by Danie Jacobs
Klerksdorp Record, Orkney - A newly-refurbished gold processing plant opened this week which could mean 4 000 jobs for the struggling community.
According to representatives of the China-African Precious Metals Company (CAPM), R200 million was spent on resuscitating the plant and it forms part of the company’s R2 billion investment at its Orkney operations.
The official opening of the plant took place on Monday November 18 and it was attended by the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, premier of the NW, Kagiso Lazarus Mokgosi, Executive Mayor of Matlosana, Cllr Fikile Mahlope, and the former Acting Premier, Nono Maloyi.
Aaron Wang, the CEO of CAPM, told guests he wants to “make Orkney great again”. He said reopening of the plant is just the beginning of their investment with more shafts opening in the future.
Gerrie Erasmus, GM, said the plant has been non-operational for three years and it was taken out of liquidation. Now, he said, their main aims are safety, reinstating workers and making money.
Premier Mokgosi maintains this investment which will create close to 4 000 work opportunities for locals, is the culmination of government’s investment initiatives aimed at addressing the scourge of unemployment and poverty in the province.
“This means all our investment initiatives from the sixth to the seventh administration were not in vain. Moreover, our ongoing efforts to lure investments and address the scourge of unemployment and poverty is yielding desired results particularly in economically depressed communities like this one.”
More investment commitments are trickling in as the much-anticipated gas to power project in the same municipality will be announced before the end of the year.
“Over and above this project, on November 28 we will be meeting with a delegation of business people from the Henan province of China led by the Ambassador to engage on various investment opportunities in mining, tourism and agriculture, which are mainly the three economic drivers of the province,” the Premier said.
Minister Mantashe closed the speeches by saying last week they were in this area to address the “genocide” taking place in Stilfontein (referring to zama-zamas being stuck underground), but he is back here with better news.
He thanked CAPM for investing and creating jobs. ”A recent article described the NW as a province with more unemployed than employed. We are trying to turn that around. We are looking for investors to help us,” said Mantashe.
He urged mining houses to invest in exploration.
