Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa from the Presidency’s office will, alongside members from Infrastructure South Africa, visit the Bram Fischer International Airport Node Project outside Bloemfontein; the Botshabelo Industrial Park; the Homsek Dairy and Sinayo Group; the Virginia Gas Project; and the Phakisa Raceway Project in Welkom, over the course of Monday and Wednesday. 

The visit will highlight how far the projects are in their development, and whether initiatives like the much-criticised Botshabelo Industrial Park are in fact yielding tangible fruits.

In his 2019 State of the Nation Address (Sona), President Cyril Ramaphosa named Botshabelo, located over 60km outside the Free State capital, Bloemfontein, as one of 16 industrial parks countrywide that had at that stage undergone revitalisation to stimulate economic growth. Ramaphosa alleged the town, which forms a part of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, had become productive again after being idle for so long. The other Free State area identified as one of the industrial parks selected for revitalisation was Phuthaditjhaba in the eastern part of the province. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Free State responded to the announcement by Ramaphosa with guns blazing, with then-leader Patricia Kopane accusing the President of misleading the public. She said Botshabelo and Phuthaditjhaba remain ravaged by poverty and unemployment.

These townships and rural areas joined Garankuwa, Isithebe, Komani and Seshego, among others, mentioned by Ramaphosa at the time.

The Presidency’s office says the “investment in Infrastructure is part of the overall Economic Recovery Plan of Government to create employment opportunities across various sector and surrounding communities”.

Recent quarterly labour figures by Statistics South Africa reveal the country’s unemployment rate currently stands at 32.5% - this is the narrowed version of unemployment. The Expanded Unemployment Rate now stands at over 11 million people or 42.6% – an increasing cause for concern.

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