City encourages mining professionals to invest in Cape Town

Below is an extract from the speech delivered by Cape Town’s Acting Mayor, Alderman Eddie Andrews, at the opening of the Mining Indaba earlier this morning.

The Mining Indaba is an important annual gathering. One that not only connects government and thousands of professionals within the mining sector, but also creates a platform for sharing ideas and investment opportunities that will shape our shared future for the better.

We are delighted and proud that Cape Town remains the preferred city for hosting this Indaba. It confirms our city is the place to live, work, and invest. We are actively pursuing opportunities to grow our economy and thus, our intention to become involved in the mining value chain should come as no surprise.

Our goals are clear, we need to:

• keep on improving the living conditions of those most in need
• keep on doing even more to address poverty
• create more opportunities and keep on improving access to these opportunities
• grow our economy
• keep on delivering excellent basic services
• set an example of what is possible on local government level when a city is committed to serving its residents

Our agenda for this term of office is to inspire hope for South Africa’s future. Yes, we have challenges, but the City of Cape Town is showing what can be done when you set goals and take firm and urgent action.

Cities are drivers of economic growth. It is our job to set the foundations that will make economic growth possible, and easy, while removing the obstacles that impede this very growth we want to achieve.

We are moving boldly to protect residents and businesses from load-shedding and we are making strides to diversify our energy supply. These bold moves are not limited to the energy sector, but also apply to public transport infrastructure and policing.

We understand the importance of creating an environment that is attractive to investors. In Cape Town we have the political stability, policy certainty and a competent administration that inspire confidence. I want to echo the message from our Executive Mayor last year, when he challenged you to talk to us before leaving our beautiful shores – Cape Town is open for business.

So, let us use this opportunity to network, share ideas, and collaborate on solutions that will make a real difference in our continent. Together, we can achieve great things, and I am looking forward to hearing about the positive impact that this conference will have on our communities and our African continent.

End

Issued by: Media Office, City of Cape Town

Media enquiries: Letitia Mathieson, Executive Support Officer to the Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Tel: 021 400 4836 or Cell: 084 4377 249, Email: Letitia.Mathieson@capetown.gov.za (Please always copy media.account@capetown.gov.za)