Dying diggers of Namaqualand need saving
| by Andrew Louw – DA Northern Cape Premier Candidate |
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| Date: 27 April 2019 |
| Release: Immediate |
| The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape today called on all citizens to join hands to vote out the corrupt ANC so that a DA government can unlock the province’s treasure chest of potential to the benefit of all our people.The DA understands that mining and small mining in Namaqualand have been the cause of a lot of heartache and frustration for a number of stakeholders. (pictures attached here and here)We are sitting with Alexkor that is on the verge of bankruptcy, like all the other state-owned entities in the country. People are losing their livelihoods because of mismanagement and corruption while the ANC knowingly turns a blind eye. Small mining is also not flourishing. Instead it is hounded by issues relating to land, to permits, to illegality, to safety concerns and to crime.The government comes with promises of financial injections and then it disappears. They are more interested in looking after the interests of their own cadres than about creating work for the people of Namaqualand and for this province.The ANC only talks the talk but the DA has a great track record to prove that we walk the walk.The DA has created the most jobs in South Africa, with over 500 000 jobs created in the Western Cape since 2010. In the Western Cape, 299 foreign direct investment interventions have also unlocked R100 billion and created 19 000 new jobs.A DA government in the Northern Cape will also transform this province into a hub of opportunity, starting by ensuring that we put a job in every home.This can be done.Aside from kicking off a solar energy revolution in the Northern Cape, the DA will focus on mineral beneficiation as a major job creator and enabler in the province. According to the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the world receives 7% of its diamonds from the Northern Cape and 13% of global demand in zinc and lead accordingly. This province also has copper, mineral sands, gypsum, granite, asbestos, semi-precious stones and marble.Constraints to beneficiation, such as policies, access to raw materials at developmental prices, infrastructure, limited innovation and required critical skills, will be addressed. This will entail developing partnerships in fields such as copper smelting zinc beneficiation, iron and manganese beneficiation.The end goal will be to develop iron, zinc and manganese refineries within the Northern Cape, particularly in Postmasburg. Postmasburg is currently also the railway hub of Transnet and dispatches the 200-wagon train daily to Saldanah Bay for the export market.As refineries are heavily energy intensive, these refineries would be linked to independent power producers in the renewable energy strategy.With large mining houses procuring R18 billion annually, according to the Northern Cape provincial government, there is also massive scope to focus on procurement as a major driver of job creation in this province.The DA will therefore also look to develop a mining services network that would cover aspects of technical mining services, catering, transport and entertainment for local procurement with a focus on developing a logistical hub in Upington, linked with the solar manufacturing hub already mentioned.The DA would further embark on an investment drive, largely focused on mining and renewable energy. I will therefore waste no time in calling for a Northern Cape Investment Summit to unlock foreign direct investment.The DA knows how to attract and retain investment, unlike the ANC who over the past 25-years has shown that it only knows how to attract and cling onto corruption.We are party of action, a party that gets things done. With your vote we change the entire landscape of this province. Aside from creating fair access to jobs, we will speed up service delivery, create safer communities, stop corruption and secure our borders.This election is your chance to change the future of South Africa. It’s a choice between success and failure. It is a choice to say no to empty promises. It is a choice to waste no more time in building a South Africa that is safe and prosperous.Give the DA a chance. Change is within our reach, a better tomorrow awaits, we just you need your support at the ballot box on 8th of May so that we can build One South Africa for All. |
| Media Enquiries |
| Andrew LouwDA Northern Cape Premier Candidate082 383 6914 Shelley de WittResearcher082 847 1387 |
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