Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille is today visiting the Hermanus Harbour to inspect the recent infrastructure upgrades done by her department.
During her visit, the Minister will also officially open the new multi-purpose centre which will be utilised by local traders.
The DPWI has been implementing The Small Harbours Repairs and Maintenance Programme which has also been gazetted as a Strategic Integrated Project (SIP) as part of the Infrastructure Investment Plan approved by Cabinet in May 2020.
The Small Harbours Repairs and Maintenance Programme has been progressing well at 13 proclaimed fishing harbours (PFHs) in the Western Cape, including Kalk Bay, Gordons Bay and Hermanus Harbour.
The programme identified the following scope of work in each of the 13 PFHs where it was applicable: removal of sunken vessels, dredging of the harbour basins, repairs to slipways, shore crane replacements, security Infrastructure upgrades, civil Infrastructure upgrades and electrical infrastructure upgrades.
To date, the repair and maintenance programme to the proclaimed fishing harbours has created a total of 737 jobs and has also empowered local SMMEs to the value of approximately R90 million.
At Hermanus Harbour, the following are some of the works that have been completed by DPWI’s contractor, slipway repairs and shore crane replacements which includes, extensive renovation and repair to the vandalized Lusitania Building office block and installation of an extensive CCTV camera network system.
The primary purpose of the programme is to bring the harbours to a greater operational efficiency to assist the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) to carry out their mandate effectively with the enabling infrastructure provided by DPWI.
The programme also aims to boost investor confidence within the harbours and many existing tenants are looking to expand their operations coupled with a high appetite from new investors within the harbour which will assist the DPWI in its drive towards attracting private sector investment and revenue generation for the state.
The Infrastructure Investment Plan and this project is also an integral part of the country’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery plan to enable economic growth and create much needed jobs for citizens.
At the Hermanus Harbour project, a total of 92 jobs were created under the land infrastructure project.
The project also included the training of 12 divers under the electrical infrastructure contract resulted in youths from the disadvantaged areas in close proximity to the harbour being identified as beneficiaries.
These youths were prone to illegal activities such as poaching and the works in the harbour such as electrical cabling under the quayside was the catalyst for changing their lives around by getting into careers that would steer them clear from such illegal activities.
The investment into the upgrades to the Hermanus Harbour amounted to just over R15 million.
In terms of empowerment of local companies, the Hermanus land infrastructure project SMME target spend amounted to approximately R6.75 million. – SAnews.gov.za
