Office of the Premier 2023/05/31 - 22:00
Staff Writer
Gauteng's partnership with the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) has yielded success with the opening of Batyi Automotive Component Supply (BACS) in Pretoria North.
BACS is founded by Sipho Batyi - a graduate of the AIDC's Incubation Programme with Ford Motor Company, whose mandate is to groom Black suppliers, with the assistance of tier-one suppliers, to be independent and globally competitive.
The AIDC facilitated an agreement between BACS and Motherson, a tier-one supplier, for spray painting and assembly of their components. Operations have begun in the newly built facility.
Through the programme, Batyi said he learned the ropes of running a successful automotive business, including creating vehicle parts he supplies to Ford Motors Company. The Ford Motor Company Silverton assembly plant manufactures at least 500 vehicles daily.
The emotional Batyi could not hold back the tears as he gave an encouraging message detailing his entrepreneurial journey. He credits his success to sheer hard work, starting from the bottom as a cleaner despite being an engineering graduate.
"My entrepreneurial journey wasn't an easy journey to start. I had a nagging dream which tormented me for many years of owning my own business. At the time, I was already married with children and was successfully employed, but I decided to resign to pursue my dream of owning an automotive production facility," said Batyi.
"This is a testimony that if we have dedication, commitment, and we have institutions that are willing to partner with the government, we can indeed bring a brighter and better future for our country," said Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi who attended the opening with Economic Development MEC Tasneem Motara.
Lesufi said the event was meant to celebrate the work of those committed and determined to contribute towards creating a better country.
"Transformation in the automotive space is meant for nothing but creating opportunities for all, ensuring that we are inclusive and localise some of our work.
"We can't continue to be a country of consumers, but we need to start to build a society that can produce; a society that can build; a society that can create, but most importantly, a society that can exchange programmes."
In addition, the premier said government's master skills plan is looking at developing the future generation of people.
"As we stand here, we must remember that almost 2.3 million learners are in our schools and are looking up at us.
"And we must say that we refuse for those children to end up in the queues (of people) looking for jobs. They must be in the queues of those creating opportunities and jobs," he said, adding that the provincial government was investing in 35 schools for specialisation across the province.
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