Trade and Industry Editor

THE Gauteng provincial government is seeking an R800m investment from the private sector for one of its pet projects an automotive supplier park in Rosslyn.

To date, R200m has already been invested in the supplier park, which is designed to attract automotive components firms dealing with the large vehicle manufacturers in Gauteng.

The provincial government announced yesterday that an expression of interest for a majority interest in the Supplier Park Development Company is expected to be announced at the two-day Blue IQ smart partnerships conference on Monday.

"The Automotive Supplier Park, conceptualised by Blue IQ as a means to boost the competitiveness of Gauteng's automotive manufacturing sector, will concentrate component manufacturers and suppliers in one location adjacent to assembly plants to save costs as well as exploit the latest advances in logistics and processes in the automotive manufacturing chain.

"Currently BMW, Nissan, Ford and Fiat manufacture vehicles in Gauteng and all stand to benefit from the park."

Blue IQ said its R3,7bn programme was now "ripe for vigorous private sector participation" in a number of areas.

Much of the essential public sector involvement in infrastructure development has been completed and several projects have reached the commercialisation phase.

"Projects which are looking for private sector involvement in various forms are the Automotive Supplier Park, The Innovation Hub (a development in Pretoria), Newtown and Constitution Hill, while others are rapidly approaching that stage," said Blue IQ CE Pradeep Maharaj.

"Investors, tenants and other private sector participants are now in a position to benefit from the significant infrastructure investment by government in these projects."

Oct 15 2003 07:37:31:000AM John Fraser Business Day 1st Edition