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Women empowered through Coega project

Posted On Tuesday, 30 November 2004 02:00 Published by eProp Commercial Property News
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Bisho - The Eastern Cape government in conjunction with the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) ensures that women continue to be among the key beneficiaries of economic benefits of the multibillion Rand Coega project.

 

Property-Housing-ResidentialThe Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) is one of the government's high priority projects, with the potential to bring about significant economic benefits to the Eastern Cape region, create employment, energise industrial development and promote international trade.
 
It consists of 11 hectares of industrial land, with the vision to turn South Africa into the manufacturing centre of the world.
 
A significant step toward the development of the Coega IDZ took place recently, when water started flooding into the R3.2 billion Ngqura deepwater port.
 
The port is situated at the mouth of the Coega river, about 20km north of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape's Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality.

The port has been designed to handle containers and various bulk materials, taking into account projected business opportunities as well as changes in world shipping and logistics operations.
 
In less than a year, the first commercial vessel is expected to dock at the Deepwater Port of Ngqura.
 
According to the Eastern Cape Review, women entrepreneurs have made visible strides in South Africa's economic infrastructure development project.
 
At least 52 percent of 83 contracts with a combined value of R65 million awarded in mainly construction projects over the past two years went to small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).
 
Over 40 percent of those contracts in terms of value, just over R26 million, were awarded to women-owned companies.
 
Furthermore, according to Ms Nosiseko Kunge of N&N Construction "winning a contract from CDC was a first for N&N Construction since I started the company in 2001," she said.
 
Ms Kunge is one of the women entering the mainstream of the economy in one of the most impoverished provinces in the country.
 
"When I formed my company, I had only four people working with me and when I finished the recent contract I had 27 people, but had to demobilize the 12 who were specifically employed for Alstorm company project," she said.
 
One thing she would take with her from the contracts she won on the Coega projects was that the capabilities of "my company lie in an efficient and effective resource management," she said.
 
Ms Kunge started with a R2.1 million contract in 2002 as one of the six women who were among the contractors who built the Coega Construction Village Housing Units.
 
Thirty percent of R38 million construction contracts for the construction village single and duplex housing units went to six women-owned companies.
 
The CDC's target is for 10 percent of the contractors at Coega to be owned by companies owned by women.
 
The involvement of women-owned SMMEs also stretches to building material suppliers and services for cleaning and catering.
 
The Labour Department and the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) have entered into a partnership with the CDC in ongoing training, development and mentorship programmes as well as bridging finance for the women-owned companies.

Last modified on Thursday, 26 June 2014 15:21

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