Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel has launched Aberdare Cables' new R135-million high-voltage power cables plant in Port Elizabeth, which is set to create jobs and contribute significantly to the South African economy. Patel said Aberdare Cables' parent company, Hengtong – a major Chinese power and fibre optic cable manufacturer – had a much more ambitious investment plan of about R1-billion in a drive to modernise and strengthen its operations in South Africa, including building a new fibre optic plant.