He said himself is a multi-millionaire and would like to see others climbing up the ladder like him.
PRET leader Themba Sgudla eyes to create a large number of millionaires before the year 2027 comes.
The wealthy eMalahleni businessman, who goes by the name of ‘Masofa’ but who is also known for scooping lucrative tenders with the eMalahleni municipality, says government will become a wheel for economic change and that he through PRET wants to see the number of Mpumalanga millionaires shooting up – from the current 20 to 100 in the next 10 years.
He said through a company called ‘PRET SA Holdings’ they have managed to buy a “brick producing company” in Middelburg which they will use to create jobs and allow government to build RDP houses cheaper by buying bricks at lower costs from them.
Sgudla addressed a press conference together with economic development MEC Eric Kholwane at the government complex in Mbombela on Wednesday evening this week.
He said the purpose of the Practical Radical Economic Transformation (PRET) group is to create many Sgudlas “so that they assist the younger ones who are coming”.
“We want to create multi-millionaires who are going to look like me,” Sgudla said while addressing journalists at the provincial government boardroom.
“We want many Thembas so that they assist the younger ones who are coming and that is the mandate of the Premier of Mpumalanga,” he said.
Sgudla said there is less noise about the giant companies that are tendering to supply coal to Eskom, some of which have up 40 years contracts with the power generator “which will expire after all of you have died here,” Sgudla said, explaining how PRET will work.
“That is some of our responsibilities… to tap into there and create opportunities for our youths because they have got the potential to be millionaires. PRET is not about creating job opportunities but we want people who are going to look like me, a multi-millionaire in Mpumalanga,” he said.
The briefing was attended by the bosses of Kusile power station and PRET members who were bussed in by Sgudla and co-leader Sunday Mathebula to come fill the boardroom of Premier David Mabuza’s office during talks between Kusile bosses, PRET leaders and Mabuza’s government.
During this meeting, Kusile bosses agreed in Mabuza’s office that they would create 10 000 jobs.
The pledge was witnessed by Kholwane who said they would continue to work with PRET as a vehicle mobilising society for economic change.
“Eskom has been very good on the discussions,” Kholwane said.
“They understand their role, also PRET assisted very much in terms of bringing us together and be able to pursue this work which we are hopeful will have a dent on unemployment,” he said.
The meeting between the three follows a march by PRET a week ago to the Kusile power station in Delmas to demand job creations.
(edited by ZK)
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