KZN eyes billions in investment with 750K possible new jobs

A ground-breaking Durban Aerotropolis master plan that will create a possible 750 000 jobs with a potential investment value of over R1 trillion was unveiled at the Dube TradePort last Thursday.

This includes South Africa’s first fully fledged smartphone factory set to open at Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone (SEZ), as pan-African investment conglomerate Mara Group proceeds with its plans to invest R1.5 billion into the project.

The 50-year master plan was officially launched by the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environment (EDTEA) Nomusa Dube-Ncube.

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Also at the event was the premier of KwaZulu-Natal Sihle Zikalala, the deputy minister of Trade and Industry Nomalungelo Gina and the newly appointed eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda.

The Durban Aerotropolis is centred around the Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone, one of two Special Economic Zones in KZN.

The 32,000 hectare development will be a city within a city with 10 000 hectares of green space.

Speaking at the launch MEC for EDTEA Nomusa Dube-Ncube said the Durban Aerotropolis concept had been adopted in 2012 with the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial government commissioning a KZN Integrated Aerotropolis Strategy.

“This was a collaborative effort involving input from a number of government and industry stakeholders, and paved the way for the formulation of the Durban Aerotropolis Master Plan, adopted by the Provincial Government in 2017,” she said.

According to the MEC, the purpose-built airport city will aim to enhance urban, regional and national competitiveness and will make KwaZulu-Natal more economically efficient, sustainable and attractive to investment.

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With Dube TradePort already regarded as one of South Africa’s top 10 investment opportunities, KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala called the Durban Aerotropolis the heart of the KZN economy.

“Significantly, we want investors to benefit from the incentives of the special economic zone and to take advantage of the greenfield space to develop a globally competitive KwaZulu-Natal,” said Zikalala.

Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone CEO Hmaish Erskine said, “Durban Aerotropolis represents a massive opportunity to expand new infrastructure that has been brought into the region with the development of the airport and Dube TradePort but also to position the region as an investment destination on the world stage.”

Since the opening of the King Shaka International Airport in 2010, the airport has attracted nine international airlines, which has contributed to a 155 percent growth in passenger numbers yearly and an additional 138 percent growth in cargo volumes.

The Durban Aerotropolis will have six key investment sectors including: Advanced manufacturing, health and pharmaceuticals, aviation and aerospace, tourism, agriculture and agro-processing and electronics and electric components.

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