Cabinet and Ports Authority Plan Role of Harbours in Economic Growth

"Today, the National Ports Authority [NPA] and the Ports Manager, Mr Sanjay Govan hosted the Western Cape Cabinet. This is significant for the future economic growth of the Western Cape. This Province relies on a functioning and efficient set of harbours as critical drivers of economic growth.

"The NPA has advanced plans for both the Cape Town and Saldanha harbours. The Western Cape Government is developing its Growth and Development Strategy rapidly, and both our Strategic Infrastructure Plan as well as our Micro-Economic Development Strategy will rely heavily on the work of the NPA.

"Our discussions, therefore centred on:

• whether future Industrial Development Zones [IDZ's] should be located at Cape Town and or Saldanha;
• the investments required to ensure the take-off of ship building and repairs as a key economic sector;
• the appropriate balance between Cape Town as a working harbour and the increasing demands by tourism on the harbour;
• the foundations required now already for a part of the Cape Town harbour to becoming a passenger liner terminal and the marketing required to make Cape Town a world destination;
• the infrastructure investment required to make Saldanha the oil and gas service hub for the West Coast of Africa,
• and the future of the Culemborg site for integrated development - both for economic and social housing.

"On these and other issues, we are establishing a firm partnership that will influence our mutual plans and investments. The next step will involve discussions between Cabinet’s Economic Committee and the NPA management. The outcome of all this will be to improve economic growth, mobilize critical economic sectors and direct the future investment patterns in infrastructure in the Province.

"We are both confident that the Western Cape’s economic potential will be realised."