On 22nd April 2022, Premier Alan Winde announced the appointment of Mireille Wenger as the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities.
The Atlantis Special Economic Zone Company had the privilege of welcoming Minister Wenger at their offices both in Cape Town CBD as well as Atlantis.
The Atlantis SEZ, with its greentech theme, speaks to the needs of investors in greentech manufacturing and is positioned as a cutting-edge destination for those wanting to supply their technologies to Independent Power Producers bidding on the National Government renewable energy programme, the REIPPPP.
Staff from the Atlantis SEZ held a successful and exciting meeting with Minister Wenger in Atlantis, which included a site visit of the Special Economic Zone land. In addition to the site tour, a visit was paid to Grosvenor Primary school, which is one of two sites currently hosting dedicated projects to support small-scale emerging farmers to grow their crops and in turn their incomes. This forms part of the ASEZCo funded Food Security and Incubation Programme benefitting 21 local farmers. A further visit was to the solar geyser project in Witsand. This project has resulted in 70 households receiving a solar powered geyser now supplying their homes with warm running water straight from a tap. The geysers used for this project are made from recycled plastic, further highlighting the potential of the circular economy to support livelihoods and providing means of alternative service delivery. Another 30 households have also benefitted from these installations in Pella, a rural community within the border of Atlantis.
Minister Wenger said: “The demand for a green, more resilient future has never been greater. For the world, for South Africa and for us right here in the Western Cape. We must position the Western Cape to take full advantage of this demand. Not only because we need to mitigate the effects of loadshedding and the resulting economic damage, but also because of the immense potential the greentech sector has to attract investment, grow our regional economy and create jobs. As the majority shareholder in the Atlantis Special Economic Zone for Green Technology, we have worked hard to support the establishment of this greentech, export-orientated manufacturing hub and to establish the Western Cape as Africa’s Green Economy capital. In the Western Cape we know that if we work harder and smarter, we can unlock the tremendous value of the green economy. By removing barriers to economically viable green economy projects we can stimulate private sector investment, grow the economy and enable the creation of jobs for the people of the Western Cape.”
The Atlantis Special Economic Zone’s CEO, Pierre Voges said: “Minister Wenger is supportive of the Atlantis SEZ Company’s holistic approach to development, i.e., not only ensuring a competitive return on investment for the investor, but also ensuring a sustainable economic impact on the community”
For information on investing in the Atlantis Special Economic Zone, please reach out to Jarrod Lyons, Executive: Business Development for the Atlantis Special Economic Zone Company.
+27871837000