Government, Ford join forces for good cause
DM Nkosi
The ANC understands that the private sector has a major role to play in creating jobs in order to reduce unemployment and poverty in the country. We therefore welcome the partnership between government and the motor vehicle manufacturer Ford. This will see the creation of an automotive special economic zone, which aims to create an estimated 70,000 jobs once completed. The new zone, which would cover a total of 162 hectares when completed, was launched in Silverton, Tshwane in Gauteng on Tuesday 5th
November 2019.
This will be an automotive component supplier industrial park, in which nine companies have already expressed interest to move into and start operations by January 2021. The first phase of the project will see 81 hectares of land adjacent to Ford Silverton Assembly Plant and will be developed into a new specialised zone, which will see around 6,700 direct jobs being created.
The ANC welcomes the company's commitment to strive to achieve the 60% local content target by 2035. We believe that this underlines South Africa's continuing attractiveness to foreign investors.
