newsletter｜chinese brands made in south africa——chinese enterprises’ industrial parks in south africa benefit local people and promote development
2024-08-29
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cape town, august 20 (xinhua)newsletter｜chinese brands made in south africa——chinese enterprises’ industrial parks in south africa benefit local people and promote development
xinhua news agency reporter wang lei
in atlantis, a small town about 50 kilometers away from cape town, the legislative capital of south africa, every weekday morning before 7 o'clock, local youth marlon jacobs would get into his beloved car and drive for more than 20 minutes to work at hisense south africa industrial park.
talking about the industrial park with xinhua news agency reporters, 37-year-old jacobs' face was filled with a happy smile. he said that thanks to this job, he now has a family and can drive to work, which was "unimaginable" more than ten years ago.
on august 14, in cape town, south africa, local employees worked on the tv production line at hisense south africa industrial park. photo by xinhua news agency reporter wang lei
jacobs' hometown, atlantis, was once the manufacturing center of south africa, but it declined due to industrial technological changes and other reasons, with a large number of factories closed and the unemployment rate approaching 50%. in 2013, the china-africa development fund and hisense group jointly invested in the construction of an industrial park in the area, built tv and refrigerator factories, and opened up employment opportunities for local people.
jacobs was one of the first people to find a job in the industrial park. through hard work and study, he became a technical employee in a refrigerator factory and had the opportunity to study abroad. "my life has changed dramatically!"
as an important representative project of the "belt and road" jointly built by china and vietnam, the industrial park has created more than 1,000 direct jobs and more than 5,000 indirect jobs for the local area. in addition, the industrial park attaches great importance to the training of local talents. elton minnis, who has been working here since the establishment of the industrial park, has a deep understanding of this.
on august 14, in cape town, south africa, local employees worked on the refrigerator production line at hisense south africa industrial park. photo by xinhua news agency reporter wang lei
over the past 11 years, minnis has worked in various fields and has studied under three chinese engineers. "by learning from these three chinese teachers, i have mastered a lot of skills and experience," minnis said.
under the careful guidance of his "chinese master", minnis has grown into an independent technical team leader and has taken on apprentices in the tv factory.
chinese engineer mou xing told reporters that the industrial park has helped improve the overall skill level of the local workforce through a mature and sound training system, contributing to improving south africa's industrialization level.
from the "ten cooperation plans" to the "eight actions" and then to the "nine projects", china-africa cooperation in various fields has continued to deepen and become more practical, and has achieved fruitful results in many fields such as infrastructure construction, industrial upgrading, economic and trade exchanges, improving the lives of african people and helping africa expand its development space.
on august 14, in cape town, south africa, local employees worked on the refrigerator production line at hisense south africa industrial park. photo by xinhua news agency reporter wang lei
over the past 11 years, the industrial park has produced 1.5 million televisions and refrigerators annually. the chinese-branded products not only serve south african consumers, but are also exported to more than a dozen african countries, including mozambique, zimbabwe, and madagascar. in 2022, refrigerators produced in the industrial park will be exported to the european market for the first time, helping to enhance the reputation and confidence of "made in south africa".
in addition, the industrial park has also driven the development of the regional industrial chain. jacobs told reporters that the packaging materials of the televisions and refrigerators produced in the park are all from local suppliers, which not only saves transportation costs but also benefits local enterprises.
upon learning that the industrial park plans to expand its product categories in the future, jacobs said happily: "more people will benefit from it. the industrial park has changed my life and can bring hope to more people."
