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The Eastern Cape Provincial Government embarked on a pre-SOPA visit to Nelson Mandela Bay where Premier Oscar Mabuyane led a delegation to the Forensic Laboratory, the South African Breweries (SAB), as well as the set of Gqeberha The Empire.
Mabuyane said the forensic laboratory boasts a new R80 million DNA testing facility which will be operational from April this year and will assist the province's law enforcement agencies in fast-tracking crime investigations.
"As you all understand we have been having problems with delays in the processing of specimens because this was only done in Cape Town and Johannesburg helping. Now, that is done and from 1 April it will be fully functional," the Premier said.
He was also present at South African Brewery's unveiling of the R500m Ibhayi Brewery expansion project.
"We are talking about 14 000 jobs to be created, that's not something small. It is a commitment that SAB made to the Presidential Investment Conference," Mabuyane said.
SAB CEO Richard Rivett-Carnac revealed that the investment will add 14 000 additional jobs in the beer sector and will add R2.5 billion to the country's GDP per annum, accelerating economic growth for the Eastern Cape province.
"This investment is really about investing back into the community. At the end of the day, we need additional capacity in the Eastern Cape and surrounds. What this investment brings is the ability for us to produce more beer, particularly Flying Fish and Redd's, at the Ibhayi Brewery."
"As a City, we are excited about the investment injection to our local economy. It is a big step towards the right direction as we all unite to work hard to rejuvenate our local economy," said Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor, Retief Odendaal.
"The confidence shown by SAB in Nelson Mandela Bay encourages us to work even harder to ensure we attract more investments," he said.
