Green Economy Journal Issue 41

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GROWTH REFORMS Government plans to boost economy The Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium of South Africa BY Calyn Moneron In June 2020, the inaugural Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium of South Africa (SIDSSA) was held. SIDSSA hosted virtual and in-person roundtable discussions about investing in key sectors of the South African economy. SIDSSA has been in the making since February 2020 when President Cyril Ramaphosa called an emergency meeting with financiers and stakeholders to discuss the challenges of how to boost the country’s economy. “The pro-activeness of government to initiate a suite of interventions and growth reforms aimed at recalibrating the country’s economic trajectory to promote inclusive growth, economic transformation, spatial justice, and create a globally competitive economy can only stimulate investor confidence going forward,” reported the Investment and Infrastructure Office of the Presidency. The discussions aimed to find solutions to achieve the targets set out by the National Development Plan 2030. For this, SIDSSA focused on six key sectors of South Africa. 14 greeneconomy.media
GROWTH REFORMS <strong>Green</strong> economy Out of the 25 projects related to the energy sector that were reviewed, only 11 projects were chosen. The projects had an estimated investment value of R270 billion. When evaluating projects, the environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, legal and regulatory aspects as well as the market potential of each project were considered. These projects will include technologies such as solar, wind, gas turbines and energy efficiency measures. With the use of these technologies, 3125-million CO 2 emissions could be reduced. It is believed that these projects will create more than 200 000 jobs, either directly or indirectly. Transport planning The National Development Plan 2030 set specific and ambitious targets to provide affordable and safe public transport to all South Africans across the country, as well as allowing safe transport of goods from production to consumption and developing transport alternatives that are less harmful to the environment. This became the responsibility of the central government who created the National Transport Master Plan 2050 (NATMAP 2050) for South Africa. In this plan, key priorities were identified. Detailed plans were documented and implemented by state-owned enterprises. Food and agriculture The Scheepersvlakte Citrus Farm has become the catalyst project for the agriculture sector. The farm will grow more than 500 hectares of citrus in the Kirkwood region of the Eastern Cape. There will be employment opportunities while the farm is being established. It is estimated that over 5 years the farm will support more than 100 jobs each year. When the farm is operational there will be employment opportunities for farmworkers and in the processing of fruit and nuts. Digital infrastructure Two of the seven projects that were submitted will be the compound projects for the country’s development of its digital sector. Project Thobela and The Space Infrastructure Hub for National Development have a combined investment of more than R12 billion. The project is anticipating to amass more than 9 000 jobs by the year 2026. The Space Infrastructure Hub will include satellites that will independently feed information to South Africa. This information will help create products and services unique to the challenges that our nation faces. greeneconomy.media Human settlements The Greater Cornubia project for the human settlements sector began in 2015 with an investment period of 16 years. The Greater Cornubia, a mixed-use and mixed-income development, is a new city that is situated about 25km from Durban CBD and 7km from the King Shaka Airport. The project consists of commercial, industrial, open and residential spaces. In the future, there will be more than 50 000 housing opportunities for various income groups. It is estimated that by the year 2027 more than 15 000 employment opportunities will be available. Water and sanitation More than 40 projects were submitted with a projected investment value of R170 billion. The catalyst project for this sector is the Mokolo Crocodile Water Augmentation Project (Phase 2A). The objective of this project is to increase the water supply to the Lephalale region. During the first year, there will be at least 3 000 direct employment opportunities. By the year 2022, the number will increase to 16 985 available positions for semi- and low-skilled workers. 15
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Page 3 and 4: Issue 41 | 2020 G r e e n Economy j
Page 5 and 6: YOU SEE USED BOTTLES. COLLECTORS SE
Page 7 and 8: News & Snippets SUSTAINABLE DEVELOP
Page 9 and 10: SPECIAL REPORT Georgina Smit Head o
Page 11 and 12: SPECIAL REPORT Yovka Raytcheva-Scha
Page 13: INFRASTRUCTURE GBCSA and the Green
Page 18 and 19: ENERGY Bringing all your resources
Page 20 and 21: PROFILE Continuity of essential ser
Page 22 and 23: WATER WASH on, WASH off The provisi
Page 24 and 25: WATER Effective water resources man
Page 26 and 27: MINING Lessons learned Creating an
Page 28 and 29: PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY ORGANISATIO
Page 30 and 31: AIR REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS NOW NMI
Page 32 and 33: ENERGY Load-shedding sheds light on
Page 34: SECURE SAVE SUSTAIN STYLE environme

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