Pictured - Aphiwe Mkhangelwa- Acting Municipal Manager.
Komani
The ANCYL in the Eastern Cape has commended Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality for hosting its first Investment Engagement Breakfast, praising the event as a model for youth-driven economic development.
Held on 23 April in the Chris Hani District, the Business Engagement presented the municipality’s ten-year Economic Revitalisation Strategic Overview to business leaders, tertiary institutions, organised industry, and government.
The ANCYL Provincial Executive Committee singled out Acting Municipal Manager Aphiwe Mkhangelwa for his role in coordinating the summit. The League said his leadership proves its long-standing position that young people must be placed in pivotal roles to drive innovation and future-oriented solutions.
“We reiterate our call for both the public and private sectors to prioritise the appointment of capable young professionals to strategic leadership positions to build a resilient, long-term workforce,” the ANCYL said.
The engagement outlined Enoch Mgijima’s vision to become an Intermediate City and the economic hub of the Chris Hani District by 2036. The strategy is anchored in Twelve Pillars of Economic Revitalisation and features a R16 billion investment pipeline driven by nine flagship projects.
Priority sectors include manufacturing, agroprocessing and agro-industrial diversification, retail and commercial development, and multi-modal logistics. These will be supported by education hubs, tourism and heritage initiatives, and an automotive supplier park linked to established original equipment manufacturers.
The initiative projects 65,950 sustained jobs over the next decade. The ANCYL said this aligns directly with its core priorities and addresses urgent socio-economic challenges facing youth.
The 8th ANCYL Provincial Executive Committee said it stands firmly behind credible Local Economic Development initiatives across the province. It urged all municipalities to replicate the Enoch Mgijima model.
The League called on investors, sector departments, and development finance institutions to turn the prospectus into concrete investment commitments. It also demanded that public and private stakeholders prioritise young professionals for strategic, executive, and operational leadership roles.
“The time to reposition the Eastern Cape as a thriving economic hub is now,” the ANCYL said.
