R211-million budgeted for Coega Development Zone

Ed Richardson GOVERNMENT HAS set aside R211-million immediately for infrastructural development in the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) east of Port Elizabeth. The money will be used for land acquisition and the provision of roads, reticulation and power and communications grids in the first phase of the IDZ development, according to communications manager Raymond Hartle. According to Hartle, government has spent R25-million since 1998 on the Coega IDZ, which will be served by the port of Ngqura. Total cost of developing the first 6 500 hectares of the IDZ over the next four years is estimated at R550-million. Government will provide the R550-million in development funds, according to Hartle. This is in addition to the R1.65-billion budgeted by Portnet for the building of the port of Ngqura, which is expected to be operational in time for the first exports and imports from the Coega IDZ.