MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The recent intergovernmental meeting to create impetus for cooperation between the Mossel Bay Municipality and the Garden Route District Municipality was deemed a great success.
Garden Route District municipal manager Monde Stratu said he was very encouraged by the quality of discussions on Friday, 1 March when various stakeholders met.
He insisted that there is a need for greater cooperation between the various municipalities in the area.
Apart from representatives of the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), representatives of PetroSA, Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) and the South Cape Economic Partnership (SCEP) joined the executive mayor of Mossel Bay, Alderman Harry Levendal, municipal manager Adv Thys Giliomee, several councillors and the municipal executive management to discuss several opportunities for economic growth in the area. Advocate Giliomee said the meeting was intended as a platform for discussion of economic growth opportunities and initiatives.
Mayor Levendal said at the recent National Mayors' Forum all mayors were instructed to drive job creation in their regions. He added that the Garden Route was fortunate as leaders in the area are focused on the economic development of the region.
Special Economic Zone
Mossel Bay is well situated for the proposed special economic zone (SEZ), the acting director of corporate affairs, Gwynne Harding, said. A redrafted presentation is being drafted and input from all roleplayers, especially the petrochemical and oceans economy are included. The application is for a combination of a free port (to include both the Mossel Bay Harbour and George Airport), a free trade zone (including the harbour area, the tank farm and the industrial area), and a sector development zone.
"The application is for a combination of incentives, such as a preferential 15% Corporate Tax; Building Allowance; Employment incentives; Customs Controlled area as well as 12I Tax Allowance.
"The application is a specific and focused effort and drive to attract new investment into the Southern Cape and to ensure optimal use and leverage of the major capital investments in PetroSA and the Mossel Bay Harbour," Harding said.
She said Mossel Bay's proximity to both Cape Town and Port Elizabeth augured well to attract business through increased incentives.
In terms of economic development, Mossel Bay and the greater Southern Cape region compete with two SEZs in the Western Cape - at Saldanha and Atlantis.
"A biodiversity study is in progress to investigate what is not available in the area," Harding said.Harding also mentioned the approved gas pipeline and said the prospect may yield several benefits.
Follow up
Several other interesting topics were discussed during the highly informative meeting.
Stratu asked that other roleplayers be included in the follow-up meetings that would stem from the inaugural meeting on Friday, 1 March, initiated by the Mossel Bay municipal manager, Adv Thys Giliomee.
While the operational manager of PetroSA, Michael Nene, Paul Hoffman of Southern Cape Economic Partnership (SCEP) and Mossel Bay port manager Shadrack Tshikalange were present, Stratu asked that the ACSA manager of George Airport, Brenda Vorster, be included in follow-up meetings.
The roleplayers present indicated their support for the proposed SEZ, and indicated that several benefits will accrue to the Garden Route as a region.
An informative discussion on the proposed Academy for Municipal Safety and Security was led by Chris Botha (back, second from right). Photos: Nickey le Roux
'We bring you the latest Mossel Bay, Garden Route news'
