MBABANE – Lavumisa Town Board is pursuing plans for a 354-hectare industrial park aimed at attracting manufacturing and processing activities to the southern town.
Lavumisa Town Board Chief Executive Officer Thokozani Jabulani Seyama said the project was among the major developments expected to influence the town’s economic future, particularly through employment and livelihood opportunities.
Seyama was speaking to this publication ahead of his graduation as he is among the 44 graduands expected to be conferred with their qualifications by His Majesty King Mswati III, Chancellor of the University of Eswatini (UNESWA), during the university’s graduation ceremony.
Complements
He has completed a Master of Science in Environmental Resources Management, a qualification he said directly complements his responsibilities in local governance.
The planned industrial park will be developed in phases, with the first phase covering 354 hectares.
Seyama said the development was intended to accommodate a range of industrial activities, including manufacturing, processing and light industrial services.
Explaining, he said the project was comparable to industrial developments in Matsapha, with textile manufacturing among the activities that could be accommodated within the planned industrial space.
The chief executive officer said consultations with Lavumisa residents had been ongoing for about a year and a half, with the industrial park also forming part of recent stakeholder engagements.
Unemployment
According to him, the project could help address unemployment by creating opportunities for local residents, particularly young people who could use their skills to secure employment and establish livelihoods around the new economic activity.
Seyama further shared that the development comes as Lavumisa Town Board also works on formalising informal settlements within its jurisdiction, another area Seyama said would benefit from his newly acquired knowledge.
He said environmental considerations would be central to implementing the industrial park, given the potential environmental implications of industrial development.
Regarding his completion of his studies, Seyama said they will strengthen his understanding of spatial planning, environmental management, climate change and related issues relevant to local governance.
Behavioral change
Regarding the country’s littering along major roads, streets and towns, Seyama linked environmental management to individual behavior, saying legislation and policies alone could not address environmental degradation without behavioral change.
He said communities had a responsibility to become conscious of the consequences of poor waste management and other practices that harm the environment.
