Gauteng’s MEC for Economic Development, Mxolisi Xayiya met with automotive industry stakeholders on Friday at the Johannesburg International Motor Show. He  told the group, which included executives from automotive manufacturers, as well as representatives from industry bodies and youth organisations, that he had an open door policy and looked forward to frank and honest engagements on a regular basis.

“The automotive industry is an indispensible part of our plans to grow Gauteng’s economy, so I look forward to engaging with you,” said Xayiya. But he warned that he would be just as frank and honest, reminding the group that “corporate citizenry is not just about profit.”

Xayiya said that his goal as MEC for Economic Development is to move Gauteng closer to a 40% contribution to South Africa’s GDP. “We must continue to assist the automotive industry to improve its global competitiveness but we must not lose sight of the burning question of how to improve competitiveness without disadvantaging workers and the poor,” he said.

Norman Lamprecht of NAAMSA said that the meeting was very encouraging and that engagement with the MEC would assist the automotive industry in growing its share of GDP from 7% to 10%. These sentiments were echoed by representatives from Nissan, TATA and Motherson Sumi Systems (India’s largest component manufacturer), who told the MEC that they were impressed with the support offered to them via the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency’s Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) and the Automotive Supplier Park. The GGDA is the implementation agency of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED).

Barlow Manilal, CEO of the AIDC, said that follow up meetings would be scheduled on a quarterly basis and encouraged industry players to contact the AIDC to facilitate additional meetings with MEC Xayiya.