far, the Baywest Mall, which was the first project to be completed in the N2 nodal development in 2015, has 2,217 employees.
Johnson said the Bay’s SMMEs would benefit from the project as municipal policy included the development of small businesses.
“We are very excited that our SMMEs are going to be developed and would be part of the work that is going to be done and get their cut,” she said.
Gungubele said the project was the confirmation of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s hope of blended infrastructure and its potential in stimulating growth.
He said investors were hesitant to invest where there was no development, but when conditions were created many came on board.
“Projects like this one will not only create jobs, but will create projects after one another, and what I like is the mixture of industries in one project,” he said.
HeraldLIVE
Thousands of jobs expected through N2 nodal development project
Politics Reporter
Image: WERNER HILLS
More than 150,000 direct and indirect jobs are expected to be created in Nelson Mandela Bay through the N2 nodal development project near the Baywest Mall over the next 10 years.
This was announced during an oversight visit by public works and infrastructure minister Patricia de Lille and minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele on Tuesday.
They were joined by Bay mayor Eugene Johnson, municipal officials and property developers
The project forms part of the infrastructure investment plan approved by the cabinet in May 2020 and was gazetted as a strategic integrated project in July 2020.
The N2 nodal development is an integrated mixed-use catalytic project located along the N2 in Gqeberha.
Developments include residential, large-scale retail, commercial facilities, office, light industrial and warehousing, as well as community and social facilities.
De Lille said the project would assist the mayor in tackling the high unemployment rate and developing SMMEs.
“We will observe this project and we will come back again, but the good thing is that it’s going to play a key role in providing employment,” she said.
The R19.7bn investment project is expected to generate about R51.1bn in additional business sales throughout the Eastern Cape.
So far, the Baywest Mall, which was the first project to be completed in the N2 nodal development in 2015, has 2,217 employees.
Johnson said the Bay’s SMMEs would benefit from the project as municipal policy included the development of small businesses.
“We are very excited that our SMMEs are going to be developed and would be part of the work that is going to be done and get their cut,” she said.
Gungubele said the project was the confirmation of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s hope of blended infrastructure and its potential in stimulating growth.
He said investors were hesitant to invest where there was no development, but when conditions were created many came on board.
“Projects like this one will not only create jobs, but will create projects after one another, and what I like is the mixture of industries in one project,” he said.
HeraldLIVE
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