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The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies visited two East London-based beneficiaries of the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) funding yesterday. Minister Davies was in Buffalo City for the Eastern Cape Provincial Liquor Summit where he delivered a speech about government’s efforts to deal with the negative socio-economic impact of alcohol abuse in South Africa.

Minister Davies visited the University of Fort Hare Eastern Cape Audio Visual Centre
(ECAVC), which is also known as the Miriam Makeba Performing Arts Centre, as well as the Budget Office Furniture, a 51% black-owned office and school furniture manufacturing company. The ECAVC was funded through the National Lotteries Commission to the tune of R11 million, while Budget received R2.5 million from the dti’s Manufacturing Competitiveness Enhancement Programme (MCEP).

“Whenever we have been invited to speak in conferences hosted in various parts of our country we make an effort to maximise our presence in the provinces to visit companies and institutions that have benefited from various incentive schemes offered by the dti.  We deem it important and necessary to obtain first-hand information about the positive impact that our funding has made to companies and institutions. The beneficiaries also get an opportunity to interact with the department’s leadership and share their successes and challenges,” said Minister Davies.

The founder and CEO of Budget Office Furniture, Mr Cobus Coetzee expressed his gratitude to Minister Davies saying the grant he received from the dti contributed significantly in growing his business where he is employing 100 people. The funding was used for setting up a laminating plant and purchase of machinery that increased the production and competitive of his company.

“We are on the verge of signing two more contracts which will enable us to increase the number of our employees to 160.  the dti funding has contributed in making us efficient manufacturers of quality furniture products that we supply to the whole of the Eastern Cape,” added Coetzee.

The Artistic Coordinator of the ECAVC, Ms Sduduzo Myeni says funding from the dti was used for the refurbishment of the old Miriam Makeba Centre, and the construction of the music auditoriums and offices.

“We have a recording stable in the centre which caters for the Eastern Cape as a whole. Our mandate is to unearth and nurture music talent from all of the province, record them and market them,” said Myeni

She added that the stable now boasts eight recorded artists including a gospel group, The Chosen, who won the SABC Gospel Crown Award in 2015, hip hop artist Gunzo and another rising gospel star Nosiviwe.

Issued by Department of Trade and Industry