The mayor of Musina, Cllr Mihloti Muhlope, said the border municipality was ready for the multi-billion-rand Special Economic Zone (SEZ) programme.

In an exclusive interview with Limpopo Mirror, Muhlope said Musina’s strategic geographical position on the border also served as an advantage to its economic growth. She added that it was also good that the municipality had been declared a provincial growth point by the government.

“All these projects come at the right time when we are preparing to become a city. This goes well with our vision of becoming the gateway city to the rest of Africa. Coupled with the busy cross-border trade activities, it goes without saying that Musina will be an economic hub for the rest of the province.”

She said the SEZ project and the provincial growth point projects would create a lot of jobs in Musina. “These projects will jointly provide more than 20 000 jobs. These are massive projects, and we should be ready to grasp the opportunities with both hands. This is history in our lifetime, and we should make sure that all the projects are implemented to the maximum benefit of our communities.”

The mayor warned young people to take education seriously, so that they could apply their educational skills for the coming projects. “We don’t want a situation where local people will complain that jobs are taken away by people from afar. Young people must have the relevant skills to run these massive projects. This can only be achieved by going to school and learning the required skills.”