Premier Alan Winde
Image: FILE
One in every five satellites orbiting the Earth contains a part made in the Western Cape.
That was the claim by Premier Alan Winde as he outlined investment, transport and technology plans for the province in George.
“20% of all satellites circumnavigating our planet have some component from the Cape,” Winde said during his State of the Province Address on Wednesday.
“Twenty percent around this planet of ours, something comes from the Western Cape ... it is quite unbelievable.”
He said the province is also moving into new areas of technology.
Under agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer, the Western Cape is establishing what Winde described as the first commercial drone and unmanned aerial vehicle testing sandbox on the West Coast.
“This is a great opportunity for all new societies that use drone technology," he said.
"There are so many opportunities, and we see it happening around the world.
"So let’s create the right ecosystem here for those businesses to grow."
On logistics, he said the provincial government “fully supports Operation Vulindlela as a critical national reform programme to unlock economic growth, create jobs, and modernise this country’s economy".
Operation Vulindlela is a national government reform programme launched in 2020 to fix major bottlenecks in the economy.
It is run jointly by the Presidency and national treasury.
The name “Vulindlela” means “open the way” in isiZulu.
He said: “The Western Cape government will welcome private operators and investors into our ports with open arms.”
Winde said the mobility department, led by MEC Isaac Sileku, has expanded its Ports Project Management Unit.
It was initially created to support the Port of Cape Town but now includes Saldanha Bay and Mossel Bay. He said this will improve freight coordination across the province.
He also welcomed the reopening of Cape Town’s Central Line with PRASA.
“That is how you bring people to jobs, children or learners to school, and how you relieve congestion on our roads,” he said.
Winde announced that the JobSeeker Travel Voucher programme will expand to George, including Tembalethu, Pacaltsdorp, Blanco and Lawaaikamp.
“A JobSeeker Voucher is where a young person gets a voucher, 10 trips at least on a bus system, where they can go to an interview, they’ve got the transport paid for.
"If they get a job the first week, they can go to work without borrowing money,” he said.
He said the voucher will also be included in the GoGeorge bus service, which recorded six million passenger trips in the past year.
On digital access, Winde said the province now has 1,600 free Wi-Fi hotspots.
In George, he said, there are 60 hotspots that give residents six gigabytes of free data per month. He said two more mobile e-centre buses will be built to reach remote areas.
“I really am happy today to announce that we are going to be building two more of those buses, so we will have three in the fleet coming up in this next year,” he said.
Winde also highlighted investment figures.
He said five projects from the Western Cape Investment Conference are nearing financial close.
These include a R600m green hydrogen project, a R1.8bn manufacturing investment, a R105m tech investment, a R250m electric vehicle investment and a R400m solar energy investment.
He said over R9bn was invested in Cape Town’s CBD last year, with a further R24bn planned for development at Granger Bay near the V&A Waterfront.
“The Western Cape has recorded a 49% increase in total exports over three years, from 43.1bn to 64.1bn,” Winde said.
On tourism, he said more than 11m two-way passengers passed through Cape Town International Airport in 2025.
“Cape Town International Airport had the busiest December on record,” he said, adding that more than 200 international flights now land in Cape Town each week.
“It is this growth that pours into communities, provides jobs and livelihoods,” Winde said.
“The Western Cape is working at getting things done.”
IOL