Not all doom and gloom as investors expand operations in Cape Town

STATEMENT BY THE CITY’S MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND ASSET MANAGEMENT, ALDERMAN JAMES VOS.

The City continues to retain and expand business engagements for job opportunities in Cape Town. Read more below:

As part of ongoing engagements to retain and expand business in Cape Town, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos visited with investors, PF Nonwovens (PFN) situated in Atlantis, this past week.

Together with councillors from Atlantis and officials from the City’s Investment Facilitation Unit (IFU), Alderman Vos visited the company’s facility. As PFN is a Czech company, Alderman Vos had the opportunity to invite the ambassador for the Czech Republic to join the visit via Zoom and shared the message that Cape Town is open to international investors for business.

The first phase of the development has been complete and operating at full capacity since mid-2019.  Further phases are planned for the future at an estimated value of R1,8 billion and are expected to create 200 full-time jobs by the end of phase three.

The facility is geared to manufacture non-woven, polypropylene and polyethylene-based textiles, used in disposable hygiene products such as baby diapers, adult incontinence and feminine hygiene products.

‘When I was appointed as Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, I committed to working with investors and communities to invest in projects and programmes that will drive demand and make business sense, for the benefit of the residents of Cape Town. I visited this facility a year ago to view the construction of the production lines and I am proud of the work conducted by the IFU to support this expansion as well as the benefit it has brought to the community of Atlantis.

‘To date, my department has assisted by tracking the building plan application and ensuring it was timeously processed, ensured that the occupancy certificate was issued timeously, linked the company with the City’s electricity department to secure a reliable supply and assisted with accessing City’s electricity incentive,’ said Alderman Vos.

To ensure Cape Town remains regionally and globally competitive, the City offers a suite of financial and non-financial incentives, as well as investment facilitation services as part of its commitment to growing the city’s economy for the benefit of all. Since 2017, the City’s Enterprise and Investment Department has assisted in landing investments to the value of approximately R39 billion leading to 26 275 jobs throughout Cape Town.

‘Earlier this month the City of Cape Town also approved the land transaction for the Atlantis Special Economic Zone. This will position Atlantis as a Green Tech manufacturing hub for the region poised for job creation and accelerated business investments,’ said Alderman Vos.

The City’s economic readiness and recovery plans for job creation and business growth were also discussed.

‘I intend to use all levers at my disposal to continue to expand current investments and bring in new ones as we plot the road to recovery post-COVID-19,’ said Alderman Vos.