Cape Town mayor commends Chinese multinational firm Hisense for economic contributions

Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 17:19:16|Editor: huaxia

CAPE TOWN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cape Town Executive Mayor Dan Plato has applauded Hisense South Africa for making big contributions to the city as well as the nation's economic development.

During a tour of the factory in the city's Atlantis district on Tuesday, Plato applauded Hisense as "a landmark factory in Atlantis," saying the company "is a tax-paying entity, and I want to see Hisense expand and become big in Cape Town."

He told Xinhua that he was pleased to see "some amazing work the factory is doing, looking at the manufacturing of TVs, fridges for the export market, but also for the usage in South Africa."

Atlantis, which had been for many years known as the forgotten town of Cape Town, has started to come alive after Hisense set up its factory about seven years ago, Plato said.

"Hisense is employing more and more of the people of the Atlantis workforce and that helps a lot in regard to continued employment," said Plato.

"We believe Hisense may expand. If the factory were going to expand, that would mean an awful lot to this area because a couple of hundred more people will get job opportunities," he said.

Plato promised to do everything at his disposal to ensure that the expansion becomes a reality.

"We will assist wherever we can, give advice wherever we can, and make the road for Hisense to expand easier," he said.

Plato, along with some city officials and police officers, took the tour after Hisense experienced a tough time as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and labor riots which had disrupted the economy of Atlantis.

To cope with the pandemic, Hisense South Africa has spent around three million rand (about 170,000 U.S. dollars) on preventive measures to ensure the safety of its staff.

Mark Dammert, Head of Human Resources at Hisense Atlantis, said Hisense has done a lot in the factory itself in terms of sanitization and education to help avoid the spread of COVID-19.

As a provider of quality appliances, technology, and service, the Chinese multinational firm entered the South African market as early as 1994 and has created more than 5,000 jobs directly and indirectly in the country. Enditem

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