Ekurhuleni Mayor Mondli Gungubele has put job creation and re-industrialisation at the top of the list for the City of Ekurhuleni. During his State of the City Address in Brakpan on Wednesday‚ Ekurhuleni mayor‚ Mondli Gungubele‚ outlined his plans for the metropolitan.“A quick glimpse at Ekurhuleni tells you a story of a city with a higher unemployment rate than other metros‚ income inequalities and social and financial exclusion‚” said Mr Gungubele.Quoting Statistics SA figures‚ Mr Gungubele said over 1-million people in Ekurhuleni were employed and 455‚000 were unemployed.Mr Gungubele said in order to tackle unemployment and inequality in the city‚ Ekurhuleni would reposition and integrate its former towns and urban nodes into an economic cluster.This would be done using the spatial development frameworks‚ which were nationally anchored on the freight corridor to Durban and Maputo freight corridor‚ internationally.The innovation corridor around Germiston‚ Boksburg and Benoni would be linked to a regional triangle connecting Johannesburg Sandton and Tshwane.All the corridors would be linked to the metro’s ambitious Aerotropolis programme‚ which the city has planned to develop over 30 years to uplift Ekurhuleni's economy“The Aerotropolis master plan has enhanced the investment profile and attractiveness of our region‚” said Mr Gungulubele.He said so far the city had received R20bn in inward investment and would result in about 16‚000 people being employed.Mr Gungubele also said the private sector had invested R100bn towards the project.The city had also established a jewellery manufacturing precinct to reindustrialise the sector and the diamond beneficiation industries.Ekurhuleni would also have a R2bn Aviation Simulation and Training Centre that would provide training for pilots.Wednesday marked Mr Gungubele's last State of the City address before his term as mayor ends later this year.There has been speculation that the African National Congress (ANC) has been planning to replace Mr Gungubele with the party’s Ekurhuleni chairman Mzwandile Masina.However Masina has denied the rumours saying the party chose who to deploy as mayor and Mr Gungubele could be replaced by anyone or might not even leave his position.TMG Digital/BDlive..