SAB’s multi-million investment in Gqeberha taking shape

The multi-million-rand investment by South African Breweries (SAB) at its Gqeberha plant in the Eastern Cape is taking shape. The company says the R510 million investment is part of its commitment to create jobs.

The investment will add capacity to the plant and increase its output to 300 million litres per year from the current 220 million litres.

To date, the expansion project has created 120 jobs.

CEO SAB SA Richard Rivett-Carnac says, “What this investment will bring is jobs to the community and brings additional GDP and additional tax revenue to the government so this investment here in Gqeberha so the investment will include everyone in the value chain so that will form part of what we need in this investment, so we want to ensure that this investment benefits the local community.”

SA Breweries invests millions at its Gqeberha plant

[embedded content]

SAB estimates that once complete, the increased production can generate up to 14 000 jobs throughout the value chain.

“Well, we welcome this investment, we need more of this. We cannot have investors that are turned away if we want to change the socio-economic outlook of our province, so I am very impressed with what I saw here today young people and women in charge,” says Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane.

But a wave of violent crime has swept across Gqeberha which is a point of concern for the government.

“This crime in the area is very worrying –  people being shot at and killed. So if this does not stop it will hamper the investment in this city. But the police are hard at work to try and crack down these cases and Nelson Mandela Bay is our provincial economic hub so we cannot tolerate this undermining of the state,” Mabuyane explains.

A total of R111 million has been spent thus far on the expansion project.

Multi-million rand investment into SAB Gqeberha plant: Khuselwa Rantjie

[embedded content]