Times Of Swaziland: E10M THINKPADS, TABLETS FACTORY TO BRING 10 000 JOBS

E10M THINKPADS, TABLETS FACTORY TO BRING 10 000 JOBS
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Machawe Fakudze on 24/01/2023 08:33:00


BULANDZENI – Eswatini will now be among countries which manufacture tablets
and ThinkPads.
A group of investors from South Africa (SA) has partnered with government and
other local partners to undertake the investment initiative which is valued at
E10 million. The SA investors, trading as SCT Eswatini, will construct a factory
shell at Bulandzeni, in northern Hhohho, for this project. Yesterday, Ndzingeni
Member of Parliament (MP) Lutfo Dlamini introduced the investors to the
community leaders and the people of the area during what was supposed to be a
site handover for the proposed project. However, the investors proposed another
site for the project as they were of the view that the one given to them was too
small to accommodate the desired factory shell.
Explaining how production will occur, SCT Chairperson Tinashe Shangwa said they
would start with the Semi Knockdown Kits (SKD) and in three years time, they
anticipated to embark on the next phase. “The SKD means importing kits from
other manufacturers to then assemble the electronic gadgets. The next phase will
be when we now actually produce the kits on our own at the factory,” he said.
Shangwa also disclosed that they projected to provide employment opportunities
to around 10 000 people when they had reached their own production phase.
Partnership
MP Dlamini said he met with the SA investors who informed him of the project
they wanted to embark on the outskirts of urban settlements. The MP said they
then proposed a partnership with Hippo Tools and they worked together for the
factory shell to be constructed. Hippo Tools is a business that was started by
the youth of the area, which manufactures gardening tools. The target market for
the investors is not just limited to emaSwati, but the region and globally with
time. Meanwhile, speaking through Under Secretary (US) Cebile Nhlabatsi,
Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo, said his ministry and
the whole of government was delighted for the realisation of this milestone.
“The ministry is committed to realising an increased number of jobs and
improved livelihoods. I am delighted and humbled to realise the milestone that
is the proposed site for the construction of the Hippo Tools Factory Shell at
Bulandzeni. I hope that having seen the site, the necessary project structures
shall be engaged so that this country’s milestone can be realised. I believe
the establishment of the investment will improve the livelihoods of emaSwati in
this constituency,” he said.
Khumalo said the task at hand required different radical approaches. He said
they could no longer carry out programmes in the usual manner. “The new way of
fighting the challenges in our society is captured in the new decentralised
development model. This proposed project shall be the first-of-its- kind in that
a factory shell is proposed for the cooperatives model. “The essence of this
model is to address social and economic development challenges through
synchronising planning across all government spheres. In practical terms, local
government planning to build factory shells and provide services that will
realise improved livelihoods across the country. The joint product will uplift
the broad populace. Some of the components of this partnership are members of
the business and community-based organisations,” the minister said. He added
that the presence of decentralisation of firms and other government services to
the constituencies from the central government was a good sign that they were
embarking on the right path. This, he said, was part of what they contributed as
communities from the Poverty Participation Assessment.
Opportunities
“It is envisaged that this pilot project shall change the landscape of this
constituency. The ministry is further convinced that this initiative will
significantly decrease the urban migration and further increase business
opportunities in the retail sector and the country’s economy as the project
has factored innovation. I, therefore, encourage the responsible committees to
factor the copy rights issues in their product and also ensure that their
products meet the best practices in quality assurance. I am aware that this
project has a lot of opportunities in value addition. I, therefore, implore the
cooperative to encourage members of the society to work together for the best
interest of this constituency and the country at large,” he said. The
legislator said they shall not sacrifice the overall economic growth and
development of the country on the altar of mediocre principles, but all
communities must be engaged in productive activities which would in turn spring
up a significant multiplier effect to economic growth. He thanked the Bulandzeni
Royal Kraal for the piece of land, the development officers and the MP for this
initiative. “As government, we are committed to working together with all our
communities to ensure that through decentralisation of services, we move
Eswatini forward,” he said.