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As part of our efforts aimed at rebuilding our economy and to create jobs, today we will be slowly realizing our long held vision of the establishment of a Clothing and Textile Industrial Hub in Amajuba District Municipality.

Throughout the greater part of today, we will  monitor the construction of Madadeni Clothing and Textile Industrial Hub.

Located in Madadeni Township - in the 10.7 hectares of land, this R46 million people’s strategic asset will create 4500 jobs upon its completion.

Our day will involve interacting with more than 100 workers who have been employed from the local community. In addition, the ANC government will create more than 1000 jobs throughout the construction of Phase 1 of the people’s strategic asset.

With Ithala Development Finance Corporation acting as an Implementing Agent, through Madadeni Clothing and Textile Hub, we want the entire N3 and N2 corridors to form a Textile Belt.

The Textile Belt will intergrate all projects around N3 and N2 corridors and share existing resources. 

The corridor will start from Newcastle and link Ladysmith, Mooi River, Pietermaritzburg, Hammersdale, Durban, Dube Trade Port, Isithebe up to Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ).

With statistics showing that South Africans spent more than R180 billion on clothing and textiles in 2017 alone, we want KwaZulu-Natal to have more  preferred suppliers of clothing items to big retail shops around the country and in neighboring countries. 

To achieve this, we are radically intervening by assisting small players with technical expertise, advisory services, mentorship, administrative support and providing access to the cutting edge technology.

To date, more than  100 Clothing & Textile Small Enterprises in various parts of the province have been offered assistance by EDTEA.  Some have been assisted with training on basics of garment design and different categories of fashion. 

We are empowering them with skills such as Drawing and Illustration, Basic Fashion Photography and Creative Computing.

Our view is that as elected public representatives, we are a generation that has a responsibility to produce creators of wealth and jobs for millions of people in the townships and rural areas. 

Importantly, our determination to revitalize the clothing and textile sector has been boosted by the support from national government especially the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC). 

DTIC has more than R1 billion worth of incentives for emerging entrepreneurs through the Clothing and Textile Competitiveness Programme.

Issued by the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs | Leader of Government Business Siboniso Duma