Page 32 - IDC

6 CITY PRESS, 23 APRIL, 2017

business

A

PROJECT IN

PARTNERSHIP
WITH THE Mpumalanga

IDC in numbers

4.4m

THE POPULATION
OF THE PROVINCE

2nd-

SMALLEST
GEOGRAPHICAL
SA PROVINCE

4th

LARGEST PROVINCIAL
ECONOMY IN SA

83%

OF SA’s COAL
PRODUCTION COMES
FROM THE PROVINCE

SLIDE OVER Going downhill on the Long Tom toboggan – a new tourist attraction in Mpumalanga funded by the IDC 2bn
A province YEARS, THE AGE OF ROCKS

IN THE LOWVELD AREA

R4bn

TO DATE
EXPLODING THE IDC’s APPROVALS
60

THE NUMBER OF
INVESTMENT
WITH POTENTIAL IDC HAS FUNDED
PROJECTS THE

TO DATE
It might be the second-smallest province in SA, but Mpumalanga

is punching way above its weight when it comes to contributing to the country’s 14 000
THE NUMBER OF JOBS
economy and potential economic development. The Industrial Development IDC INVOLVEMENT HAS

Corporation’s regional manager for the province, Mashweu Matsiela, explains HELPED CREATE TO DATE

Tourism is a gold mine son Mandela in 1996. Spanish stainless steel producer Acerinox School situated in the nearby township, a library for R142m
toboggan ride is one of the many tourism opportunities acquired a stake in Columbus Steel in 2003. Phumelela Secondary School and a tree-planting and green
AMpumalanga has to offer, and one that the Industrial The plant has a raw material-handling facility, a steel environment initiative.
Development Corporation (IDC) has assisted with funding. welding section, a hot welding mill, a cold welding mill, a APPROVED FOR BLACK
Overlooking the famous Long Tom Pass, the toboggan is a finishing plant as well as a dispatch section. It provides 70% Investing in the youth
monorail that runs 1.7km downhill from the summit of the to 80% of all stainless steel flat products used in South Africa atsiela says just over 70% of Mpumalanga’s population is INDUSTRIALISTS IN
koppie to the Misty Mountain Lodge, which owns and and exports finished stainless steel to 54 countries around Munder the age of 35, which makes investing in them a 2015/16
operates the ride. the world. priority for the IDC in the province.
The monorail track took 22 months to build and has 348 Stainless steel is used in motor vehicle parts, mechanical “We are quite focussed on young people. In fact, we are
sections that have been welded together. It features nine box engineering, the construction industry, electrical machinery investing in our future entrepreneurs through libraries and
carts made out of plastic, each carrying a single rider. and metal products. The Columbus Steel plant boasts the laboratories at schools. We are working from all ends so that 1.7km
Its designer and owner, James Sheard, said he was dared highest quality certification in the industry, (ISO 9001:2008), we can improve their livelihoods and create employment
by a friend in Europe who had seen a toboggan there and and complies with strict environmental controls. opportunities.”
challenged him to recreate it at Misty Mountain. The company fits in with the IDC’s strategy of investing in Having adopted Makhosana Manzini High in 2008 through THE LENGTH OF THE
“A friend of mine sent me a YouTube clip and said, ‘why labour-intensive manufacturing operations that provide maxi- the corporation’s Whole School Development Programme, the LONG TOM TOBOGGAN
don’t you build one of these?’” mum employment opportunities and contribute to economic IDC built a specialised science lab at the school.
Matsiela said investing in the toboggan made perfect sense development. Besides the laboratory, the IDC also built the school’s RIDE NEAR SABIE
in terms of the IDC’s tourism focus. Columbus Steel prioritises black-owned local suppliers and administrative block and renovated ablution facilities as well as
“We are keen on financing projects that are innovative in new enterprises. It also recruits locally and regularly trains its doing general repairs to the school’s buildings.
nature. It’s a new product in the local market and it appeals staff to improve their skills and enhance their professional de- Education experts have also been sent to the school to
to both the young and old,” said Matsiela. velopment. assist it in drafting a strategic plan that helps identify weak- 3.5%
Mpumalanga might not have an ocean, but it has every- “The staff we recruit are giv- nesses and ensure that the school functions at optimum levels.
thing else – the Big Five in the Kruger Park, the breathtaking en theoretical training for “We are the youngest province in the country, there is a lot
Blyde River Canyon, the Mac-Mac falls and the Long Tom about six months and of energy here and we are open to new ideas.” OF MPUMALANGA’S GDP
Pass. then move on to prac- Matsiela said the IDC also helps with pre-investment fund- IS CONTRIBUTED BY
“This province makes you say, wow, wherever you go. You tical training inside ing – like paying for an approved consultant to help potential
don’t just pass here, you come here to be at peace with your- the factory. Some of clients enhance their business plans – so that potential clients COLUMBUS STAINLESS,
self while also having fun. We have to tap into this potential; the recruits become are not disheartened. ONE OF THE WORLD’S
our tourism opportunities are about more than just big steel makers, which “The IDC does not have prescribed forms, we only provide
game.” means they be- guidelines to what sort of information we want in a business LARGEST SINGLE-SITE
He reckons the province has not yet scratched the surface come operators plan. We are open to ideas – if it makes business sense, we STAINLESS STEEL
of the revenue streams that tourism can open up. that move up to can help with the business plan.”
“I believe Mpumalanga can become a bigger contributor to various levels in His office is also happy to sit and talk with PRODUCERS
South Africa’s economy if we tap into this market aggressive- our business,” said potential clients about their ideas. “We engage, rather than
ly.” CEO Lucien Matt- just turning people away. We have had clients who said
hews. they just needed to talk to someone about their plans, and
Leading the way with stainless steel Contributing to others who leave here and go and think of new business WHERE TO
ne of the IDC’s most successful funding partnerships in the community ideas.”
OMpumalanga has been with Columbus Stainless, which where it operates is FIND US
alone is responsible for 3.5% of Mpumalanga’s GDP. important to Columbus The IDC in Mpumalanga
Columbus Steel was formed in 1991 when MS&A Stain- Steel as they have invest- he corporation has injected billions into the province,
less was acquired by the Columbus Joint Venture, a ed R19 million in projects Tand Matsiela proudly points out that the IDC has become
consortium consisting of Samancor, Vanadi- that include a computer the funder of choice. The Maxsa Building,
um and the IDC. This made Columbus centre for the Mhluzi “We are a results-driven team and we have established 7th Floor
one of the biggest single-site Primary excellent relationships with our stakeholders in the province.
stainless steel producers “There is still a lot of work to be done. We are in the 15 Ferreira Street,
in the world. process of setting up another fully fledged office in Mbombela
Its expanded plant Emalahleni because there is so much potential there.
in Middleburg was MASHWEU “We might be a compact province, but we are exploding Tel: 013 752 7724
officially opened by MATSIELA with potential.”
then president Nel-