Mr Speaker, we congratulate the Departments of Science and Technology, Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Health and Energy on their announcement of the development of a joint venture with Pelchem (Pty) Ltd and a leading Swiss pharmaceutical company, Lonza Limited, on 10 February 2012. The joint venture, named Ketlaphela, will establish the first pharmaceutical plants to manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients, known as APIs, for antiretroviral medicines. Ketlaphela is a Sesotho word meaning "I will live" or "I will survive". Ketlaphela will be a truly South African company with a significant government-ownership component through Pelchem and the Industrial Development Corporation, IDC.
Pelchem, a South African state-owned company, is a leading speciality chemicals manufacturer and the sole producer of fluorochemicals. Its Fluorochemicals Expansion Initiative is a partnership initiative with the Departments of Trade and Industry, and Science and Technology. Lonza is one of the world's leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical, health-care and life-science industries. Its headquarters is in Basel, Switzerland. The company has strong capabilities in large and small molecules, peptides, amino acids and niche bioproducts, which play an important role in the development of novel medicines and health-care products. Furthermore, the company is a leading provider of value chemical and biotechnology ingredients to the nutrition and agromarkets.
We believe that this venture will be directly in line with government's commitment to job creation and poverty alleviation through infrastructure development. The venture will create jobs and bring millions of rands to South Africa. [Time expired.] [Applause.]