PRESS RELEASES
One step closer to creating a GreenTech hub in Atlantis
21 July 2020
STATEMENT BY THE CITY’S MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND ASSET MANAGEMENT, ALDERMAN JAMES VOS.
Today, Tuesday 21 July 2020, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee agreed to recommend to Council to approve the transfer of land in Atlantis to the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (Ltd). This is a step closer to securing more investment and providing more employment opportunities in the Atlantis area. Read more below:
Following the recommendation by the Mayoral Committee to Council to approve the transfer of land in Atlantis to the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (Ltd), Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management welcomed the progress made.
‘I am pleased that we can all bear witness to what cooperation between our different levels of government can achieve. The successful delivery of years of this collaborative effort will benefit Atlantis for years to come, as we continue to show the business sector that Cape Town is the place to do business. The declaration of Atlantis as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a declaration to the people of Atlantis and surrounding areas that government is serious about economic development, social development and job creation.
‘If this is approved by Council in the coming weeks, the Economic Impact Analysis indicates that by 2034, 15 years after the beginning of construction, this initiative is expected to have made a cumulative contribution of R15,2 billion to the Western Cape GDP and the possibility of thousands of new employment opportunities,’ said Alderman Vos.
The Atlantis SEZ project has been part of the City’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for many years now. This last step in bringing this mega project to fruition is a firm example of what a collaborative spirit between all three spheres of government working together can achieve in terms of economic growth and job creation for our communities.
Over the past few years, the City has worked hard to proactively position Cape Town as a forward-looking, globally competitive business destination by letting the world know that Cape Town is the ideal place to live, work, play and invest in.
These efforts are integral to achieving our strategic objectives of being a city of opportunity and a caring city by alleviating poverty through the creation of jobs and skills development.As part of the City’s Economic and Social Development strategies, in 2012 the City embarked on a project to bring jobs back to the area with the Atlantis Revitalisation Strategy.
The City identified an opportunity to establish a GreenTech hub that would tap into opportunities in the growing global GreenTech market while at the same time, addressing unemployment challenges in Atlantis.
Further investment by the City has been in the form of infrastructure upgrades with roads, MyCiTi bus routes, electricity provision and the installation of fibre optic cables.
This partnership will bring to fruition not only the Western Cape’s first SEZ, but a SEZ in which the City of Cape Town is a vital and key stakeholder. In addition to giving effect to the provisions of the Special Economic Zone legislation, the transfer of the properties will attribute positively into the financial position of the City, through sales income, and anticipated future rates revenue.
Alderman Vos thanked all the partners involved.
‘We are seeing that vision become a reality today. The City of Cape Town’s departments, including Invest Cape Town and the Enterprise and Investment unit were set up as a one-stop-shop to assist potential investors with cutting red tape and guiding them through all the legislative processes to ensure that they have a smooth landing in Cape Town and so that they can set up their businesses in a streamlined process.
‘After many challenges over the years, today we can celebrate a return of investment, job creation and skills development opportunities for generations to come. We look forward to working with many more potential investors to ensure that they have all the support they need and that we create a seamless process for them to set up shop in Atlantis and continue creating more jobs for our communities,’ said Alderman Vos.
