Share

Infrastructure plan to lure SA's skilled

Cape Town - The country will need its entire skills base for the government's R300bn infrastructure programme, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said on Tuesday.

Asked about affirmative action, he told the Cape Town Press Club the government would make an "active attempt" to bring back South Africans with skills to take part in the programme.

"The infrastructure programme is so vast that we will need the entire skills base of society and more," he said.

"We will be making an active attempt to bring back South Africans with skills to take part in this programme."

Patel said South African engineers were sought after "around the world".

"I visited a Gulf state recently and I asked my counterpart how we could deepen economic relations. He said above all don't remove your engineers."

The government is looking at its immigration policies to attract the level of skills it needs.

He said the government wants to form deeper partnerships with universities to make sure the skills base is built up.

"In an expanding economy where you have a shortage, we need to bring in more and we need to bring them in quickly."
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.0%
Rand - Pound
23.90
+0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.41
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.33
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.0%
Platinum
908.05
+1.2%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders