Drought relief and job creation for the Eastern Cape are behind the R12-billion Mzimvubu water project and mining plans at Xolobeni.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane told the Daily Dispatch yesterday on the sidelines of a provincial ANC lekgotla in East London that projects such as these would create jobs for many people who would otherwise look for work elsewhere. “The plans of the Mzimvubu project are at an advanced stage with 2020 reachable.
It will assist a number of communities. Still, we cannot change nature. The El Niño is causing drought in the entire country,” said Mabuyane.
The Mzimvubu project was officially launched by President Jacob Zuma in 2014. It includes building the Ntabelanga and Laleni dams along the river, which travels through many villages in the Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo regions.
Ntabelanga, which will store close to 500-million cubic metres, will supply both domestic consumption and agriculture, while Laleni will be used for hydro-electricity generation.
Kilometres of power lines will connect to the national grid. The project is due for completion in two years and will be fully operational by 2020.
“We don’t want our people moving to other provinces to look for jobs.
“We, as the ANC, want them to get employed here in a way that will boost our economy,” said Mabuyane.
He also talked about other big “game changer” projects that were seemingly stalling because of differences in communities.
Plans for mining at Xolobeni in the Bizana area, a manganese project in the Port Elizabeth area, fracking in the Karoo and a biofuel project in Cradock area were key for the province, he said.
The Xolobeni project is mired in deep community division about the mining, while fracking plans in the Karoo have been halted by strong objections from the locals.
“The Xolobeni mining is a thorny issue but we need game changers in the province. We need projects that will benefit the people at large.
“People should think about those who are yet to be born and what these projects will bring them.
“ We can’t put politics before projects that will boost the economy.
“We need to think hard on these issues,” said Mabuyane.
The party lekgotla was attended by a number of government ministers, who came to present plans on projects and other issues affecting the province.
It started yesterday and ends today. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za
Lekgotla targets job creation, drought relief
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane told the Daily Dispatch yesterday on the sidelines of a provincial ANC lekgotla in East London that projects such as these would create jobs for many people who would otherwise look for work elsewhere. “The plans of the Mzimvubu project are at an advanced stage with 2020 reachable.
It will assist a number of communities. Still, we cannot change nature. The El Niño is causing drought in the entire country,” said Mabuyane.
The Mzimvubu project was officially launched by President Jacob Zuma in 2014. It includes building the Ntabelanga and Laleni dams along the river, which travels through many villages in the Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo regions.
Ntabelanga, which will store close to 500-million cubic metres, will supply both domestic consumption and agriculture, while Laleni will be used for hydro-electricity generation.
Kilometres of power lines will connect to the national grid. The project is due for completion in two years and will be fully operational by 2020.
“We don’t want our people moving to other provinces to look for jobs.
“We, as the ANC, want them to get employed here in a way that will boost our economy,” said Mabuyane.
He also talked about other big “game changer” projects that were seemingly stalling because of differences in communities.
Plans for mining at Xolobeni in the Bizana area, a manganese project in the Port Elizabeth area, fracking in the Karoo and a biofuel project in Cradock area were key for the province, he said.
The Xolobeni project is mired in deep community division about the mining, while fracking plans in the Karoo have been halted by strong objections from the locals.
“The Xolobeni mining is a thorny issue but we need game changers in the province. We need projects that will benefit the people at large.
“People should think about those who are yet to be born and what these projects will bring them.
“ We can’t put politics before projects that will boost the economy.
“We need to think hard on these issues,” said Mabuyane.
The party lekgotla was attended by a number of government ministers, who came to present plans on projects and other issues affecting the province.
It started yesterday and ends today. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za
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