Earlier today, together with my team from the City’s Enterprise and Investment Department and our strategic business partner GreenCape, we conducted a site visit to Ukubuya, a new investor in the Atlantis industrial area. Ukubuya is converting alien biomass into a renewable energy source that will be used for industrial heating applications.

With assistance from the Atlantis Investment Facilitation Office, located within the City’s Department of Enterprise and Investment, Ukubanya made the decision to set-up their operation in the industrial area. The company has also submitted an application to move their operations to the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at a later stage. The total value of the investment into Cape Town is estimated to be approximately R200 million over the next few years. In addition, this will lead to new jobs being created as well, over the same period.

Ukubuya’s carbon-neutral briquettes can potentially replace coal and paraffin and effectively reduce the impact of carbon tax and other environmental costs associated with the use of fossil fuels.

As a City, our role is to create the conditions conducive to do business that will lead to job creation. Four years ago, the City and Provincial Government applied to the National Department of Trade and Industry for the Special Economic Zone designation in Atlantis, in order to attract more investment into the area. The declaration of Atlantis as an SEZ in October last year, has afforded our dedicated investment facilitation team the opportunity to promote Atlantis in close collaboration with Wesgro and Green Cape. It has also enabled the City to demonstrate to the residents and surrounding areas that government is serious about economic and social development, and job creation in the area.

The City’s land and infrastructure is the backbone of the SEZ. A total land area of 118,6 hectares will make up the Atlantis SEZ. In addition, from the incentives coming from the Department of Trade and Industry, the incentives provided by the City to attract investment include fast-tracking of land use and building plans, a reduced electricity tariff, providing exemption from application fees for land and building plans and development contribution discounts to new investment and expansion of existing investment that meet employment targets.

The City is an instrumental stakeholder in the SEZ. As the local authority and landowner, the City has played a vital role, from the roll-out of infrastructure such as the MyCiTi bus route, fibre internet and electricity upgrades to softer support in skills, enterprise development, and business incubation in support of the SEZ.

These efforts have also meant that countless jobs have been retained and many more new jobs are created by new investors coming into the area. We will do all we can to create a climate that is conducive to job creation.

For more information on opportunities in Atlantis, please contact the Atlantis Investment Facilitation Office, via email: investment.facilitation@capetown.gov.za, or on the telephone number 021 444 2831.

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