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The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Ebrahim Patel, will on Thursday, 25 July 2019, launch a multi-million-rand High Voltage Power Cables Plant in Port Elizabeth. The launch of the R135 million plant forms part of Aberdare Cables’ investment drive in South Africa as part of its business expansion strategy and a direct response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s campaign to attract investment and grow the economy.
 
This new industrial investment sees the expansion of Aberdare Cables’ manufacturing capability of cables from a current level of 33kV to a new product offering of up to 132 kV. The facility is anticipated to be fully functional towards the end of July 2019.
 
This investment will create 58 jobs in addition to the 429 jobs that Aberdare Cables created in its Port Elizabeth office to date, at both plant and commercial levels.
 
The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) has been working with the industry when the Department embarked on designation in order to leverage on public procurement on the back of the reviewed PPPFA regulations.  In 2013, the dti together with National Treasury designated electrical and telecommunication cables at 90% local content threshold.
That work is bearing fruit today as Aberdare continues to expand its productive capacity through a new production line. This is in line with the Industrial Policy Action Plans’ focus areas of leveraging the infrastructure roll-out to accelerate industrial capacity.
 
“Wealth and jobs are created by expanding productive capacity. Government will deploy industrial policy measures to support manufacturers as that opens enormous economic opportunities not only for the industry and for the country at large. The African Continental Free Trade Agreement provides a bigger market - local producers need to took up to realize that opportunity,” says Minister Patel.
 
Aberdare Cables CEO, Dr Haiyan Song says in terms of skills development, the investment is anticipated to create opportunities for local young people.
 
“At a factory level Aberdare plans to train and employ High Voltage team leaders, HV manufacturing plant operators and HV testing facilities.  At the project level the investment will provide opportunities for HV Cable laying skills, Jointing and Termination of HV cable and Testing and Commissioning of HV cable,” adds Song.
 

Issued by The Department of Trade and Industry