With Youth-Month drawing to a close, Ekurhuleni Executive Mayor, Cllr Mzwandile Masina has called on the city’s youth to move away from a consumption mentality to a production one.
The mayor said this recently, while hosting young black industrialists, who established a company and turned it into a multi-million-rand establishment within three-years.
These industrialists, the mayor said, are ordinary young people who lived in the same conditions that many young people are experiencing.
Based in Alrode in Ekurhuleni, the United Industrial Cables (UIC) came into existence in 2014 by a group of young black professionals experienced in cable manufacturing, finance and project management.
The founders are: Reginald Tshikota, Fhatuwani Belemu, Malwandla Siweya, Themba Mabunda and Mark Horn.
These black industrialists are investing more than R100 million in this venture to bring immense localisation, transformation and much-needed employment.
The company specialises on power cables, signalling cables, bonding wire, aluminium overhead conductors and automotive/Locomotive cables and flexible wires with UV and heat resistant insulation and sheathing materials as well as bare copper conductors/wires.
The UIC currently provides services to Eskom and power utilities in high voltage transmission line.
The mayor said looking at the meteoric rise of these young people, Ekurhuleni youth, which forms a majority population of the 3,4 million people of the city should stand up and grab opportunities.
“Our efforts are narrowed into a 10-point plan to revitalise our economy and our emphasis is on manufacturing. This is expected to create jobs while developing industrialists who will contribute immensely on our regional economy,” he said.
The UIC began their journey when they approached the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) with their business plan. Upon review of the business plan, the IDC called on UIC to prove the market by submitting orders, agreements and letters of intent from potential customers.
While this proved to be a challenge, the young professionals worked vigorously to win over a network of distributors through conducting extensive company visits until they met the requirement of the IDC.
This, according to the mayor, is a story of courage and zeal, whose attitude should inspire young people of Ekurhuleni.
The UIC currently employs 11 of Ekurhuleni based employees but has undertaken to employ 221 full-time and 17 part-time employees to contribute to the fight against the scourge of unemployment in Ekurhuleni.
Ekurhuleni Youth Economic Summit and Career Expo
The City of Ekurhuleni, together with its partners, hosts the Ekurhuleni Youth Economic Summit and Career Expo from 5 – 7 July at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Boksburg.
